Kirk Douglas — the face of the «Golden era» of Hollywood and star of legendaryhollowalex «Spartak» — died on Wednesday, 5 February. The famous actor was 103 years old.
«It is with great heartache we bratyami to announce that today kirk Douglas left us at the age of 103 years. — written by his son, two-time winner of the «Oscar» Michael Douglas, in Instagram — To the world he was a legend, a star of the Golden age of cinema <…> and a fighter for justice, whose commitment to charity and his ideal was the role model for all of us. But for me and my braev it in the first place, was the father.»
«I’ll say now what I said to him at last birthday <…>: Dad, I love you and am proud that I am your son.»
Kirk Douglas (real name — Icer Danilovich Demski) was born in Amsterdam, new York, in a family of poor Jewish immigrants from Russia.
Demski was poor, but Kirk was able to pay for their education in the University of St Lawrence, found a job as a janitor. Then the young man moved to Manhattan where he received a special scholarship at the American Academy of dramatic arts after one listen, deeply vpechatlilo Commission.
He made his Broadway debut in the early ‘ 40s, but the real fame came to an actor almost a decade later, in the 50s. He earned three nominations for «Oscar» for the film «champion», «bad and beautiful» and «Lust for life», and in 1960 forever inscribed his name in history with peplum «Spartak».
The film, shot the then novice Director Stanley Kubrick, was the most expensive in the history of Universal at the time — and, moreover, became the highest grossing.
«I never thought I would live to be 100 years old. It’s crazy shocking.»
Douglas has not only agreed to play the lead role and will be writing / producing the tape but also publicly announced that the writer will be Dalton TRUMBO, up to this point were in so-called «Black list of Hollywood.» Making a direct protest against the regime of McCarthy, he gave TRUMBO’s career a second wind, and his colleagues became a hero.
During the life of Douglas starred in over 80 films, was actively engaged in blagotvoritelnosti and was a goodwill Ambassador for the US state Department. In 1981, he received from Jimmy Carter one of the two highest awards for civilians — the Presidential medal of freedom, and in 1996, the actor was awarded the Oscar for achievement in cinematography.
«Everyone loves to talk about the good old times: that old movies were better and the actors too. I don’t think so. All I can say about good old times — they passed.»
