KIRK DOUGLAS VINTAGE 1956 SIGNED DBLWT LUST FOR LIFE PHOTO AUTOGRAPHED
Item History & Price
KIRK DOUGLAS VINTAGE ORIGINAL 1956 SIGNED DBLWT LUST FOR LIFE PHOTO AUTOGRAPHED
DESCRIPTION: GORGEOUS EXAMPLE - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! Actor ...KIRK DOUGLAS vintage original 1956 signed authentic original studio portrait gelatin silver heavyweight photograph promoting the film "Lust for Life" (see mimeographed publicity information on verso). This image was autographed with a blue ink fountain pen.
- This autographed item has beenauthenticated by MY MOVIEMEMORABILIA & MORE, a UACC (Universal Autograph Collectors Club)Registered Dealer (No. RD321), which must abide by the UACC Code of Ethics, allpolicies that the UACC has enacted and must have a good standing as a reputabledealer recommended by long-term UACC dealers. We have years of selling tobuyers internationally with a 100% positive feedback. All of my autographed items have a lifetime money back guarantee ofauthenticity (see Return Policy).
- SIZE: approx. 10" X 8" with white border
- TONE: B&W
- FINISH: glossy
- OTHER: double-weight paper stock
________________________________________________________________________
SHIPPING TERMS
- I ship all items using, what I call, triple protection packing. The photos are inserted into a display bag with a white board, then packed in between two thick packaging boards and lastly wrapped with plastic film for weather protection before being placed into the shipping envelope.
- The shipping cost for U.S. shipments includes USPS "Delivery Confirmation" tracking.- Combined Shipping Discount - only an additional $2.00 to the shipping cost after the first item for any additional items purchased within a period of two weeks.
PAYMENT TERMS
- Please pay within three (3) days of purchase.
- I reserve the right to re-list the item(s) if payment is not received within seven (7) days.
- California residents - please wait for me to adjust the invoice to include California Sales Tax of 7.25% and 9.5% for Los Angeles residents.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
I will respond to all inquiries within 24 hours. Please feel free to contact me anytime at 1-310-880-8140 (Pacific Standard Time)
KIRK DOUGLASBIO Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch, Russian: ????? ???????????; December 9, 1916) is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past(1947), Champion (1949), Ace in the Hole (1951), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Lust for Life (1956), Paths of Glory (1957), Gunfightat the O.K. Corral (1957), Spartacus(1960), and Lonely Are the Brave(1962). He is No.17 on the American FilmInstitute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time, making him the highest-ranked living person on thelist. In 1996, he received theAcademy Honorary Award "for 50 years as a creative and moral force in themotion picture community." He is one of the last surviving actorsfrom Hollywood's"golden age." Douglas was born Issur Danielovitchin Amsterdam, New York, the son of Bryna "Bertha" (née Sanglel) and Herschel"Harry" Danielovitch, abusinessman. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Gomel, Belarus. His father's brother, who emigrated earlier, used the surname Demsky, whichDouglas's family adopted in the United States. In addition to their surname, his parents also changed their given names toHarry and Bertha. Douglas grew up as IzzyDemsky and legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas before entering the Navyduring World War II. Coming from a poor family, as a boy Douglassold snacks to mill workers to earn enough to buy milk and bread. Later, he delivered newspapers and worked at more thanforty jobs before becoming an actor. He found living in a family of six sistersto be stifling, stating, "I was dying to get out. In a sense, it lit a fire under me." During high school, he acted in school plays, and discovered "The one thing in my life that I always knew, that was always constant, was that I wanted to be an actor." Unable to afford tuition, Douglas talkedhis way into St. Lawrence University and received a loan which he paid back byworking part-time as a gardener and a janitor. He was a standout on thewrestling team, and wrestled onesummer in a carnival to make money. Douglas' acting talents were noticed atthe American Academyof Dramatic Arts in New York Cityand he received a special scholarship. One of his classmates was Betty JoanPerske (later to become better known as Lauren Bacall), who would play an important role in launching his film career. Anotherclassmate was aspiring Bermudian actress Diana Dill. While doing summer stocktheater during a college term break, he began using the name Kirk Douglas, which he later legally adopted. He earned his first money as an actor thatsummer. Upon graduating from drama school, Douglas made his Broadway debut as a singingtelegraph boy in Spring