FAREWELL KIRK
THE DEATH OF AN ICON BRINGS A GLITTERING ERA TO A CLOSE
It’s the end of a golden age
He was the last surviving star from Hollywood’s golden age, a tough guy whose intensity on screen was matched by the way he threw himself into life at full speed.
A stroke and old age eventually put the brakes on Kirk Douglas. But only a few years before his death at the grand old age of 103, he was still pouring the energy he had left into causes he was passionate about, such as calling out then-US Presidential candidate Donald Trump for comments about excluding immigrants from America.
“These are not the American values that we fought in World War II to protect,” Kirk wrote in an open letter.
“Until now, I believed I had finally seen everything under the sun. But this was the kind of fear-mongering I have never before witnessed from a major US presidential candidate in my lifetime.”
Giving immigrants a chance was a cause close to Kirk’s heart. Born in New York state in 1916, Issur Danielovitch Demsky was the son of penniless Jewish immigrants from Russia. One of seven children, he sold snacks to local mill workers to earn money for food, but often went hungry. After he landed roles in school plays, young Issur found a career he wanted to pursue.
“The one thing in my life that I always knew, that was always constant, was that I wanted to be an actor,” he once said.
He paid his way through drama school with work as a professional wrestler, a bellhop and a parking attendant.
His classmates included a Bermudian actress called Diana Dill and a fellow New Yorker called Betty Perske. He would later marry Diana and have two sons – Michael, who would find acting fame in his own right, and Joel. Meanwhile, Betty changed her name to Lauren Bacall and helped kickstart the movie career of Issur – who soon changed his name to Kirk Douglas – by recommending him to a director friend.
In the meantime, Kirk enlisted in the US Navy in 1941, but was invalided out after two years.
His breakthrough came in 1949 when he played a washedup actor in the movie Champion, earning the first of three Oscar nominations. One of his most notable roles was as Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life in
1956, for which he got another nomination. He never won the coveted award but was given an honorary Oscar in 1996 for “50 years as a creative and moral force in the movie industry”.
Frustrated by the grip that big studios had on the film industry, he set up his own production company in 1957.
One of the projects he was passionate about was the hugely successful Spartacus, in which he played the title character, a slave leader who rebels against Roman rule. “I come from a race of slaves; that would have been me,” he wrote in his autobiography.
Kirk defied anti-communist witch-hunts taking place in Hollywood at the time by hiring blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo to pen the script. That move helped to end the power of the blacklist in the movie industry.
His acting career began to wind down a little in the 1970s but he continued to work as a director and producer. One of his biggest ambitions was to bring the Ken Kesey book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to a bigger audience. He turned it into a Broadway play and starred as the main character, Randle McMurphy, but had no luck getting it made into a film. So he gave the project to his son Michael, who did manage to bring it to the screen.
Kirk wanted to play the lead but Michael said, “You’re too old, I’m casting Jack Nicholson.”
Kirk’s response was, “Never heard of him. Well, at least it will be a flop.”
The film took home the top five Oscars at the 1976 Academy Awards, including Best Actor.
A talented writer, Kirk produced several memoirs and
two novels. His last book was published when he was 100.
His charitable foundation has donated millions, including to schools, hospitals and theatres. He gave an estimated $85 million to Alzheimer’s treatment.
Kirk’s marriage to Diana lasted just eight years, and in 1954 he married German producer Anne Buydens (now 100). They had two sons, Peter and Eric. Eric died of an overdose in 2004.
The star died on February 5 surrounded by family. Michael (75) later said his father’s life was well lived. “He leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet.”