Kirk Douglas, a legendary actor from the golden age of Hollywood, has passed away at the age of 103, his son and fellow actor Michael has announced.
“To the world, he was a legend,” the younger Douglas said in a statement on Wednesday. “But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad.”
Born Issur Danielovitch Demsky to impoverished Jewish immigrants from Russia, Douglas worked a variety of odd jobs before making it big in Hollywood. He is perhaps best known to modern audiences for his titular role in Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Spartacus’ (1960), but film connoisseurs remember him for a range of roles, from Vincent Van Gogh in ‘Lust for Life’ (1956) to a cowboy in ‘Lonely are the Brave’ (1962).
He suffered a stroke in 1996 that impaired his ability to speak, but underwent therapy to continue working. His last major public appearance was at the 2018 Golden Globes awards, accompanied by his daughter-in-law Catherine Zeta-Jones.
“Kirk’s life was well lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet,” Michael Douglas said.