Again. Douglas enlisted in the United StatesNavy in 1941, shortly after the United Statesentered World War II. He was medically discharged for war injuries in 1944. OnMay 3, 1943, Diana Dill, his former classmate, appeared on the cover of Life magazine.Seeing the photograph, Douglas told his fellow sailors that he was going tomarry her. He did on November 2, 1943. The couple had two sons together (Michael in 1944 and Joel in 1947)before they divorced in 1951. After the war, Douglas returned to New York Cityand found work in radio, theatre, and commercials. His stage break occurred in Kissand Tell, which led to otherroles. Douglas had planned to remain a stage actor but Lauren Bacall helped himget his first screen role in the Hal B. Wallis film The Strange Love ofMartha Ivers (1946), starringBarbara Stanwyck. Wallis was on his way to New York to look for new talent when Bacallsuggested he visit Douglas, who wasrehearsing a play called The Wind Is Ninety. Douglas finished the play'srun and, with no follow-up work insight, headed to Hollywood. He was immediately cast in one ofthe leading roles in Wallis' film and made his film acting debut as a weak mandominated by a ruthless woman, unlike his later roles where he often played dominating characters. Douglas established his image as a tough guy inhis eighth film, Champion, playing a selfish boxer. From then on, he made a career of playing "sons ofbitches." From that film on, hedecided that to succeed as a star, he needed to ramp up his intensity, overcome his natural shyness, andchoose stronger roles. He later stated, "I don?t think I?d be much of an actor without vanity. And I?m notinterested in being a 'modest actor'." Early in his Hollywood career, he demonstrated his independent streak and brokehis studio contracts to gain total control over his projects, forming his own movie company "BrynaProductions", named after hismother. Douglas made his Broadway debut in 1949 in theAnton Chekhov play "The Three Sisters, "produced by Katharine Cornell. Douglas was a major box office star in the1950s and 1960s, playing oppositesome of the leading actresses of that era. Among his various roles, he played a frontier peace officer in his firstwestern Along the Great Divide (1951). He quickly became comfortablewith riding horses and playing gunslingers, and appeared in many westerns. In Lonely Are the Brave (1962), his own favorite of his performances, Douglas plays acowboy trying to live by his own code, much as he did in real life. In The Bad and the Beautiful(1952), one of his threeOscar-nominated roles, Douglas plays Jonathan Shields, a hard-nosed film producer who manipulates and uses his actors, writers, and directors. In Young Man with a Horn (1950), Douglas portrays the rise and fall of a drivenjazz musician, based on real-lifehorn player Bix Beiderbecke. Composer-pianist Hoagy Carmichael, playing the sidekick role, added realism to the film and gave Douglasinsight into the role, being afriend of the real Beiderbecke. In one of his early televisionappearances, Douglaswas a musical guest (as himself) on The Jack Benny Program. In theopening monologue, Benny reads thereviews of critics who liked his season premiere, while skipping the ones who did not. He then hurries home for his weekly jamsession with Tony Martin (on clarinet), Fred MacMurray (saxophone), DickPowell (trumpet), Dan Dailey (drums), and Douglas (four-string banjo). They availthemselves of the coin-operated vending machines in Benny's living room. Theband plays Basin Street(Blues), but Douglaskeeps going into Bye Bye Blues, the only song he knows. Douglas played many military men, with varying nuance, in Top Secret Affair (1957), Pathsof Glory (1957) (his most famous role in that genre), Town Without Pity (1961), TheHook (1963), Seven Days inMay (1964), Heroes ofTelemark (1965), In Harm'sWay (1965), Cast a GiantShadow (1966), Is ParisBurning (1966), and The FinalCountdown (1980). His role as Vincent Van Gogh in Lustfor Life (1956), filmed mostlyon location in France, was noted not only for the veracity of his appearance but also for how heconveyed the painter?s internal turmoil. He won a Golden Globe award for hisrole. Director Vincente Minnelli stated, "Kirk Douglas achieved a moving and memorable portrait of the artist?a manof massive creative power, triggeredby severe emotional stress, the fearand horror of madness. In my opinion, Kirk should have won the Academy Award." Douglas himself called his actingrole as Van Gogh a "very painful experience." He writes, "Not only did I look like Van Gogh, I was the same age he was when he committedsuicide." Douglas played the lead with an all-star castin Spartacus (1960). He was the executive producer as well, raising the $12 million production cost. Healso played an important role in breaking the Hollywoodblacklist by making sure that Dalton Trumbo's name was mentioned in the openingand ending credits of the film