Michael Kirk Douglas was born on 25. Sep. 1944 at New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey. He was the son of
Kirk Douglas and
Diana Dill. Michael Kirk Douglas married
Diandra Douglas on 20. Mar. 1977. Michael Kirk Douglas married
Catherine Zeta-Jones, daughter of
Dai Jones, on 18. Nov. 2000. Michael Douglas Birth: 9/25/1944, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
Michael Douglas Height: 5' 10" (1.78 m)
Michael Douglas Biography: Michael Douglas is one of the few actors who actually appears to be a walking paradox. A household name, an estimated worth of over $200 million, a father who was one of the world's biggest film stars in the 50s and 60s, and a wife whose father is younger than him, Douglas has indeed gained fame and acclaim, but as many critics have put it, Kirk Douglas and Diana Douglas. His parents divorced when he was six, and he went to live with his mother and her new husband. Only seeing Kirk on holidays, Michael attended Eaglebrook school in Deerfield, Massachusetts, where he was about a year younger than all of his classmates. Deciding he wanted to be an actor in his teenage years, Michael often asked his father about getting a 'foot in the door'. Kirk was strongly opposed to Michael pursuing an acting career, claiming that it was an industry with many downs and few ups, such a depressing industry that he wanted all four of his sons to stay out of it. But Michael was persistent. When he first started his career in the early 1970s people were all too ready to tag him as 'the next Kirk Douglas'. But Michael defied all those critics by accepting wimpy, hippy, quiet roles, a far cry from the leading man, all-American hero roles that his father was most famous for. It didn't earn Michael much credibility, but it earned him his own identity. His first real break came on the TV show "The Streets of San Francisco" (1972) starring opposite screen veteran Karl Malden. Michael gained quite a following on this show until he quit it to produce One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). His own life was never brilliant either. He had dreams of acting alongside brother Joel Douglas, the one he was closest to out of his 3 siblings. Growing up with Joel, and only seeing Peter Douglas and the late Eric Douglas when he visited his father, Michael was obviously closer to Joel, yet the latter wanted no part of the acting his family was famous for. Michael married the young Diandra Luker (b. 1958) in 1977, and fathered one son with her, Cameron. The marriage failed, as Diandra claimed that she was sick of his womanizing, absenteeism, and not being 'a proper father to Cameron'. In the 80s Michael tried his hand at comedies, the most successful being Romancing the Stone (1984), its sequel The Jewel of the Nile (1985), and The War of the Roses (1989) in which he co-starred with Danny DeVito and Kathleen Turner. It was in the 90s though, that Douglas became his most notorious. He starred in Basic Instinct (1992), a thriller, heavy on the sex and violence, a worldwide hit. Having played a similar role in Fatal Attraction (1987), it did indeed appear that Douglas was being typecast in the 'Man against Woman' type roles. He did nothing to sway this image, starring in Disclosure (1994). Michael tried to break away from this image with the movies The American President (1995) and The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), yet when he started dating Catherine Zeta-Jones, 25 years his junior, this image continued, even after their marriage. After two children with her, Michael is trying to settle down to become a more 'family-oriented' actor. The comedy Wonder Boys (2000) and Douglas-clan movie It Runs in the Family (2003) were only minor hits, and it appears Michael is again looking for a career change. Trying his hand now at light-hearted comedies, like a re-make The In-Laws (2003/I), he hopes to break away from the reputation he has acquired in the past.
Michael Douglas Quotes: "I'm not a big filmophile. I don't watch movies a lot for a hobby. I spend all my time watching sporting events. Because, opposed to movies, you can never tell how they're going to end." "Don't go to L.A. unless there's work. It's one of the most frustrating and depressing places to be an actor. The problem is that it has no center. I would try to do something here first." (on Inside the Actors Studio, answering an actor's question about whether to move from NYC to L.A.)
