Kirk Douglasacted like a star when he was a nobody, producer Stanley Kramer once remarked.
He came at you, center stage, and there it was.
Its my background, damn it.
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He legally changed his name before serving a stint in the Navy in World War II.
Mixed in were iconic turns as Doc Holliday opposite Burt Lancasters Wyatt Earp in 1957sGunfight at the O.K.
Corraland the title role in 1960s gladiator epicSpartacus.
It was one of the proudest decisions of my life, Douglas recalled in a2011 lettertoThe New York Times.
But he took pride in his sons accomplishment.
Mynaches gratification, in Yiddish from Michaels success surpassed my disappointment in having failed, Douglas wrote.
Besides, he tried.
Douglas zest for life never subsided.
In 2009, Douglas was center stage again at 92, performing an autobiographical one-man show in Southern California.
Its a very good film,Douglas said, and its spirit is true to the man I admired.
For his centennial birthday in 2016, Douglas was feted by family and friends at astar-studded gatheringin Beverly Hills.