for the outstanding screenplay he did for thefilm. Douglas initially selected Anthony Mannto direct the movie, but dismissedhim when he judged the initial shooting to be unsatisfactory. To replace Mannhe chose Stanley Kubrick, who threeyears earlier had collaborated closely with Douglas in Paths of Glory, where Douglas played one of his most notable rolesas Colonel Dax, the commander of aFrench regiment during World War I. Spartacus was a huge success, butKubrick, considering himself a mere employee of Douglas and since much of thefootage (including Peter Ustinov's key scenes) was shot under Mann, did notconsider it to be part of his own oeuvre. In addition to serious, drivencharacters, Douglas was adept at roles requiring a comic touch, as in 20, 000Leagues Under the Sea (1954), an adaptation of the Jules Verne novel, wherein he plays a happy-go-lucky sailor who is the opposite in every way ofthe brooding Captain Nemo (James Mason). The film was one of Walt Disney's mostsuccessful live-action movies and a major box-office hit. He manages a similarcomic turn in the western Man Without a Star (1955) and in For Loveor Money (1963). Douglas made seven films over thedecades with Burt Lancaster; I Walk Alone (1948), Gunfight at theO.K. Corral (1957), The Devil's Disciple (1959), The List ofAdrian Messenger (1963), Seven Days in May (1964), Victory atEntebbe (1976) and Tough Guys (1986), which fixed the notion of thepair as something of a team in the public imagination. Douglas was alwayssecond-billed under Lancaster in these movies but, with the exception of IWalk Alone, in which Douglas played a villain, and The List of AdrianMessenger, in which Lancaster played a brief part in disguise, their roleswere more or less the same size. Both actors arrived in Hollywood at the sametime, and first appeared together in the fourth film for each. They both becameactor-producers who sought out independent Hollywood careers. Douglas stated that the keys to actingsuccess are determination and application, "You must know how to functionand how to maintain yourself, and you must have a love of what you do. But anactor also needs great good luck. I have had that luck." Douglas had greatvitality, "It takes a lot out of you to work in this business. Many peoplefall by the wayside because they don?t have the energy to sustain theirtalent." His intensity spilled over into all elements of his film-making.As an actor, he dove into every role, dissecting not only his own lines but allthe parts in the script to measure the rightness of the role, and he was willingto fight with the director if he felt justified. According to his wife, heoften brought home that intensity, "When he was doing Lust for Life, he came home in that red beard of Van Gogh?s, wearing those big boots, stompingaround the house?it was frightening." His distinctive acting style anddelivery made him, like James Stewart, a favorite with impersonators, especially Frank Gorshin. Unlike some actors such as RobertMitchum, Douglas had a high opinion of actors, movies, and moviemaking, "To me it is the most important art form?it is an art, and itincludes all the elements of the modern age." But he also stressed theentertainment value of films, "You can make a statement, you can saysomething, but it must be entertaining." His first film as a director was Scalawag(1973). In his autobiography The Ragman's Son, he said "Since I wasaccused so often of trying to direct the films I was in, I thought I ought toreally try my hand at directing." It was a difficult debut with manyproduction problems, requiring his wife to act as producer. Douglas plays acharming scoundrel with one leg, a considerable challenge to his athleticism, and though he got credit for his role, the film received unimpressive reviews.Later in 1973, Douglas appeared in a made-for-TV musical version of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. On July 5, 1986, he co-hosted (withAngela Lansbury) the New York Philharmonic's tribute to the 100th anniversaryof the Statue of Liberty, which was televised live on ABC Television. Theorchestra was conducted by Zubin Mehta. Douglas was nominated three times forthe Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in Champion, The Badand the Beautiful and Lust for Life. He was especially disappointedfor not winning for the last film, "I really thought I had a chance."Douglas did not win any competitive Oscars, but received a Honorary AcademyAward in 1996 for "50 years as a moral and creative force in the motionpicture community". For his contributions to the motionpicture industry, Douglas has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6263Hollywood Blvd. He is one of the few personalities (along with James Stewart, Gregory Peck, and Gene Autry) whose star has been stolen and later replaced. In1984, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the NationalCowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, and