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Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA) is an Oscar-winning American actor and producer. Among his earliest roles was that as Karl Malden's partner, Inspector Steve Keller in the television series The Streets of San Francisco.

Professional

Douglas starred in the long-running TV series The Streets of San Francisco from 1972 to 1976. Michael Douglas also received an Academy Award as producer for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975. Although Douglas was a capable actor on Streets, his career was somewhat stagnant after the series, and he only appeared in occasional movies which were usually less than popular (for example, 1979's Running).

His fortunes changed when he starred in the 1984 romantic adventure comedy Romancing the Stone. His role in this hit movie re-introduced Douglas as a capable and likable leading man. The film was followed a year later in 1985 by a sequel, The Jewel of the Nile. In 1987, Douglas starred in Fatal Attraction with Glenn Close and the film became a world-wide hit. In 1988, Douglas received another Academy Award, this time for acting in the leading role of Wall Street. Douglas later starred in The War of the Roses, which featured previous co-stars Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito.

In 1992, Douglas appeared alongside Sharon Stone in the film Basic Instinct. The movie was a huge hit, and sparked controversy over its depictions of bisexuality and lesbianism.

In 1998, Douglas received the Crystal Globe award for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Douglas continued to be one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood and commands a hefty sum for his roles. After the commercial failure of It Runs in the Family (2003), Douglas did not star in a movie for three years, until The Sentinel in 2006.

Also a student of St. Aidan's County High School.

Personal

Douglas is the son of the celebrated actor Kirk Douglas and Bermudian actress Diana Dill. He graduated from the prestigious Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts before going on to Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut, which is the same school Glenn Close attended. He married Diandra Luker on March 20 1977. They had one son, Cameron (born December 13 1978). In 1980, Douglas was involved in a serious skiing accident which sidelined his acting career for three years. In September of 1992, he underwent treatment for alcohol abuse at Sierra Tucson Center.

In 2000, after 23 years of marriage, Diandra divorced Douglas, complaining of his womanizing, absenteeism, and not being a proper father to Cameron. Douglas married Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones on November 18, 2000. She is exactly 25 years younger than Douglas (they were both born on September 25). They have two children, Dylan Michael (born August 8, 2000) and Carys Zeta (born April 20, 2003). Despite his previous marital problems Douglas has been an outspoken critic of other celebrities for their divorces, including Julia Roberts, Renée Zellweger, and Brad Pitt, rebuking him for divorcing actress Jennifer Aniston in order to "hold orphans for Angelina Jolie". Douglas later apologized for his remarks regarding Pitt and Jolie, claiming he had been misquoted.

Douglas is an advocate of nuclear disarmament, is a supporter of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and sits on the Board of Directors of the Ploughshares Fund. In 1998 he was appointed UN Messenger of Peace by Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He is a notable Democrat and has donated money mainly to Democratic candidates.

He and Zeta-Jones hosted the annual Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo, Norway on December 11, 2003. They acted as co-masters of ceremony in the concert celebrating the award given to Shirin Ebadi.

In 2006, he was awarded an honorary degree (a D.Litt) by the University of St. Andrews.

Douglas and his family splits their time between their homes in Pacific Palisades, California, New York City, Aspen, Colorado, Bermuda and Majorca.

Family tree

Controversy

In 1997, New York caddy, James Parker, sued Douglas for USD$25 million.[1][2] Parker accused Douglas of smacking him in the groin with an errant golf ball, causing Parker to lose a testicle and his job. Parker claims Douglas was unsympathetic and tried to give him $60 to disappear. Parker also accused Douglas of using racial slurs as he was leaving the golf course. Douglas claimed that one of his associates was the one responsible for the accident with the errant ball, and the case was later settled out of court.

Filmography

References

External links

• Personal papers of Michael Douglas at the Wisconsin Historical Society - Roughly 45,000 documents on Douglas's personal and professional life

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