As we know far too well by this point in the day, SPARTACUS, THE FURY, and 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA actor Kirk Douglas passed away yesterday at the age of 103. Yeah, you read that right. As soon as we heard we got right to work on this Tribute video that you can check out above.
RIP Kirk Douglas.
Kirk's son, Michael Douglas, said following the death of his father.
It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103. To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to. But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband. 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. Let me end with the words I told him on his last birthday and which will always remain true. Dad- I love you so much and I am so proud to be your son. Over the course of a career which spanned more than six decades, Kirk Douglas has appeared in all manner of productions, but it was his friend Lauren Bacall, who he met at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, who helped him to get his first feature-film role in THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS. Douglas' popularity would soar just a few years later with his starring role in CHAMPION as boxer Midge Kelly, which earned Douglas his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Douglas would go on to appear in films such as ALONG THE GREAT DIVIDE, DETECTIVE STORY, THE BIG SKY, THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, ULYSSES, LUST FOR LIFE, GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL, PATHS OF GLORY, and THE VIKINGS, but he's probably best known for starring in SPARTACUS, Stanley Kubrick's sprawling historical epic. By publicly crediting Dalton Trumbo as the screenwriter of SPARTACUS, who had been blacklisted thanks to McCarthyism, Douglas also helped to bring an end to Hollywood blacklisting.
Check it out up top! In the meantime, THE FURY centers on
a devious plot that separates CIA agent Peter Sandza (Kirk Douglas) from his son, Robin (Andrew Stevens), the distraught father manages to see through the ruse. Taken because of his psychic abilities, Robin is being held by Ben Childress (John Cassavetes), who is studying people with supernatural powers in hopes of developing their talents as weapons. Soon Peter pairs up with Gillian (Amy Irving), a teen who has telekinesis, to find and rescue Robin.
It was directed by Brian De Palma and produced by Frank Yablans from a screenplay written by John Farris based on his book. It starred Kirk Douglas as Peter Sandza, John Cassavetes as Ben Childress, Carrie Snodgress as Hester, Charles Durning as Dr. Jim McKeever, and Amy Irving as Gillian Bellaver. Daryl Hannah is also tossed in there as Pam with Dennis Franz as Bob Eggleston and Jim Belushi as Beach Bum. John Williams provided the score. 20th Century Fox released it back on March 10, 1978. BUY IT HERE.