hereceived the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1991. In October 2004, the avenue Kirk DouglasWay in Palm Springs, California was named in his honor by the Palm SpringsInternational Film Society and Film Festival. Popular at home and around theworld, Douglas received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981, the FrenchLegion of Honor in 1985, and the National Medal of the Arts in 2001. In March 2009, Douglas starred in anautobiographical one man show titled Before I Forget at the CenterTheatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, California. The fourperformances were filmed and turned into a documentary that was first screenedin January 2010. On February 27, 2011, Douglas appearedon the stage of the Kodak Theatre for the 83rd Academy Awards to present theBest Supporting Actress Oscar. Douglas married twice, first to DianaDill, on November 2, 1943. The couple had two sons, actor Michael Douglas andproducer Joel Douglas. They divorced in 1951. He then married German Americanproducer Anne Buydens on May 29, 1954. They had two sons, producer PeterDouglas and actor Eric Douglas. Eric Douglas died July 6, 2004 of a drugoverdose. In February 1991, Douglas survived ahelicopter crash in which two people died. This sparked a search for meaning, which led him, after much study, to embrace the Judaism in which he was raised.He documented this spiritual journey in his book Climbing the Mountain: MySearch for Meaning (2001). In his earlier autobiography, The Ragman'sSon (1988), he stated that "years back, I tried to forget that I was aJew." However, in his later career, he notes that "coming to gripswith what it means to be a Jew has been a theme in my life." In aninterview in 2000, he explained this transition: "Judaism and I parted ways a longtime ago, when I was a poor kid growing up in Amsterdam, N.Y. Back then, I waspretty good in cheder, so the Jews of our community thought they would do awonderful thing and collect enough money to send me to a yeshiva to become arabbi. Holy Moses! That scared the hell out of me. I didn't want to be a rabbi.I wanted to be an actor. Believe me, the members of the Sons of Israel werepersistent. I had nightmares ? wearing long payos and a black hat. I had towork very hard to get out of it. But it took me a long time to learn that youdon't have to be a rabbi to be a Jew." Douglas notes also that the underlyingtheme of some of his films, including The Juggler (1953), Cast aGiant Shadow (1966), and Remembrance of Love (1982), was about"a Jew who doesn't think of himself as one, and eventually finds hisJewishness." Although his children had a non-Jewish mother, Douglas statesthat they were "aware culturally" of his "deepconvictions, " and he never tried to influence their own religiousdecisions. He notes, however, that Michael answered, "I'm a Jew, "when once asked about what he was. While Douglas has chosen to stay out ofpolitical affairs, he has on occasion written letters to politicians who werefriends. He notes in his memoir, Let's Face It (2007), that he feltcompelled to write former president Jimmy Carter in 2006 in order to stressthat "Israel is the only successful democracy in the Middle East. . . .[and] has had to endure many wars against overwhelming odds. If Israel losesone war, they lose Israel." In January 1996, he suffered a severestroke, partially impairing his ability to speak. On December 8, 2006, Douglasappeared on Entertainment Tonight, where the entire staff wished him ahappy 90th birthday the night before. His son Michael and daughter-in-lawCatherine Zeta-Jones, were among the many celebrities who attended his birthdaycelebration. On the show, he discussed the books he has written and the deathof his son Eric. Douglas celebrated a second Bar-Mitzvah ceremony in 1999 atthe age of eighty-three. A portrait of Douglas, titled "TheGreat and the Beautiful, " which encapsulated his film career, artcollection, philanthropy and rehabilitation from the helicopter crash and thestroke, appeared in Palm Springs Life magazine in 1999. The article said"For years, this energetic performer could be seen jogging several milesto get his morning paper, playing tennis with locals or posing for snapshotsand signing autographs for star-struck out-of-towners. He has been a veritableone-man tourist promotion over the past four decades, extolling the virtue ofthe city he loves to virtually anyone who'll listen". Douglas blogs regularly on his Myspaceaccount. At 95, he is the oldest celebrity blogger. courtesy ofWikipedia
inkfrog terapeak
DESCRIPTION: GORGEOUS EXAMPLE - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! Actor ...KIRK DOUGLAS vintage original 1956 signed authentic original studio portrait gelatin silver heavyweight photograph promoting the film "Lust for Life" (see mimeographed publicity information on verso). This image was autographed with a blue ink fountain pen.
