Kirk Douglas net worth
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What is Kirk Douglas’ net worth?
Kirk Douglas (Kirk Douglas) was an American actor, producer, writer, and philanthropist who had a net worth of $60 million at the time of his death. Kirk’s wealth could have been much higher, but about ten years before his death, he chose to donate tens of millions of dollars through the Douglas Foundation. In the last few years of his life alone, Kirk’s foundation donated $50 million to support various charities such as the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital. They also donated approximately $40 million to Harry’s Haven, an Alzheimer’s facility located in the suburbs of Los Angeles. This includes the $15 million he donated to Harry’s Haven on his 99th birthday to build the Kirk Douglass Care Pavilion.
Kirk Douglas is the father of actor/producer Michael Douglas.
early life
Douglas was born in Amsterdam, New York on December 9, 1916, his original name Issur Danielovitch. He is the son of Byrna “Bertha” (1884-1958) and Herschel “Harry” Danielovitch (1884-1950). His parents were Jewish immigrants from part of the Russian Empire, which is today’s Belarus. The family speaks Yiddish at home. His father’s brother immigrated earlier than the Kirk family and used the Demsky surname that his parents also adopted. He grew up with Iz Demsky. Before entering the US Navy during World War II, he legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas.
Douglas grew up in poverty. He has six sisters. Douglas sold snacks to the mill workers to earn enough money to buy milk and bread and help his family. He delivers the newspaper. Before becoming an actor, Douglas had a total of more than 40 jobs. He discovered acting at a very young age, and by high school, he knew he wanted to be a professional actor. He said that the office of the dean of St. Lawrence University could not afford college tuition, and showed him a list of high school grades and honors. He got a loan to pay for his tuition, and he paid back his tuition through part-time gardener and janitor while he was in college. He is the star of the academy wrestling team. One summer in order to make money, he participated in a carnival wrestling match. Graduated in 1939 with a bachelor’s degree.
Douglas’ performance attracted people’s attention at the American Academy of Dramatic Art in New York City and won a special scholarship. One of his classmates is Betty Joan Perske, better known as Lauren Bacall. They dated casually, and she played an important role in his film career. Another classmate and friend of Bekauer was the aspiring actress Diana Deere, who later became Kirk’s first wife.
Douglas joined the Navy in 1941, shortly after the United States entered World War II. He is the anti-submarine warfare communications officer on USS PC-1137. In 1944, he was injured by the accidental fall of a depth charge and was discharged from hospital.
Acting career
After the war, Douglas returned to New York City and found work in radio, advertising, and theater. In his broadcasting work, he starred in soap operas, and believes that these experiences are particularly valuable to help him improve his skills in using sound, which is important for aspiring actors. He interrupted stage performance kissing and telling when he succeeded Richard Widmark in 1943, which led to other offers. He plans to continue as a stage actor until Lauren Bacall recommends him to producer Hal B. Wallis, helping him get his first film role, the latter In 1946, he starred in the strange love with Martha Ivers opposite Barbara Stanwyck (Barbara Stanwyck). He plays a young, insecure person, dominated by his ruthless life. This is the first and last time Douglas has played the weak in a movie.
Douglas developed into the top box office star in the 1950s and is known for serious drama, including westerns and war movies. During his career, he has starred in more than 90 movies. Douglas is known for his explosive performance style. He became an international movie star for playing the unscrupulous boxing hero in the 1949 “Champion”. This role brought him his first Oscar nomination for best actor. Other early films include the 1950s “The Young Man with Horn”, which also starred Lauren Bacall and Doris Sa, and the 1951 “Ace of the Hole” and “Detective Story”. The latter won him a Golden Globe nomination for best drama actor. “Bad and Beauty” in 1952 made him nominated for an Oscar for the second time. He was nominated for the third Oscar and the second Golden Globe for his role as Vincent Van Gogh in “A Life of Desire” in 1956.
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One of his most famous roles was “Spartacus” in the 1960s, which was directed by the little-known Stanley Kubrick at the time. In 1960, Douglas hired a blacklisted screenwriter and played a key role in ending the Hollywood blacklist. In 1963, he starred in “Flying Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” on Broadway (he bought this story and gave it to his son Michael, who of course turned it into an Oscar-winning film).
Douglas has more than 90 acting credits. Some of his more popular movies include Champions, 20,000 leagues under the sea, OK Corral’s shootout, and tough guys. The American Film Institute named Douglas the 17th in the list of the greatest male screen legends in American film history. In 1996, he won an Oscar for his 50 years of experience in the film industry. He is the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Screen Actors Guild and AFI.
personal life
Kirk Douglas married Diana Deere on November 2, 1943. Before their divorce in 1951, they had two sons, actor Michael Douglas and producer Joel Douglas.
When filming “Lust for Life” in Paris, he met the producer Anne Buydens. She escaped from Nazi Germany and worked in a film studio, doing subtitle translation. They were married on May 29, 1954. They have two sons, producer Peter and actor Eric. Eric died of drug and alcohol overdose on July 6, 2004.
When Kirk died, he and Annie had been married for 65 years.
In February 1991, Douglas’s helicopter collided with a small plane over Santa Paula Airport in California. Douglas and two other people were injured and two people on board were killed. The near-death experience allowed Douglas to rediscover the Jewish faith in which he grew up.
On January 28, 1996, he suffered a severe stroke, which resulted in a decline in speaking ability. The doctor told his wife and family that unless his condition improves quickly, he may be permanently aphasia. After several months of daily speech therapy, his language ability has recovered, although it is still limited.
Charity
After the helicopter accident, Kirk decided to devote himself to charity more actively. Back in 2012, Kirk asked his wife (she was responsible for keeping their account books and managing their family trust): “How much money do we have?” Her answer? “80 million dollars.” His response? “I want to give someone away.” And that’s exactly what he did.
The Douglas Foundation has donated more than US$50 million to various charities. They have established scholarships at St. Lawrence University (alma mater), Westwood Sinai Temple and Los Angeles Children’s Hospital.
die
On February 5, 2020, Kirk Douglas died at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 103 years old. Douglas is one of the last surviving stars of the golden age of the film industry. Behind him are 100-year-old wife Anne, sons Michael, Joel and Peter, as well as several grandchildren and a great-grandson. Annie died of natural causes on April 29, 2021. She just turned 98 years old.
real estate
In 1999, Douglas and his wife sold their villa in Palm Springs for $1.3 million. Douglas bought the house in the late 1950s and has used it as a family resort for decades. This 4,000-square-foot mid-century modern home features floor-to-ceiling windows, five bedrooms, eight bathrooms and a swimming pool.
From the 1970s to their respective deaths, their main residence was a residence in Beverly Hills, which Kirk bought for $400,000. For decades, Kirk asked some of his famous friends to sign on the wet concrete as part of the trail near the garden. There are 22 stones on the “Star of Beverly Hills” garden path, composed of Frank Sinatra, Ronald Reagan, Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, Jack Nicholson, and his son Autographed by Michael and others. The project was listed for sale in December 2021 at a price of 7.5 million U.S. dollars.
