Kirk Douglas Steps on Stage Again for Oscar's Big Night
Hollywood Legend Returns to Audience Acclaim
The veteran actor, now 94, suffered a stroke in 1996 and struggled to regain his speech ever since. Regardless, Douglas boldly took the Kodak Theatre stage, exchanging banter with Oscar co-hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway and flirting with F-bomb-dropping Academy Award winner Melissa Leo.
Of course, the highlight of Douglas' 2011 Oscars appearance was his awarding of the Best Supporting Actress Award, which he delayed in a clever (if a bit awkward) manner, further endearing himself to on-site and television audiences.
Academy Awards celebrations are not new to the senior thespian, however, as he has been nominated for three Best Actor Oscars: "The Bad & the Beautiful" (1952), "Champion" (1949) and "Lust for Life" (1956). Douglas was also nominated for an honorary Oscar in 1995.
Douglas' acting career has several highlights. Here are a few favorites.
Born Issur Danielovitch, Douglas may be best known for his title role in "Spartacus" (1960). Rugged and handsome, he starred opposite Sir Laurence Olivier and Peter Ustinov (who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar) in the historical drama.
In "Lust for Life" (1956), Douglas painted a marvelous portrait of artist Vincent van Gogh, with Anthony Quinn offering a fabulous foil as Paul Gauguin.
However, Disney's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" might be my favorite of this actor's films. After all, what's more fun than watching a young and seaworthy Douglas strutting on deck, strumming a guitar and singing "Whale of a Tale"?
Additional Douglas movies include "Ace in the Hole" (1951), "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," "Lonely Are the Brave" and "Paths of Glory."
Still, Douglas' latest appearance as an Oscars presenter will long be remembered, particularly in light of his recent absence. The father of actor Michael Douglas (and father-in-law to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones) may have last appeared when he was honored on the eve of his 90th birthday in 2006 on CBS TV's "Entertainment Tonight."
Venturing from acting into authoring, Douglas has published several books, including "Climbing the Mountain: My Search for Meaning," "Let's Face It: 90 Years of Living, Loving and Learning," "The Ragman's Son" and "My Stroke of Luck." Co-founder of The Anne Douglas Center in Los Angeles (with his wife), the actor still attends playground dedications, serves dinner to mission students and participates in many additional hands-on ways.
More from this Contributor:
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Published by Linda Ann Nickerson - Featured Contributor in Lifestyle and Sports
Linda Ann Nickerson brings decades of reporting and a globally minded Midwestern perspective to a host of topics, balancing human interest with history, hard facts and often humor. View profile
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4 Comments
Post a CommentHooray for Kirk Douglas!
Interesting read, thank you!
He did well. They thought his last stroke would do him in. It didn't, which goes to show the power of the human spirit.
Always loved Kirk!