American cinema giant Kirk Douglas, who died on Wednesday aged 103, rose to the heights of Hollywood from an impoverished childhood as the son of Jewish Russian immigrants. He also appeared in an episode of the HBO program "Tales From the Crypt" opposite his father, who earned an Emmy nomination for his role on the show. In a 2000 interview, he said he spent eight days in a coma after a pill overdose a year earlier. [19][20] He is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Westwood, Los Angeles, California. Cleft-chinned, steely-eyed and virile star of international cinema who rose from being \"the ragman's son\" (the name of his best-selling 1988 autobiography) to become a bona fide superstar, Kirk Douglas, also known as Issur Danielovitch Demsky, was born on December 9, 1916 in Amsterdam, New York. Douglas sought $50,000 in damages from Leader. In 1991, Douglas appeared with his father (in the senior Douglas's Emmy-nominated performance) in "Yellow", the Season 3 finale of the television series Tales from the Crypt. He spent time behind bars and in rehabilitation clinics. Da seine Eltern Jiddisch sprachen, sprach Douglas gut Deutsch. [13] In February 1997, Douglas was arrested for DUI after crashing his rental car into two parked cars. Natalie was traumatized by the rape and spent years in therapy. Eric Douglas, … Copyright © 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Kirk Douglas lived to be 103 years old, and little stopped Spartacus, right to the end. An autopsy was planned. His parents reportedly visited him and gave him a tough love ultimatum regarding his drug use. Actress Karen Black, as a bar girl, invites singer Johnny Cash, as ex-gunman Abe Cross, to spend the evening with her in the new Paramount picture A... Peter Douglas, Joel Douglas, Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas, and Eric Douglas. He was the son of an illiterate immigrant Russian-Jewish ragpicker and junkman. [18], On July 6, 2004, a maid found Douglas's body in his Manhattan apartment. The massive amount of money was distributed through the Douglas Foundation, which aims to ‘help those who cannot otherwise help themselves‘, according to The Star. [21][22], "Actor's next role is close to his heart", Where Audiences Participate In Improvisational Comedy, "Kirk Douglas' son arrested for kicking a police officer", "Eric Douglas arrested for drunk driving", "Douglas' son cleared of harassment charges", "Eric Douglas Arrested for auto accident", "Kirk & Anne Douglas: A True Inspiration", https://people.com/movies/kirk-douglas-funeral/, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eric_Douglas&oldid=1015228507, Alcohol-related deaths in New York (state), American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent, Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Internet Off-Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 31 March 2021, at 09:07. His paternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Gomel in Belarus (then part of the Russian Empire). [15], In May 2001, Douglas sued his former psychiatrist, Dr. William Leader, claiming that Leader prescribed him a combination of prescription drugs that are lethal when combined with alcohol. The father and son acting duo portrayed father and son characters with Eric a young officer in World War I brought up on charges of cowardice by his commanding general who is also his cold-hearted father. [4] An autopsy and toxicology report later determined that his death was caused by "acute intoxication" from the combined effects of alcohol, tranquilizers, and painkillers. Douglas was the youngest son of actor Kirk Douglas and his second wife Anne Buydens. Kirk Douglas had a career lasting over six decades, with his breakthrough role in 1960’s Spartacus. Cameron Douglas, son of Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas and grandson of Spartacus star Kirk Douglas, was always going to have a tough time carving out his own identity. Friends said she would “shudder” every time she heard Douglas’s name. Douglas studied at Pitzer College, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and the London Academy of Dramatic Art. Michael Douglas was seen returning to acting legend Kirk Douglas ' … Kirk was born Issur Danielovitch in New York, and his dad was a rag-and-bone man of Russian-Jewish ancestry. Eric Douglas was an aspiring actor and comedian, but he never found the success of his father or of his Academy Award-winning sibling, Michael Douglas. At the time Kirk Douglas was one of the most powerful stars in Hollywood. Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas passed away in February 2020. Rich in unforgettable anecdotes that capture the true spirit of the golden years of Hollywood and Broadway, this is an … All Rights Reserved. NEW YORK – Oscar-winning actor Kirk Douglas' youngest son, who battled drug and alcohol problems for years, was found dead Tuesday inside an apartment building, police said. [5] He appeared in several films in the 1980s including The Flamingo Kid (1985), Tomboy (1985), The Golden Child (1986), and Honor Bound (1988). Michael Douglas is an award-winning actor known for his roles in films such as “Basic Instinct” and “Fatal Attraction.”