Michael Douglas Trivia: Son of Kirk Douglas and Diana Douglas. Named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. His mission: to focus worldwide attention on nuclear disarmament and human rights. [1998] Ranked #74 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] Roomed with Danny DeVito when first starting out. B.A. from U.C. Santa Barbara. [1968] Brother of Joel Douglas. Half-brother of Peter Douglas and Eric Douglas. Graduated from the University of California. Graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall. His second son and first child with Catherine Zeta-Jones, a boy named Dylan Michael was born on 8th August about 6 p.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre near Beverly Hills. The baby weighed in at 7 pounds and seven ounces and measured 21-1/2 inches. He met Catherine at the Deauville Film Festival in France in August 1998; they began dating in March 1999 and got engaged on New Year's Eve 1999. Father of Cameron Douglas. Has two sons: Cameron Morrell (b. 13 December 1978), with Diandra Luker, and Dylan Michael (b. 8 August 2000), with Catherine Zeta-Jones. Attended Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, MA. Michael is exactly 25 years older than his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones. The two of them share a birthday, September 25th. Is of Russian-Jewish, Scottish, and Irish heritage. As of 2002, he and Sir Laurence Olivier are the only two people in history to win Oscars for both Best Picture and Best Actor (although Olivier won them simultaneously for the same film). Initially turned down the role of Judge Wakefield in Traffic (2000). He later accepted only after the script underwent extensive re-writes. Daughter Carys Zeta Douglas with Catherine Zeta-Jones; Carys was born the 20th April of 2003, at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, New Jersey. In 1975, quit the show, "The Streets of San Francisco" (1972), to produce the film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). Thursday December 11 2003, he was host, together with wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, at the 2003 Annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Olso Spectrum in Oslo, Norway. In addition to Catherine Zeta-Jones, he also shares a birthday with Will Smith, Heather Locklear, Michael Madsen, Barbara Walters and the late Christopher Reeve. Has worked with two actors who share roles with his father. Kirk Douglas played Doc Holliday in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957). Val Kilmer played the part in Tombstone (1993), and then appeared with Michael in The Ghost and the Darkness (1996). Kirk played Ulysses (Odysseus) in Ulisse (1955), based on The Odyssey. Michael appeared in Don't Say a Word (2001) with Sean Bean, who played Odysseus in Troy (2004). Five days after completing Black Rain (1989), he started filming The War of the Roses (1989). In 1980, he was involved in a serious skiing accident which sidelined his acting career for three years. In September of 1992 he underwent treatment for alcohol abuse at Sierra Tucson Center. Was named to Quigley Publications' Top 10 Poll of Money-Making Stars six times between 1985 and 1995, hitting a high of #2 in 1987. Surprising, despite a career that has spanned seven decades, his father Kirk never made the list, the annual poll of movie exhibitors that ranks the top stars in terms of box-office drawing power. Carys joins Douglas dynasty
Carys Zeta Douglas has become the latest addition to the fourth generation of the Douglas acting dynasty.
Catherine Zeta Jones' second baby with husband Michael Douglas replaces two-year-old Dylan Michael as the family's newest Hollywood star-in-waiting.
Carys enters a world destined to be defined by wealth and fame - and joins an illustrious Oscar-winning line-up of Douglas talent.
Michael has a 24-year-old actor son, Cameron, from a previous marriage - while Michael's father Kirk is still being cast at the age of 86.
Last month, Catherine secured the latest piece of Hollywood gold for the Douglas trophy cabinet with her best supporting actress Oscar for Chicago.
The Douglas clan is a model of the American dream rooted in Kirk's younger days in New York in the early part of the last century.
Born Issur Danielovich Demsky to Russian Jewish immigrant parents in 1916, he had waited on tables to finance his university education.
He also did odd jobs in the theatre and later trained at the Academy of Dramatic Arts - following a spell as a professional wrestler.
In 1946 one of his former classmates, actress Lauren Bacall, recommended him to producer Hal Wallis and his film career began.
'Gladiator'
Son Michael's break came in 1972 as a detective opposite Karl Malden in US TV drama The Streets Of San Francisco.
He spent years overcoming feelings of inferiority to his father, whom he idolised as a "gladiator".
The young Michael lived in a commune and dabbled in drugs, then dropped out of university and took a job as a petrol station attendant.
He later went back to college to study acting, although his father never believed he would make it.
He enjoyed his first major film success as a producer of the Oscar-winning 1975 film One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
As an actor Michael would go on to become every bit as successful as his father, with memorable roles in Romancing The Stone, Fatal Attraction, and his Oscar-winning performance as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street.
He met Catherine on the set of Steven Soderbergh's Traffic which won the best director award at the 2001 Oscars.
The Welsh actress had previously broken into Hollywood starring in the epic The Mask of Zorro in 1998.
Zeta's beginnings
The daughter of a former Swansea factory worker, she showed early talent as a dancer and singer.
Aged 15, she starred in the musical 42nd Street and went on to nationwide recognition through her TV role as Mariette Larkin in ITV's 1990s drama The Darling Buds Of May.
She honed her movie craft in films such as High Fidelity and Traffic, before striking gold with Chicago.
Her portrayal of the vampish Velma Kelly earned her a wealth of critical plaudits and the Academy Award.
Michael's son Cameron stars with his father and grandfather Kirk in It Runs in the Family which opens in the US on Friday.
The first time the three generations have appeared in the same film, it tells of a dysfunctional New York family and their attempts at reconciliation.
There is no doubt that Carys and brother Dylan have been born into a life of privilege - and the unavoidable media attention that goes with being a Douglas.
Their famously privacy-loving parents, fresh from their High Court case against Hello! magazine, will try to shield their children from the worst excesses of the paparazzi.
Secluded hideaway
The couple were recently reported to be furious that tour operators were offering holidaymakers coach trips to view their home in Majorca.
A more secluded hideaway is The Prince Maurice hotel on Mauritius, where the couple are regular guests.
Said to be among the island's most private hotels, its thatched suites sit on stilts overlooking a lagoon.
In an interview two years ago, Catherine spoke of her fears for son Dylan's privacy.
She said: "In two years' time I want to be able to take my son to the park and not have to explain why 20 people with cameras are running after us.
"I hope the frenzy will die down so he won't have to sacrifice the good things just because photographers are documenting his every move."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/2966443.stm
Published: 2003/04/22 13:18:09 GMT
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