- This autographed item has beenauthenticated by MY MOVIEMEMORABILIA & MORE, a UACC (Universal Autograph Collectors Club)Registered Dealer (No. RD321), which must abide by the UACC Code of Ethics, allpolicies that the UACC has enacted and must have a good standing as a reputabledealer recommended by long-term UACC dealers. We have years of selling tobuyers internationally with a 100% positive feedback. All of my autographed items have a lifetime money back guarantee ofauthenticity (see Return Policy).
- SIZE: approx. 10" X 8" with white border
- TONE: B&W
- FINISH: glossy
- OTHER: double-weight paper stock
________________________________________________________________________
SHIPPING TERMS
- I ship all items using, what I call, triple protection packing. The photos are inserted into a display bag with a white board, then packed in between two thick packaging boards and lastly wrapped with plastic film for weather protection before being placed into the shipping envelope.
- The shipping cost for U.S. shipments includes USPS "Delivery Confirmation" tracking.- Combined Shipping Discount - only an additional $2.00 to the shipping cost after the first item for any additional items purchased within a period of two weeks.
PAYMENT TERMS
- Please pay within three (3) days of purchase.
- I reserve the right to re-list the item(s) if payment is not received within seven (7) days.
- California residents - please wait for me to adjust the invoice to include California Sales Tax of 7.25% and 9.5% for Los Angeles residents.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
I will respond to all inquiries within 24 hours. Please feel free to contact me anytime at 1-310-880-8140 (Pacific Standard Time)
KIRK DOUGLASBIO Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch, Russian: ????? ???????????; December 9, 1916) is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past(1947), Champion (1949), Ace in the Hole (1951), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Lust for Life (1956), Paths of Glory (1957), Gunfightat the O.K. Corral (1957), Spartacus(1960), and Lonely Are the Brave(1962). He is No.17 on the American FilmInstitute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time, making him the highest-ranked living person on thelist. In 1996, he received theAcademy Honorary Award "for 50 years as a creative and moral force in themotion picture community." He is one of the last surviving actorsfrom Hollywood's"golden age." Douglas was born Issur Danielovitchin Amsterdam, New York, the son of Bryna "Bertha" (née Sanglel) and Herschel"Harry" Danielovitch, abusinessman. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Gomel, Belarus. His father's brother, who emigrated earlier, used the surname Demsky, whichDouglas's family adopted in the United States. In addition to their surname, his parents also changed their given names toHarry and Bertha. Douglas grew up as IzzyDemsky and legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas before entering the Navyduring World War II. Coming from a poor family, as a boy Douglassold snacks to mill workers to earn enough to buy milk and bread. Later, he delivered newspapers and worked at more thanforty jobs before becoming an actor. He found living in a family of six sistersto be stifling, stating, "I was dying to get out. In a sense, it lit a fire under me." During high school, he acted in school plays, and discovered "The one thing in my life that I always knew, that was always constant, was that I wanted to be an actor." Unable to afford tuition, Douglas talkedhis way into St. Lawrence University and received a loan which he paid back byworking part-time as a gardener and a janitor. He was a standout on thewrestling team, and wrestled onesummer in a carnival to make money. Douglas' acting talents were noticed atthe American Academyof Dramatic Arts in New York Cityand he received a special scholarship. One of his classmates was Betty JoanPerske (later to become better known as Lauren Bacall), who would play an important role in launching his film career. Anotherclassmate was aspiring Bermudian actress Diana Dill. While doing summer stocktheater during a college term break, he began using the name Kirk Douglas, which he later legally adopted. He earned his first money as an actor thatsummer. Upon graduating from drama school, Douglas made his Broadway debut as a singingtelegraph boy in Spring Again. Douglas enlisted in the United StatesNavy in 1941, shortly after the United Statesentered World War II. He was medically discharged for war injuries in 1944. OnMay 3, 1943, Diana Dill, his former classmate, appeared on the cover of Life magazine.Seeing the photograph, Douglas told his fellow sailors that he was going tomarry her. He did on November 2, 1943. The couple had two sons together (Michael in 1944 and Joel in 1947)before they divorced in 1951. After the war, Douglas returned to New York Cityand found work in radio, theatre, and commercials. His stage break occurred in Kissand Tell, which led to otherroles. Douglas had planned to remain a stage actor but Lauren Bacall helped himget his first screen role in the Hal B. Wallis film The Strange Love ofMartha Ivers (1946), starringBarbara Stanwyck. Wallis was on his way to New York to look for new talent when Bacallsuggested he visit Douglas, who wasrehearsing a play called The Wind Is Ninety. Douglas finished the play'srun and, with no follow-up work insight, headed to Hollywood. He was immediately cast in one ofthe leading roles in Wallis' film and made his film acting debut as a weak mandominated by a ruthless woman, unlike his later roles where he often played dominating characters. Douglas established his image as a tough guy inhis eighth film, Champion, playing a selfish boxer. From then on, he made a career of playing "sons ofbitches." From that film on, hedecided that to succeed as a star, he needed to ramp up his intensity, overcome his natural shyness, andchoose stronger roles. He later stated, "I don?t think I?d be much of an actor without vanity. And I?m notinterested in being a 'modest actor'." Early in his Hollywood career, he demonstrated his independent streak and brokehis studio contracts to gain total control over his projects, forming his own movie company "BrynaProductions", named after hismother. Douglas made his Broadway debut in 1949 in theAnton Chekhov play "The Three Sisters, "produced by Katharine Cornell. Douglas was a major box office star in the1950s and 1960s, playing oppositesome of the leading actresses of that era. Among his various roles, he played a frontier peace officer in his firstwestern Along the Great Divide (1951). He quickly became comfortablewith riding horses and playing gunslingers, and appeared in many westerns. In Lonely Are the Brave (1962), his own favorite of his performances, Douglas plays acowboy trying to live by his own code, much as he did in real life. In The Bad and the Beautiful(1952), one of his threeOscar-nominated roles, Douglas plays Jonathan Shields, a hard-nosed film producer who manipulates and uses his actors, writers, and directors. In Young Man with a Horn (1950), Douglas portrays the rise and fall of a drivenjazz musician, based on real-lifehorn player Bix Beiderbecke. Composer-pianist Hoagy Carmichael, playing the sidekick role, added realism to the film and gave Douglasinsight into the role, being afriend of the real Beiderbecke. In one of his early televisionappearances, Douglaswas a musical guest (as himself) on The Jack Benny Program. In theopening monologue, Benny reads thereviews of critics who liked his season premiere, while skipping the ones who did not. He then hurries home for his weekly jamsession with Tony Martin (on clarinet), Fred MacMurray (saxophone), DickPowell (trumpet), Dan Dailey (drums), and Douglas (four-string banjo). They availthemselves of the coin-operated vending machines in Benny's living room. Theband plays Basin Street(Blues), but Douglaskeeps going into Bye Bye Blues, the only song he knows. Douglas played many military men, with varying nuance, in Top Secret Affair (1957), Pathsof Glory (1957) (his most famous role in that genre), Town Without Pity (1961), TheHook (1963), Seven Days inMay (1964), Heroes ofTelemark (1965), In Harm'sWay (1965), Cast a GiantShadow (1966), Is ParisBurning (1966), and The FinalCountdown (1980). His role as Vincent Van Gogh in Lustfor Life (1956), filmed mostlyon location in France, was noted not only for the veracity of his appearance but also for how heconveyed the painter?s internal turmoil. He won a Golden Globe award for hisrole. Director Vincente Minnelli stated, "Kirk Douglas achieved a moving and memorable portrait of the artist?a manof massive creative power, triggeredby severe emotional stress, the fearand horror of madness. In my opinion, Kirk should have won the Academy Award." Douglas himself called his actingrole as Van Gogh a "very painful experience." He writes, "Not only did I look like Van Gogh, I was the same age he was when he committedsuicide." Douglas played the lead with an all-star castin Spartacus (1960). He was the executive producer as well, raising the $12 million production cost. Healso played an important role in breaking the Hollywoodblacklist by making sure that Dalton Trumbo's name was mentioned in the openingand ending credits of the film for the outstanding screenplay he did for thefilm. Douglas initially selected Anthony Mannto direct the