One of the last surviving movie stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age passed away at the age of 103 today. Kirk Douglas was a legendary screen star who left his mark with many iconic performances from the 1940’s through the 1960’s. Beginning with his film debut in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) and then Out of the Past (1948) as one of the great film noir villains opposite Robert Mitchum, he went on to star in classics like A Letter to Three Wives (1949). Champion (1949), Young Man With a Horn (1950), Ace in the Hole (1951), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Lust for Life (1956), Paths of Glory (1957), Spartacus (1960), Lonely Are the Brave (1962), and Seven Days in May (1964), among many more of course. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor three times (Champion, The Bad and the Beautiful and Lust for Life) but never won, except for a lifetime achievement Oscar in 1996. He was listed #17 on the AFI’s list of the greatest male screen legends, and his son Michael carried on the Douglas legacy with an iconic acting career of his own.
If you want to experience some of Kirk Douglas’s filmography, I’d recommend Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory, my personal favorite:
A close second is The Bad and the Beautiful though, a must-see for every film lover:
