Issur Danielovitch, Aka Kirk Douglas, celebrated his 98th birthday this week and has released a new collection of poetry. He sat down for an interview with AP where he discussed his 60 year marriage to his wife Anne.
To the older generation Kirk Douglas will always be Spartacus, or Colonel Mickey Marcus from Cast a Giant Shadow. To another he is the father of Oscar winning actor and producer Michael Douglas. He starred in 87 films and is also a successful author.
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The new book, “Life Could Be Verse” from HCI books, will his 11th and last. As Douglas said, “To me, this is my best book, and my last book.”
About his current and second wife Anne Douglas (formally Buydens) Doulas said, “I thought she was so beautiful, and I lowered my voice and said, ‘Would you like to have dinner?’ I waited for an answer and she said, ‘No, I think I will go home and make some eggs and go to bed.'”
He added, “Romance begins at 80, and I ought to know. I’m a romantic guy. You think I’m always shooting guns with John Wayne, but I can be romantic. And, listen, we’re sitting here. We have been married for 60 years. A few poems help.”
Michael Douglas’ mother was Kirk’s first wife Diana Dill whom he divorced in 1951 after 8 years of marriage.
The elder Douglas also spoke to Variety recently, telling that publication the story of how he first got to Hollywood after having previously been a Broadway actor.
“My good friend Lauren Bacall (AKA Betty Persky) — the toast of Hollywood after her film debut in ‘To Have and Have Not’ — saw the ad (for a play he was in that ran in Variety). She told producer Hal Wallis to see me in the play. He listened to her. I had a major part in his next movie, ‘The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, ’ with Barbara Stanwyck and Van Heflin. It was a bigger paycheck than I’d ever gotten. That’s why I came to Hollywood — for the money. It took me a few more flops on Broadway to ‘settle’ for movies. I got used to seeing my name in Army Archerd’s column in Variety.”
While he never won an Oscar as his son did twice, Kirk Douglas was nominated three times and received an honorary won in 1996 for 50 years of achievements.