movie, but dismissedhim when he judged the initial shooting to be unsatisfactory. To replace Mannhe chose Stanley Kubrick, who threeyears earlier had collaborated closely with Douglas in Paths of Glory, where Douglas played one of his most notable rolesas Colonel Dax, the commander of aFrench regiment during World War I. Spartacus was a huge success, butKubrick, considering himself a mere employee of Douglas and since much of thefootage (including Peter Ustinov's key scenes) was shot under Mann, did notconsider it to be part of his own oeuvre. In addition to serious, drivencharacters, Douglas was adept at roles requiring a comic touch, as in 20, 000Leagues Under the Sea (1954), an adaptation of the Jules Verne novel, wherein he plays a happy-go-lucky sailor who is the opposite in every way ofthe brooding Captain Nemo (James Mason). The film was one of Walt Disney's mostsuccessful live-action movies and a major box-office hit. He manages a similarcomic turn in the western Man Without a Star (1955) and in For Loveor Money (1963). Douglas made seven films over thedecades with Burt Lancaster; I Walk Alone (1948), Gunfight at theO.K. Corral (1957), The Devil's Disciple (1959), The List ofAdrian Messenger (1963), Seven Days in May (1964), Victory atEntebbe (1976) and Tough Guys (1986), which fixed the notion of thepair as something of a team in the public imagination. Douglas was alwayssecond-billed under Lancaster in these movies but, with the exception of IWalk Alone, in which Douglas played a villain, and The List of AdrianMessenger, in which Lancaster played a brief part in disguise, their roleswere more or less the same size. Both actors arrived in Hollywood at the sametime, and first appeared together in the fourth film for each. They both becameactor-producers who sought out independent Hollywood careers. Douglas stated that the keys to actingsuccess are determination and application, "You must know how to functionand how to maintain yourself, and you must have a love of what you do. But anactor also needs great good luck. I have had that luck." Douglas had greatvitality, "It takes a lot out of you to work in this business. Many peoplefall by the wayside because they don?t have the energy to sustain theirtalent." His intensity spilled over into all elements of his film-making.As an actor, he dove into every role, dissecting not only his own lines but allthe parts in the script to measure the rightness of the role, and he was willingto fight with the director if he felt justified. According to his wife, heoften brought home that intensity, "When he was doing Lust for Life, he came home in that red beard of Van Gogh?s, wearing those big boots, stompingaround the house?it was frightening." His distinctive acting style anddelivery made him, like James Stewart, a favorite with impersonators, especially Frank Gorshin. Unlike some actors such as RobertMitchum, Douglas had a high opinion of actors, movies, and moviemaking, "To me it is the most important art form?it is an art, and itincludes all the elements of the modern age." But he also stressed theentertainment value of films, "You can make a statement, you can saysomething, but it must be entertaining." His first film as a director was Scalawag(1973). In his autobiography The Ragman's Son, he said "Since I wasaccused so often of trying to direct the films I was in, I thought I ought toreally try my hand at directing." It was a difficult debut with manyproduction problems, requiring his wife to act as producer. Douglas plays acharming scoundrel with one leg, a considerable challenge to his athleticism, and though he got credit for his role, the film received unimpressive reviews.Later in 1973, Douglas appeared in a made-for-TV musical version of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. On July 5, 1986, he co-hosted (withAngela Lansbury) the New York Philharmonic's tribute to the 100th anniversaryof the Statue of Liberty, which was televised live on ABC Television. Theorchestra was conducted by Zubin Mehta. Douglas was nominated three times forthe Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in Champion, The Badand the Beautiful and Lust for Life. He was especially disappointedfor not winning for the last film, "I really thought I had a chance."Douglas did not win any competitive Oscars, but received a Honorary AcademyAward in 1996 for "50 years as a moral and creative force in the motionpicture community". For his contributions to the motionpicture industry, Douglas has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6263Hollywood Blvd. He is one of the few personalities (along with James Stewart, Gregory Peck, and Gene Autry) whose star has been stolen and later