Kirk Douglas leaves behind great legacy
Movie fans across generations and around the world are in mourning following the star’s death.
No matter how old someone is when they pass away, the mourning process is difficult. Just because someone lived a long, productive life doesn’t lessen the feeling of loss when they die.
In the case of Kirk Douglas, that’s a feeling that extends far beyond his immediate family. Movie fans across generations and around the world are in mourning following the star’s death Wednesday at the age of 103.
Part of it, no doubt, has to do with nostalgia for the golden age of Hollywood. Movies reigned supreme during that period in the early to mid-20th century, as studios cranked out movies at an astonishing clip, producing plenty of classics in the process. Douglas was among the last surviving stars of that era. A few people who were making movies in the 1940s and ‘50s are still with us, including Olivia deHavilland, 103; Eva Marie Saint, 95; Angela Lansbury, 94; and Sidney Poitier, 92. But the numbers are dwindling, as Douglas’ death reminds us all too well.
We’re certain that people remember Douglas best for his intense performances in beloved movies. But admiration for him is about more than faded Hollywood memories. His remarkable life is a source of inspiration in ways that go far beyond his work as an actor.
His son Michael, a great Hollywood success story in his own right, put it well: “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.”
He was born Issur Danielovitch to an impoverished immigrant Jewish family in Amsterdam, N.Y. He endured tremendous difficulty in his young life, working dozens of different jobs to support himself and his family. But the natural born performer succeeded in making it into the movie business by 1946 and achieving stardom thanks to his turn in “Champion” in 1949.
The fiercely independent Douglas quickly branched out into producing films in the 1950s, bringing to the screen such classics as Stanley Kubrick’s “Paths of Glory” and “Spartacus,” films that retain their power today. He was among the pioneers in the now common practice of actors taking control over their work rather than being treated as pawns by studio executives.
He used that power to make a difference in other ways. Douglas helped to bring about the downfall of Hollywood’s blacklist, which halted and ruined the careers of writers suspected of pro-Communist activity or sympathies. During that era film producers hired talented banned writers in secret and did not give them credit for their work. Douglas was among the first to buck that trend by openly credited blacklisted Oscar winner Dalton Trumbo for script work on “Spartacus” in 1960.
Though thrice nominated, he never won a competitive Academy Award. But he did receive an honorary Oscar in 1996. His other awards included a Presidential Medal of Freedom and a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute.
Douglas was one of Hollywood’s leading philanthropists. The Douglas Foundation, which he co-founded, has donated millions to a wide range of institutions. It endowed the Kirk Douglas Fellowship — a full-tuition, two-year scholarship — at the American Film Institute.
Douglas continued to inspire as he grew older. In his 70s he suffered a stroke that impaired his speech and threatened his career. But he continued to act and write for years, making movies up until 2004. He was past 100 when he and his wife published a memoir. His productivity late in life serves as a reminder of what can be possible for older people, even in the face of a debilitating illness.
Today we mourn Douglas’ passing while celebrating his remarkable life. He showed the power an actor can have not just to entertain and move audiences, but to make an impact on the world. He will be missed. But his memory will live on in his work and his legacy.