An animated Kirk Douglas on the set of the Jack Benny show circa 1955.

Born Issur Danielovitch Demsky (1916), Kirk Douglas is an American actor and film producer known for his gravelly voice and his recurring roles as ‘sons of bitches’. He is also father to Hollywood actor and producer Michael Douglas.

His first screen role was in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers in 1946. Notable films include The Big Trees, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, Ulysses, Gunfight at the OK Corral, The Vikings, Spartacus, The Heroes of Telemark and Paths of Glory.

He completed more than 70 films and received three Academy Award nominations for his work in Champion, The Bad and the Beautiful and Lust for Life (as Vincent Van Gogh). He received a special Oscar in 1996 for ‘50 years as a moral and creative force in the motion picture community.

Kirk Douglas has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6263 Hollywood Blvd. In October 2004, the avenue ‘Kirk Douglas Way’ in Palm Springs, California was named in his honour by the Palm Springs International Film Society and Film Festival.

Popular at home and around the world, Kirk Douglas received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981, the French Legion of Honor in 1985, and the National Medal of the Arts in 2001.