replaced. In1984, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the NationalCowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, and hereceived the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1991. In October 2004, the avenue Kirk DouglasWay in Palm Springs, California was named in his honor by the Palm SpringsInternational Film Society and Film Festival. Popular at home and around theworld, Douglas received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981, the FrenchLegion of Honor in 1985, and the National Medal of the Arts in 2001. In March 2009, Douglas starred in anautobiographical one man show titled Before I Forget at the CenterTheatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, California. The fourperformances were filmed and turned into a documentary that was first screenedin January 2010. On February 27, 2011, Douglas appearedon the stage of the Kodak Theatre for the 83rd Academy Awards to present theBest Supporting Actress Oscar. Douglas married twice, first to DianaDill, on November 2, 1943. The couple had two sons, actor Michael Douglas andproducer Joel Douglas. They divorced in 1951. He then married German Americanproducer Anne Buydens on May 29, 1954. They had two sons, producer PeterDouglas and actor Eric Douglas. Eric Douglas died July 6, 2004 of a drugoverdose. In February 1991, Douglas survived ahelicopter crash in which two people died. This sparked a search for meaning, which led him, after much study, to embrace the Judaism in which he was raised.He documented this spiritual journey in his book Climbing the Mountain: MySearch for Meaning (2001). In his earlier autobiography, The Ragman'sSon (1988), he stated that "years back, I tried to forget that I was aJew." However, in his later career, he notes that "coming to gripswith what it means to be a Jew has been a theme in my life." In aninterview in 2000, he explained this transition: "Judaism and I parted ways a longtime ago, when I was a poor kid growing up in Amsterdam, N.Y. Back then, I waspretty good in cheder, so the Jews of our community thought they would do awonderful thing and collect enough money to send me to a yeshiva to become arabbi. Holy Moses! That scared the hell out of me. I didn't want to be a rabbi.I wanted to be an actor. Believe me, the members of the Sons of Israel werepersistent. I had nightmares ? wearing long payos and a black hat. I had towork very hard to get out of it. But it took me a long time to learn that youdon't have to be a rabbi to be a Jew." Douglas notes also that the underlyingtheme of some of his films, including The Juggler (1953), Cast aGiant Shadow (1966), and Remembrance of Love (1982), was about"a Jew who doesn't think of himself as one, and eventually finds hisJewishness." Although his children had a non-Jewish mother, Douglas statesthat they were "aware culturally" of his "deepconvictions, " and he never tried to influence their own religiousdecisions. He notes, however, that Michael answered, "I'm a Jew, "when once asked about what he was. While Douglas has chosen to stay out ofpolitical affairs, he has on occasion written letters to politicians who werefriends. He notes in his memoir, Let's Face It (2007), that he feltcompelled to write former president Jimmy Carter in 2006 in order to stressthat "Israel is the only successful democracy in the Middle East. . . .[and] has had to endure many wars against overwhelming odds. If Israel losesone war, they lose Israel." In January 1996, he suffered a severestroke, partially impairing his ability to speak. On December 8, 2006, Douglasappeared on Entertainment Tonight, where the entire staff wished him ahappy 90th birthday the night before. His son Michael and daughter-in-lawCatherine Zeta-Jones, were among the many celebrities who attended his birthdaycelebration. On the show, he discussed the books he has written and the deathof his son Eric. Douglas celebrated a second Bar-Mitzvah ceremony in 1999 atthe age of eighty-three. A portrait of Douglas, titled "TheGreat and the Beautiful, " which encapsulated his film career, artcollection, philanthropy and rehabilitation from the helicopter crash and thestroke, appeared in Palm Springs Life magazine in 1999. The article said"For years, this energetic performer could be seen jogging several milesto get his morning paper, playing tennis with locals or posing for snapshotsand signing autographs for star-struck out-of-towners. He has been a veritableone-man tourist promotion over the past four decades, extolling the virtue ofthe city he loves to virtually anyone who'll listen". Douglas blogs regularly on his Myspaceaccount. At 95, he is the oldest celebrity blogger. courtesy ofWikipedia
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