Hollywood actor
Kirk Douglas would have turned 105: his life, his films
He was one of the big stars of Hollywood: Kirk Douglas would have turned 105 this Thursday. The actor worked his way up from the simplest of backgrounds – and did not forget where he came from until the end.
Kirk Douglas
That Thursday, Kirk Douglas would have turned 105. The actor died on February 5, 2020 at the age of 103. He was in front of the camera for more than 6 decades, received an honorary Oscar and founded his own acting dynasty: son Michael Douglas also became a successful film star.
Kirk Douglas was born on December 9, 1916 as the son of Jewish-Russian immigrants under the name Issur Danielowitsch Demsky in Amsterdam, New York. He grew up in the poorest of circumstances and had to earn his own degree with jobs as caretaker and fairground wrestler. In 1943 Kirk Douglas married the actress Diana Dill, shortly afterwards the sons Michael (1944) and Joel (1947) were born. At that time he was already an actor on Broadway.