The revered Hollywood icon, who passed away at the age of 103 on February 5, has been described by his son as 'an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years.'
- February 6, 2020
AceShowbiz - Movie legend Kirk Douglas has died. The 103-year-old "Spartacus" star passed away on Wednesday, February 05.
His death has been confirmed by his actor son Michael Douglas in a statement, which reads: "It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103".
"To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard of us all to aspire to... but to me and my brothers, Joel and Peter, he was simply dad, to Catherine [Zeta-Jones], a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchildren, their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband."
Kirk started his acting career onstage in New York in 1940 before he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Following service in World War Two, he returned to the theatre and then found fame on the big screen.
He was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in 1959 for his role in "Champion" and went on to become one of the most revered Hollywood icons of the 1960s and 1970s.
He survived a helicopter crash in 1991 and a stroke in 1996. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981 and was also honored with France's top award, the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.
Considered one of the greatest movie stars of all time, Kirk was presented with an honorary Oscar in 1995.
He was born Issur Danielovitch in New York to Russian parents who arrived in America in 1912.