. Also in the production was folk performer Bobby Bridger, but the production never made it to Broadway. With charming dimples and a cleft chin, Douglas was a renowned ladies' man but also admitted to being angry into adulthood because of his difficult New York childhood. In 1997, he pleaded guilty to cocaine possession after his arrest for accepting a shipment of more than 1,000 anti-depressant pills. He had a short-lived acting career in the 1980s and early '90s, playing supporting roles in movies such as "Delta Force 3: The Killing Game.". [9] In May 1996, Douglas was arrested for possession of a controlled substance when police found eleven vials of crack cocaine and 1,085 Xanax pills in his Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan apartment. Douglas pursued a career in show business but did not attain the same level of success as his father and siblings. Kirk Douglas, a veteran actor and Hollywood icon, has four sons, Michael, Joel, Peter, and Eric, who look like him and inherited his incredible skill in the industry. He campaigned against the Hollywood blacklist, giving opportunities to young directors such as Stanley Kubrick and, after starring in the play One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, he gave the film rights to his son Michael Douglas, who produced the Oscar-winning movie that followed. Douglas entered British comedy folklore when, during a stand-up performance at The Comedy Store, London, he was angered by the audience's reaction to his stand-up routine and shouted "You can't do this to me, I'm Kirk Douglas's son!" His career was typically overshadowed by his numerous run-ins with the law and problems with alcohol and drugs.[3]. Photo: November 2018 Photo: November 2018 His only Oscar was an honorary award but Kirk Douglas became a … Eric Anthony Douglas (June 21, 1958 – July 6, 2004) was an American actor and stand-up comedian. After the Douglases' maid attempted the Heimlich maneuver, Douglas was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where he fell into a coma. Born in Los Angeles, California, Douglas was the youngest son of actor Kirk Douglas (1916-2020) and German American mother Anne Buydens (born 1919). Kirk Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch on December 9, 1916 in Amsterdam, New York, the fourth child and only son for his mother, Bryna, and his father, Herschel 'Harry' Danielovitch. Here, in his own words, is the story of his life - his acting triumphs in "Sparticus, Lust for Life, The Vikings, Paths of Glory" and "Champions" (to name a few); his fabled love affairs (among them, … Live Updates: 8 dead in shooting at FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Watch Live: Biden welcomes Japan's leader at White House, Officials release video from fatal police shooting of 13-year-old, House passes equal pay bill, but it's likely to stall in the Senate, Iran claims higher-level uranium enrichment as nuclear talks teeter, Affirmative action and the diversity dilemma, Putin critic says prison officials threatening to force feed him, Mike Pence undergoes surgery to have pacemaker implanted, Indonesia arrests 2 hackers over $60 million U.S. COVID scam, CDC panel adjourns without vote on extending J&J COVID vaccine pause, Michigan officials request help as COVID-19 cases surge. His parents, Bryna (Sanglel) and Herschel Danielovitch, were Jewish immigrants from Chavusy, Mahilyow Voblast (now in Belarus… Not only was Kirk Douglas a Hollywood icon, he also excelled in his role as a father — and his four sons can attest! He performed in New York City comedy clubs with much of his self-deprecating material coming from his status as the black sheep of the Douglas dynasty. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. His half brother was actor and producer Michael Douglas. He put a fledgling Broadway career on hold to enlist in the US Navy in 1941 but after World War Two he went on to star … A year earlier, he spent the night in jail after smashing his rental car into two vehicles in an alleged drunken-driving incident. Kirk Douglas' starred in dozens of films and defining the Golden Age of Hollywood, but his son Michael said he will remember him simply as "Dad." Eric Douglas, the youngest son of Kirk Douglas and half-brother to Michael Douglas, was found dead in his New York City apartment on Tuesday. The star died Wednesday, his son Michael Douglas announced. [7], Douglas was arrested multiple times throughout the 1990s. Douglas claimed the drugs caused him to feel suicidal and also caused an episode of cardiac arrest which led him to require constant care and hospitalization. Less than a month later, he was arrested for DUI and for leaving the scene of an accident when he crashed into a parked car while trying to leave The Comedy Store in West Hollywood after a fight. He was the younger brother of Peter Douglas, and his older half-brothers were Michael and Joel Douglas. Während seiner Kindheit lebte Kirk mit seinen Eltern und sech… In 1996, Eric Douglas spent a month in jail after a flight from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J., in which he allowed his dog to roam the airplane while he became "loud and verbally abusive" toward the crew, authorities said. In the early 1990s, Douglas attempted a career as a stand-up comedian. His half brother was actor and producer Michael Douglas. Two days later, Douglas was arrested in New Canaan, Connecticut, for disorderly conduct after he attempted to kiss a young girl who was a fellow patient at Silver Hill Hospital, a rehab facility he was in at the time. Den Nachnamen „Demsky“ übernahmen seine Eltern von dem Bruder seines Vaters, der eher emigriert war und diesen Namen in den USA angenommen hatte. … [17] During an appearance on The Early Show in 2009, Kirk Douglas told interviewer Julie Chen that he and his wife had taken Eric to "20 rehab centers" over the years and that "nothing helped". 1965. Oscar-winning actor Kirk Douglas' youngest son, who battled drug and alcohol problems for years, was found dead Tuesday inside an apartment building, police said. Eric Douglas, 46, was discovered after someone flagged down a passing police car. 6. Raised in poverty, longing for his father's approval, Issur Danielovitch went on to become a legendary Hollywood star - Kirk Douglas. Son Michael Douglas remembers his father. Douglas asserted that Leader, who had been treating Douglas for his drug addictions for ten years, failed to consider his alcohol problem when he prescribed Vicodin, Klonopin, and Xanax. So do you need a vaccine card? Kirk Douglas, one of the most beloved tough guys in movie history and one of the few remaining marquee names of Hollywood's golden era, died Wednesday at 103. Was altered wife Anne Buydens dezember 1916 in Amsterdam/New York als Issur Danielovitch went on to a! 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