Kirk Douglas

Acting

Kirk Douglas

Born 1916-12-09 · Amsterdam, New York, USA

Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor, producer, director and author. He grew up as Izzy Demsky and legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas before entering the United States Navy during World War II. During his career, Douglas appeared in more than 90 movies and was known for his explosive acting style. He became an international star for his leading role as an unscrupulous boxing hero in Champion (1949), which brought him his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Other early films include Young Man with a Horn (1950), Ace in the Hole (1951), and Detective Story (1951), a film for which he received a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actor in a Drama. He received a second Oscar nomination for his role in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), and his third nomination for portraying Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life (1956), which landed him a second Golden Globe nomination. In 1955, Douglas established Bryna Productions, which produced films as varied as Paths of Glory (1957) and Spartacus (1960). He took the lead roles in both films. Douglas has been praised for helping to break the Hollywood blacklist by having Dalton Trumbo write Spartacus with an official on-screen credit. In 1963 Douglas starred in the Broadway play One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a story that he purchased and later gave to his son Michael Douglas, who turned it into an Oscar-winning film. As an actor and philanthropist, Douglas received an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. As an author, he wrote ten novels and memoirs. He is No. 17 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male screen legends of classic Hollywood cinema. Kirk Douglas died at age 103.

Acting credits

Spartacus poster
7.5

The rebellious Thracian Spartacus, born and raised a slave, is sold to Gladiator trainer Batiatus. After weeks of being trained to kill for the arena, Spartacus turns on his owners and leads the other slaves in rebellion. As the rebels move from town to town, their numbers swell as escaped slaves join their ranks. Under the leadership of Spartacus, they make their way to southern Italy, where they will cross the sea and return to their homes.

Spartacus

1960

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea poster
7.1

A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

1954

Ulysses poster
6.5

A retelling of Homer's The Odyssey, focusing on Ulysses's ten-year journey home to Ithaca following the Trojan War, where he faces various mythical challenges while his wife Penelope fends off suitors.

Ulysses

1954

Oscar poster
6.4

Angelo "Snaps" Provolone made his dying father a promise on his deathbed: he would leave the world of crime and become an honest businessman. Despite having no experience in making money in a legal fashion, Snaps sets about to keep his promise.

Oscar

1991

Paths of Glory poster
8.3

A commanding officer defends three scapegoats on trial for a failed offensive that occurred within the French Army in 1916.

Paths of Glory

1957

The Man from Snowy River poster
7.0

Jim Craig has lived his first 18 years in the mountains of Australia on his father's farm. The death of his father forces him to go to the lowlands to earn enough money to get the farm back on its feet.

The Man from Snowy River

1982

Kubrick by Kubrick poster
7.3

American filmmaker Stanley Kubrick (1928–1999), one of the greatest in history, but also one of the most reserved, gave few interviews throughout his long career, and none of them were filmed. A first-person journey through his life and work, based on a recorded conversation with French film critic Michel Climent.

Kubrick by Kubrick

2020

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral poster
7.0

Lawman Wyatt Earp and outlaw Doc Holliday form an unlikely alliance which culminates in their participation in the legendary Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

1957

Greedy poster
6.2

Meet the McTeagues. They've come to stake a claim in their wealthy uncle's will… only he's not dead yet!

Greedy

1994

The War Wagon poster
6.8

An ex-con seeks revenge on the man who put him in prison by planning a robbery of the latter's stagecoach, which is transporting gold. He enlists the help of a partner, who could be working for his nemesis.

The War Wagon

1967

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid poster
6.6

Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are 'The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta'.

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

1982

The Heroes of Telemark poster
6.9

Set in German-occupied Norway, resistance fighter Knut Straud enlists the reluctant physicist Rolf Pedersen in an effort to destroy the German heavy water production plant in rural Telemark.

The Heroes of Telemark

1965

Diamonds poster
5.2

Mystery about an ex-prizefighter who embarks on a journey to find 13 missing diamonds

Diamonds

1999

The Final Countdown poster
6.6

During routine manoeuvres near Hawaii in 1980, the aircraft-carrier USS Nimitz is caught in a strange vortex-like storm, throwing the ship back in time to 1941—mere hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Final Countdown

1980

The Vikings poster
7.0

Einar, brutal son of the viking Ragnar and future heir to his throne, tangles with clever slave Eric, for the hand of a beautiful English maiden.

