American actor Kirk Douglas celebrates 100 years
NEW YORK, December 9. /Offset. TASS Kirill Volkov/. Legendary American actor kirk Douglas, one of the last living stars of the so-called Golden age of Hollywood, on Friday celebrates its 100th anniversary.
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As told himself hero of the day in an interview with the weekly Closer Weekly, to celebrate this day he intended a great feast to be held at his Villa in Los Angeles (California). “My son and his wife are throwing a party on the occasion of my 100th anniversary,” said a veteran of Hollywood, having in mind the 72-year-old Michael Douglas and his 47-year-old wife Catherine Zeta-Jones. “About 200 friends and family members will be there, but that’s all I know,” said the birthday boy, adding that loves surprises.
Personalink Douglas
“All I need is to be healthy and rested, so I can be charming,” said the actor. The guest list is kept secret, however, according to the media specializing in the publication of information about celebrities, to congratulate Douglas on the significant date is coming, besides two other sons and seven grandchildren, his longtime friends and colleagues, including Director Steven Spielberg and producer Jeffrey Katzenberg.
From paperboy to Hollywood legend
Douglas was born in new York in 1916, into a poor Jewish family of immigrants from the Russian Empire. He, the immigrant, had to work their way to success through hard work and diligence. At various times he worked as a waiter, paperboy, a porter and a labourer, however, dreaming since childhood to play on the stage, he decided to try himself in the acting field, enrolling in new York’s American Academy of dramatic arts. When the Second world war, Douglas decided to sign up for military service, he was accepted into one of the units of the Navy, but was retired in 1944 after he fell ill with dysentery.
Around this same time, Douglas was married to the young actress Diana dill, who gave him two sons, Michael and Joel. The marriage lasted eight years.
After returning from the army in new York, he decided to continue trying to become serious actors, actively participating in the Broadway theatrical productions and radio broadcasts. After his move to Los Angeles (California) in 1945, a friend of Douglas, American actress Lauren Bacall recommended the aspiring artist to a number of Hollywood producers. So, in 1946 he made his debut on the big screen in the movie “the Strange love of Martha Ivers” (The Strange Love of Martha Ivers), after which the career of future Hollywood stars gradually went up the hill, though initially the actor was offered only the role of the second plan. The breakthrough came in 1949, when Douglas starred in low-budget film “champion” (Champion), for which he received the first of his three nominations for “Oscar”.
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Later Douglas played in such popular films as “bad and beautiful” (The Bad and The Beautiful, 1952), “Paths of glory” (Paths of Glory, 1957) and “Lust for life” (Lust for Life, 1956). For work in the last scene, where he played the painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890 years), the actor received the “Golden globe”. However, the world fame came to the actor after he played the main role in the film Director Stanley Kubrick’s “Spartacus” (Spartacus, 1960).
With this film the actor communicates, according to him, the most worthy thing in his career. In those days, the United States embraced anti-Communist hysteria, Hollywood studios refused to give the job to the filmmakers suspected of belonging to the Communist party. In the black list and got Dalton TRUMBO, who Douglas, risking his own career, was invited to write the screenplay for the cult which later became the “Spartak”. In fact, it put an end to the persecution of the writer, who was imprisoned at that time, 11 months in Federal prison for refusing to cooperate with the house UN-American activities.
After the role in “Spartacus” Douglas, being at that time already one of the most famous and popular Hollywood performers, I took a little career break and returned to acting, became a taste more serious, uncharacteristic roles. This has not always been in his favor, a tape, taken during this period with the participation of Douglas failed at the box office. In 1973, the actor made his debut in directing with the movie “Slacker” (Scalawag), where he also played a major role, but the tape was not a success, neither the critics nor the audience. In 1980-ies the actor starred mainly in television films and serials, while sometimes participating in various theatrical productions.
The secret of longevity
In 1996 Douglas received an honorary award “Oscar” for his invaluable contribution to the film, but after that in the life of a 79-year-old at the time the actor came a difficult period. In the same year he suffered a stroke that severely affected its condition, especially of speech. After an illness about the acting career had to forget, and Douglas decided to devote himself to writing books, issuing, in particular, two autobiographies and several novels.
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Douglas is also actively involved in charity work, donating big money to a good cause. Last year, the day of his 99th birthday, he donated $15 million for the construction of the Los Angeles center for the care of suffering from Alzheimer’s actors and representatives of the Hollywood film industry.
Thus the question of how he had survived the stroke, not to lose presence of mind to reach such a venerable age, Douglas had long harvested the answer: he was helped by the love of his second wife Anne, who after their marriage in 1954, was and still remains his life’s companion. “I was lucky to find my second half 63 years ago — shared the actor with “Closer weekly”. — I believe that it is our wonderful marriage and a daily night PEP talks helped me through all difficulties”.
With him in solidarity and son Michael, who, like Douglas, Sr., also became a Hollywood star of the first magnitude. According to him, the marriage of the father and the stepmother, which in April of this year turned 97 years old, is an excellent example of how, carrying the love through all my life and not allow it to fade away even “in the last act.”
Speaking about his father in an interview with the same publication, Michael noted that most of all he always admired in him the perseverance and incredible stamina, which allowed to achieve in life is truly unprecedented success. “He always taught me to try my best, whatever you’re doing” — he said. “One hundred years is certainly a significant milestone, but much more important is what my father has achieved over the last century,” admitted Michael, noting that the anniversary first of all wish the eldest representative of the family of Douglas to celebrate a year its 101 anniversary.