Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas breathed his last Thursday, Feb. 6. He was 103. Known for his brilliant performance in "Spartacus," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," "Lust for Life" "Lonely Are the Brave" and other films, Kirk will always remain a legend not only because of his movies bust also the way he lived his life, working for the cause.
His son Oscar award winner Michael Douglas announced the death through Instagram post.
Michael Douglas wrote, "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 for all of us to aspire to. But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild the loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband.
Michael Douglas concluded his post with an emotional statement, "Let me end with the words I told him on the last birthday and which will always remain true. Dad-I love you so much and I am so proud to be your son."
Kirk Douglas is survived by wife Anne, three sons, Michael, Peter and Joel Douglas. Youngest son Eric had died in 2004 in alleged accidental drug overdose.
Lesser-known facts about Kirk Douglas
1) Born into a poor Jewish family
Kirk Douglas was born as Issur Danielovitch Demsky, in Belarus. His parents were penniless and entered the city of Amsterdam as immigrants in 1916. According to BBC report, his father fled Russia and came to the US as he did not want to enlist into the Tsar's army. Kirk Douglas was his stage name.
2) 40-odd jobs to survive
Kirk Douglas was one of the seven children and had to sell snacks to survive when he was a child. He has explained the hardships in his autobiography "The Ragman's Son," Douglas has claimed that he had to do at least 40-odd jobs, before becoming an acclaimed actor.
3) Inter-collegiate wrestling champion
He had not only acted as a boxer, but in real life too Douglas was a wrestler. He was an inter-collegiate champion. Incidentally, the movie that gave him the name and fame was Champion, where he played the washed-up boxer Midge Kelly. The 1949 movie gave him the honor of being nominated to the Oscars, but the only Oscar he won was in 1996, when the Academy awards felicitated him for his 50 years of achievement in Hollywood.
4) Philanthropist, helping blacklisted actors
At the peak of Cold War, many actors were blacklisted but then already established actor Kirk Douglas stood by the needy and proved his stance by hiring the legendary screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted by the Hollywood. For his amazing work, he also won a Presidential Medal of Freedom from the then President Jimmy Carter in 1981.
5) Separation and union with family
Kirk Douglas was an A-lister in Hollywood, but his busy schedule cost him his family. He separated from his college sweetheart, wife Diana Dill when Michael Douglas was just six. However, he mended his relationship with Michael and also appeared with him in 2003 drama "It Runs In The Family". Kirk also was by the side of his son Michael when he was battling stage 4 Cancer in 2010.
