Line #9 Creator/KirkDouglas


1	[[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kirk_douglas.jpg]]
2
3	->''"All children are natural actors, and I'm still a kid. If you grow up completely, you can never be an actor."''
4
5	Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch Demsky; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was a famous American actor and producer, who started his career in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood and remained active for roughly half a century.
6
7	The young Issur grew up in poverty in Amsterdam, New York. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Chavusy, Mogilev Region, in the [[UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia Russian Empire]] (present-day UsefulNotes/{{Belarus}}), who fled pogroms. While studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, he met one [[Creator/LaurenBacall Betty Joan Perske]], who would greatly help him launch his career in the movie industry.
8
9	Known for depicting tough, [[LanternJawOfJustice square-jawed]] men and once quoted as saying he "made a career out of playing sons of bitches"; actually quite nice in real life (depending on who you ask). Had something of a LargeHam reputation, though he proved that he could tone it down and still act pretty well. Often [[ThoseTwoActors tag-teamed]] onscreen with Creator/BurtLancaster, though some sources claim the two men [[HostilityOnTheSet strongly disliked each other]]. Following the example of Lancaster, Kirk created his own production house, Bryna Productions (named after his mother) in 1955. Bryna Productions had several successes and was largely responsible for launching the career of a talented young director named Creator/StanleyKubrick.
10
11	He also played a very important role in ending UsefulNotes/TheHollywoodBlacklist going on in the film industry during the '50s and '60s, most notably by defending the screenwriter he chose for ''Film/{{Spartacus}}'', Dalton Trumbo. His career was largely ended by a stroke that permanently affected his speech in 1996. He was one of the last living legends from the Golden Age of Hollywood, eventually passing away at age 103 in 2020. More details about his life can be found in his [[{{Biography}} autobiography]], ''The Ragman's Son''.
12
13	He is the father of Creator/{{Michael\|Douglas}}, Joel, Peter and Eric Douglas.
14
15	----
16	!!Partial filmography:
17
18	* ''Film/TheStrangeLoveOfMarthaIvers'' (1946) as Walter O'Neil; his film debut
19	* ''Theatre/MourningBecomesElectra'' (1947) as Peter Niles
20	* ''Film/OutOfThePast'' (1947) as Whit Sterling
21	* ''Film/ALetterToThreeWives'' (1949) as George Phipps
22	* ''Theatre/TheGlassMenagerie'' (1950) as Jim O'Connor
23	* ''Film/{{Ace in the Hole\|1951}}'' as Chuck Tatum
24	* ''Film/DetectiveStory'' (1951) as Detective James [=McLeod=]
25	* ''Film/TheBadAndTheBeautiful'' (1952) as Jonathan Shields
26	* ''Film/TheBigSky'' (1952) as Jim
27	* ''Film/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea'' (1954) as Ned Land
28	* ''Film/LustForLife'' (1956) as Creator/VincentVanGogh
29	* ''Film/GunfightAtTheOKCorral'' (1957) as Doc Holliday
30	* ''Film/PathsOfGlory'' (1957) as Col. Dax
31	* ''Film/TheVikings'' (1958) as Einar
32	* ''Film/LastTrainFromGunHill'' (1959) as Matt Morgan
33	* ''Theatre/TheDevilsDisciple'' (1959) as Dick Dudgeon
34	* ''Film/{{Spartacus}}'' (1960) as Spartacus
35	* ''Film/TownWithoutPity'' (1961) as Maj. Garrett
36	* ''Film/TheLastSunset'' (1961) as Bren O'Malley
37	* ''Film/LonelyAreTheBrave'' (1962) as Jack Burns
38	* ''Film/TheListOfAdrianMessenger'' (1963) as George Brougham
39	* ''Film/{{For Love or Money\|1963}}'' (1963) as Deke Gentry
40	* ''Literature/SevenDaysInMay'' (1964) as Col. Jiggs Casey
41	* ''Film/TheHeroesOfTelemark'' (1965) as Dr. Rolf Pedersen
42	* ''Film/InHarmsWay'' (1965) as Cdr. Paul Eddington
43	* ''Film/IsParisBurning'' (1966) as Gen. UsefulNotes/GeorgeSPatton
44	* ''Film/TheWarWagon'' (1967) as Lomax
45	* ''Film/TheArrangement'' (1969) as Eddie Anderson
46	* ''Film/ThereWasACrookedMan'' (1970) as Parris Pitman Jr.
47	* ''Film/TheLightAtTheEdgeOfTheWorld'' (1971) as Will Denton
48	* ''Film/AGunfight'' (1971) as Will Tenneray
49	* ''Film/DrJekyllAndMrHyde1973'' as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde
50	* ''Film/Posse1975'' as Marshal Howard Nightingale
51	* ''Film/{{Holocaust 2000}}'' (1977) as Robert Caine
52	* ''Film/TheFury'' (1978) as Peter Sandza
53	* ''Film/TheVillain'' (1979) as Cactus Jack
54	* ''Film/TheFinalCountdown'' (1980) as Capt. Matthew Yelland
55	* ''Film/{{Saturn 3}}'' (1980) as Adam
56	* ''Film/{{Draw}}'' (1984) as Harry H. Holland
57	* ''Film/ToughGuys'' (1986) as Archie Long
58	* ''Film/{{Oscar\|1991}}'' (1991) as Eduardo Provolone
59	* ''Film/{{Diamonds\|1999}}'' (1999) as Harry Agensky
60	* ''Film/{{It Runs in the Family\|2003}}'' (2003) as Mitchell Gromberg
61
62	!!Tropes & Trivia in his works:
63
64	* FollowTheLeader: Douglas was bummed that he didn't get the main role for the mega hit ''[[Film/BenHur1959 Ben-Hur]]'' (which went to Creator/CharltonHeston), so he arranged to get his own SwordAndSandal EpicMovie, ''Film/{{Spartacus}}''.
65	* ProducedByCastMember: A number of his roles were in self-produced movies, through his company Bryna Productions.
66
67	!!Portrayals in fiction:
68
69	* Creator/AlbertUderzo, who loved using the [[ComicBookFantasyCasting likeness of celebrities]] for some of his comic book characters, gave Kirk's face to former slave [[ShoutOut Spartakis]] in the ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'' adventure ''Recap/AsterixAndObelixAllAtSea''.
70	* The very silly 1994 animated short ''WesternAnimation/TheBigStory'' is basically just an excuse for Kirk Douglas impersonations.
71	* Creator/DeanOGorman portrayed Kirk in ''Film/{{Trumbo}}'', about the life of Dalton Trumbo.

Context Creator / KirkDouglas