Being the offspring of a Hollywood legend can be a curse rather than a boon and no one captures that reality more than Cameron Douglas-- who has seen more than his fair share of highs and lows living in the shadow of his father.
Not only he is the son of the Hollywood heavyweight Micheal Douglas, but also the grandson of 'Spartacus' star Kirk Douglas. Despite having such strong roots in the entertainment industry, here is a look at how Cameron Douglas was able to sabotage a potentially wonderful career in cinema.
Early life
Born Cameron Morrell Douglas on December 13, 1978, he published a memoir titled "Long Way Home" in 2019, in which he pinpointed the inception of his problem with drugs at the tender age of 7. He was informed by his mother, Diandra, about his father's drug use by holding up a bag of Marijuana she had found among her husband's possessions.
This was no surprise to the seven-year-old Cameron as he had seen his father party hard with his Hollywood friends Jack Nicholson and Danny Devito. "Even as a kid, I remember running joints back and forth. Dad would say 'Hey bring this over to your uncle and I would, not knowing until years what it had been" he wrote in the book."As I got older, I would creep from house to house on the compound, climbing balconies and seeing more than I was supposed to beautiful grownups doing grownup things," he wrote regarding the crazy things he saw at his father's party as a child.
Teenage Drug addict
Cameron was only 13 when he started using Marijuana, which was a gateway drug for the young man. This lead to him snorting Cocaine at the age of 15 before moving on to harder substances by the time he was 20.
"Probably pretty close," Cameron said during the ABC Nightline interview with Diane Sawyer when asked about the effect his usage had on his health. "When Dad looks at me, recently, I don't see love; I see concern, sadness, and frustration," he wrote in his book about the 2004 time period when his addiction was at its peak and his relationship with his father was at an all-time low.
Foray into serious crime
After failed interventions and counselling, Micheal Douglas felt powerless, thinking his son was beyond saving. This led to him cutting Cameron off financially, which intensified his criminal activities to feed his addiction.
'It was definitely a possibility, but thank god it never happened," he said to ABC Nightline interviewer Diane Sawyer when asked about how close he came to take life during a robbery.
Lawmen come knocking
Cameron began running a drug operation from a trendy hotel in LA, procuring raw materials from other parts of the country. He was later busted at the hotel and was found with massive amounts of Cocaine, Heroin, and Methamphetamines.
"A nightmare of my own making" are the words Cameron used to describe his situation in the court after being charged. He also admitted to being a long-time heroin user. In 2010, Cameron was sentenced to five years in prison for his crimes.
He co-operated with the DEA(Drug Enforcement Administration) for a lighter sentence."It's definitely a necessary tool if you need to protect either an inmate or the people around him," he said on the NBC's The View when asked about his time in solitary confinement.
His new family life
He was spotted with Viviane Thibes, a yoga instructor in 2016. They welcomed their first child in December 2017, whom they named Lula Izzy.
"When you have a child, you know its amazing- it is a source of inspiration like no other," he said on The View regarding his new life.