The Vikings

1958

Saturn 3 poster
5.3

In the future, Earth is overcrowded and the population relies on distant bases to be fed. In the Saturn 3 station, Major Adam and the scientist Alex, who is also his lover and has never been on Earth, have been researching hydroponics for three years in the base alone with their dog Sally. Captain Benson arrives Saturn 3 with Hector, incapable to controlling his emotions he transfers his homicidal tendency and insanity to Hector. Now Major Adam and Alex are trapped in the station with a dangerous psychopath robot.

Saturn 3

1980

The Secret poster
9.0

Mostly on account of a pride struggle, Mike Dunmore has lived his whole life keeping a secret which he believed would only cause shame if it came to light. Personal relationships with his son Patrick have been strained as a result. The only ones who ever knew anything about it were his deceased wife and his best friend, Thurgood who he works with, who both agreed to help keep it covered up for him as long as they could. However, when his treasured grandson begins experiencing the same problems, Mike realizes that he can't hide his secret any longer, or if he tried to, it would be most difficult. Even more so when he is endorsed and volunteers to run as a candidate for local election.

The Secret

1992

Out of the Past poster
7.7

The peaceful life of a gas station owner is disrupted when a man from his past arrives in town and forces him to return to the dark world he had tried to escape.

Out of the Past

1947

Last Train from Gun Hill poster
7.1

A marshal tries to bring the son of an old friend, an autocratic cattle baron, to justice for the rape and murder of his wife.

Last Train from Gun Hill

1959

Seven Days in May poster
7.4

A U.S. Marine Corps colonel alerts the president of a planned military coup against him.

Seven Days in May

1964

Ace in the Hole poster
7.8

An arrogant reporter exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to revitalize his career.

Ace in the Hole

1951

Posse poster
6.0

A tough marshal with political ambitions leads an elite posse to capture a notorious train robber and his gang.

Posse

1975

In Harm's Way poster
6.6

A Naval officer, reprimanded after Pearl Harbor, is later promoted to Rear Admiral and gets a second chance to prove himself against the Japanese.

In Harm's Way

1965

Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen poster
7.5

A film where anything can happen - the hero and the heroine changes their faces, age, look, names, and so on. The only same thing: The love between man and woman... in an archetypical love story cut from 500 classics from all around the world.

Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen

2012

Behind the camera

Paths of Glory poster
8.3

A commanding officer defends three scapegoats on trial for a failed offensive that occurred within the French Army in 1916.

Paths of Glory

1957

Posse poster
6.0

A tough marshal with political ambitions leads an elite posse to capture a notorious train robber and his gang.

Posse

1975

Posse poster
6.0

A tough marshal with political ambitions leads an elite posse to capture a notorious train robber and his gang.

Posse

1975

The Brotherhood poster
6.1

The son of a powerful Mafia don comes home from his army service in Vietnam and wants to lead his own life, but family tradition, intrigues and powerplays involving his older brother dictate otherwise, and he finds himself being slowly drawn back into that world.

The Brotherhood

1968

The Light at the Edge of the World poster
6.0

Pirates take over a lighthouse on a rocky island. They then execute a devious plan to cause ships to run aground, pillaging their wrecks. A lone member of the lighthouse crew survives, and he deperately fights their plot. A shipwrecked maiden that avoids the pirates slaughter soon complicates the situation.

The Light at the Edge of the World

1971

Scalawag poster
5.9

A crew of land locked pirates, led by the aptly named Peg, go in search of buried treasure hidden by the treacherous Mudhook and his twin brother. They meet up with good natured landowner, Don Aragon, who goes along for the ride with his sister and a young boy, Jamie. Along the way, Peg and Jamie form a father son relationship that is put to the test due to Peg's naturally dishonest ways.

Scalawag

1973

Scalawag poster
5.9

A crew of land locked pirates, led by the aptly named Peg, go in search of buried treasure hidden by the treacherous Mudhook and his twin brother. They meet up with good natured landowner, Don Aragon, who goes along for the ride with his sister and a young boy, Jamie. Along the way, Peg and Jamie form a father son relationship that is put to the test due to Peg's naturally dishonest ways.

Scalawag

1973

Summertree poster
6.2

All-American boy Jerry is drafted to serve in the Vietnam War just as things begin to go well for him. His decision to flee to Canada sparks off conflict with his parents, ending in the film's tragic conclusion.

Summertree

1971