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Michael Douglas : Biography, Pictures, Photos, Trivia, Address, Filmography (The streets of San Francisco)

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Michael Douglas

Photos Michael Douglas Birth name: Michael Kirk Douglas
Birth date: 1944/09/25 (79 years old)
Birth place : New Brunswick, New Jersey (USA)
Height: 1.78 m

French Traduire

Biography for Michael Douglas

Michael Douglas is one of the few actors who actually appears to be a walking paradox. A household name, an estimated worth of over $200 million, a father who was one of the world's biggest film stars in the 50s and 60s, and a wife whose father is younger than him, Douglas has indeed gained fame and acclaim, but as many critics have put it, Kirk Douglas and Diana Douglas. His parents divorced when he was six, and he went to live with his mother and her new husband.

Only seeing Kirk on holidays, Michael attended Eaglebrook school in Deerfield, Massachusetts, where he was about a year younger than all of his classmates. Deciding he wanted to be an actor in his teenage years, Michael often asked his father about getting a 'foot in the door'. Kirk was strongly opposed to Michael pursuing an acting career, claiming that it was an industry with many downs and few ups, such a depressing industry that he wanted all four of his sons to stay out of it. But Michael was persistent. When he first started his career in the early 1970s people were all too ready to tag him as 'the next Kirk Douglas'. But Michael defied all those critics by accepting wimpy, hippy, quiet roles, a far cry from the leading man, all-American hero roles that his father was most famous for. It didn't earn Michael much credibility, but it earned him his own identity.

His first real break came on the TV show "The Streets of San Francisco" (1972) starring opposite screen veteran Karl Malden. Michael gained quite a following on this show until he quit it to produce One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). His own life was never brilliant either. He had dreams of acting alongside brother Joel Douglas, the one he was closest to out of his 3 siblings. Growing up with Joel, and only seeing Peter Douglas and the late Eric Douglas when he visited his father, Michael was obviously closer to Joel, yet the latter wanted no part of the acting his family was famous for. Michael married the young Diandra Luker (b. 1958) in 1977, and fathered one son with her, Cameron. The marriage failed, as Diandra claimed that she was sick of his womanizing, absenteeism, and not being 'a proper father to Cameron'.

In the 80s Michael tried his hand at comedies, the most successful being Romancing the Stone (1984), its sequel The Jewel of the Nile (1985), and The War of the Roses (1989) in which he co-starred with Danny DeVito and Kathleen Turner. It was in the 90s though, that Douglas became his most notorious. He starred in Basic Instinct (1992), a thriller, heavy on the sex and violence, a worldwide hit. Having played a similar role in Fatal Attraction (1987), it did indeed appear that Douglas was being typecast in the 'Man against Woman' type roles. He did nothing to sway this image, starring in Disclosure (1994). Michael tried to break away from this image with the movies The American President (1995) and The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), yet when he started dating Catherine Zeta-Jones, 25 years his junior, this image continued, even after their marriage.

After two children with her, Michael is trying to settle down to become a more 'family-oriented' actor. The comedy Wonder Boys (2000) and Douglas-clan movie It Runs in the Family (2003) were only minor hits, and it appears Michael is again looking for a career change. Trying his hand now at light-hearted comedies, like a re-make The In-Laws (2003/I), he hopes to break away from the reputation he has acquired in the past.

Michael Douglas begins in the cinema in 1962, as an assistant-director on only are the indomitted, a film produced and interpreted by his father. He later studied dramatic art at the University of Santa Barbara, California. It was there that he meets Danny Devito, with whom he will become a friend and often share the poster.

After two short appearances (the shadow of a giant in 1966 and where's Jack in 1969), Michael Douglas began his real career as an actor in 1969 in Hail, Hero, in which he interpreted a pacifist hippie who decides to fight in Vietnam . This film earned him an appointment to the 1970 Golden Globe for the best male hope. The TV series The streets of San Francisco made him famous in 1972: he embodied the young inspector Steve Keller who teams up with a more experienced man, alias Karl Malden. The series lasts until 1976 and Michael Douglas has made some episodes. He was also appointed to the Golden Globe for best TV actor for this series.

In 1975, he produced theft above a cuckoo nest: his father Kirk Douglas interpreted the play at the theater, then bought the rights without ever having been able to adapt it to the cinema. The film is a huge success and won 5 Oscars, including that of the best producer. At the end of the 1970s, Michael Douglas played in Chinese syndrome which he co-produced with his partner Jane Fonda. His career then declined with the winner, it is my chance and the night of the judges, who will not meet the expected public success.

It was not until 1984 that Michael Douglas triumph over again in pursuing the green diamond (by Robert Zemeckis) and his suite the Nile diamond signed Lewis Teague, alongside Kathleen Turner and Danny Devito. The actor has since become a sure value of the box office with films such as fatal affair of Adrian Lyne (1987) or Wall Street of Oliver Stone, which earned him the Oscar for best actor in 1987 and the Golden Globe 1988 Best dramatic actor.

Michael Douglas continues with the Rose War of his accomplice Danny Devito (which earned him an appointment to the Golden Globe of best comedy actor in 1990), Basic Instinct by Paul Verhoeven (1992), or The Game by David Fincher (1997) . He slips into the shoes of the President of the United States for the President and Miss Wade and receives a new appointment to the Golden Globes, then plays alongside Gwyneth Paltrow in Perfect Murder, remake of the crime was almost perfect of Alfred Hitchcock. The same year, Michael Douglas received an honor Caesar.

