Iconic star celebrates milestone birthday
Happy Birthday Kirk Douglas!
Douglas, best known for his roles in movies such as “Spartacus,” “Out of the Past” and “Lust for Life” and for being father to actor/director Michael Douglas, turns 95 on Friday.
Douglas was born to Russian-Jewish parents in Amsterdam, N.Y., in 1916. At Saint Lawrence University he became a champion wrestler, but he slowly became interested in acting, which led him to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. He served in the Navy from 1941 to 1945. His first role was in the 1946 film “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.”
Douglas and his second wife, Anne, have been married for almost 60 years.
Douglas was nominated for an Academy Award three times and never won, but was given an honorary Oscar in 1995. Among his many other awards is the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for his longstanding but not well known service as a Goodwill Ambassador for the State Department.
For more information on Douglas, go here.