2000 is a splendor year for the actor: he is playing with Wonder Boys in which he camps a confused teacher-romaneman, then traffic by Steven Soderbergh, a film adapted from a British mini-series on the drug trade which was a great public and critical success. After the thriller not a word and an appearance in divine but dangerous in 2001, Michael Douglas returned to the screens in June 2003 with the spy comedy but not too much of Andrew Fleming, alongside Albert Brooks. He then played with the family, facing his father Kirk Douglas and his son Cameron Douglas, in the comedy It Runs in the family.

Michael Douglas also continued his producer activities and founded his production house in 1988, Stonebridge Entertainment inc. Here too, success is there, with the prohibited experience of Joel Schumacher (1990), Made in America by Richard Benjamin (1993), and finally flip of John Woo (1987). In 2000, he married actress Catherine Zeta-Jones who will give her two children and with whom he shared the poster of traffic, without joint scenes however.

Michael Douglas is an American actor and producer born September 25, 1944 in New York. He is the son of actress Diana Dill and producer Kirk Douglas. Michael Douglas began his career in the 1970s and quickly gained popularity thanks to his performances in films such as "The China Syndrome" and "Romance the Stone". In 1987, he won the Oscar for best actor for his role in "Wall Street" and also won an Oscar for the best film for his role as executive producer in "One Flow Over the Cuckoo's Nest" in 1976.

Photos

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Filmography

Title Role
Racing the Monsoon (2006) (announced)
The Ride Down Mt. Morgan (2005) (announced) Lyman Felt
The Sentinel (2006) (pre-production) Agent Pete Garrison
The In-Laws (2003/I) Steve Tobias
It Runs in the Family (2003) Alex Gromberg
Liberty's Kids: Est. 1776 (2002) TV Series (voice) Patrick Henry
Don't Say a Word (2001) Dr. Nathan R. Conrad
One Night at McCool's (2001) Mr. Burmeister
Traffic (2000) Robert Wakefield
Wonder Boys (2000) Grady Tripp
A Perfect Murder (1998) Steven Taylor
The Game (1997) Nicholas Van Orton
The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) Charles Remington
The American President (1995) President Andrew Shepherd
Disclosure (1994) Tom Sanders
Falling Down (1993) William Foster/D-Fens
Basic Instinct (1992) Det. Nick Curran
Shining Through (1992) Ed Leland
The War of the Roses (1989) Oliver Rose
Black Rain (1989) Det. Sgt. Nick Conklin
Wall Street (1987) Gordon Gekko
Fatal Attraction (1987) Dan Gallagher
The Jewel of the Nile (1985) Jack Colton
A Chorus Line (1985) Zach
Romancing the Stone (1984) Jack T. Colton
The Star Chamber (1983) Superior Court Judge Steven R. Hardin
It's My Turn (1980) Ben Lewin
Running (1979) Michael Andropolis
The China Syndrome (1979) Richard Adams
Coma (1978) Dr. Mark Bellows
The Streets of San Francisco (1972) TV Series Inspector Steve Keller (1972-1976)
The Streets of San Francisco (1972) (TV) Insp. Steve Keller
Napoleon and Samantha (1972) Danny
When Michael Calls (1972) (TV) Craig
Summertree (1971) Jerry
Adam at 6 A.M. (1970) Adam Gaines
Hail, Hero! (1969) Carl Dixon
Cast a Giant Shadow (1966) (uncredited) Jeep driver

Trivia

Named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. His mission: to focus worldwide attention on nuclear disarmament and human rights. [1998]

Ranked #74 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]

Roomed with Danny DeVito when first starting out.

B.A. from U.C. Santa Barbara. [1968]

Graduated from the University of California.

Graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall.

Attended Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, MA.

Michael is exactly 25 years older than his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones. The two of them share a birthday, September 25th.

Is of Russian-Jewish, Scottish, and Irish heritage.

As of 2002, he and Sir Laurence Olivier are the only two people in history to win Oscars for both Best Picture and Best Actor (although Olivier won them simultaneously for the same film).

Initially turned down the role of Judge Wakefield in Traffic (2000). He later accepted only after the script underwent extensive re-writes.

In 1975, quit the show, "The Streets of San Francisco" (1972), to produce the film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975).

Thursday December 11 2003, he was host, together with wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, at the 2003 Annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Olso Spectrum in Oslo, Norway.

In addition to Catherine Zeta-Jones, he also shares a birthday with Will Smith, Heather Locklear, Michael Madsen, Barbara Walters and the late Christopher Reeve.

Has worked with two actors who share roles with his father. Kirk Douglas played Doc Holliday in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957). Val Kilmer played the part in Tombstone (1993), and then appeared with Michael in The Ghost and the Darkness (1996). Kirk played Ulysses (Odysseus) in Ulisse (1955), based on The Odyssey.

Michael appeared in Don't Say a Word (2001) with Sean Bean, who played Odysseus in Troy (2004).

Five days after completing Black Rain (1989), he started filming The War of the Roses (1989).

In 1980, he 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.

Was named to Quigley Publications' Top 10 Poll of Money-Making Stars six times between 1985 and 1995, hitting a high of #2 in 1987. Surprising, despite a career that has spanned seven decades, his father Kirk never made the list, the annual poll of movie exhibitors that ranks the top stars in terms of box-office drawing power.

Family

Spouse : Catherine Zeta-Jones (18 November 2000 - present) 2 children, Diandra Douglas (20 March 1977 - June 2000) (divorced) 1 child.

Son of Kirk Douglas and Diana Douglas.

Brother of Joel Douglas.

Half-brother of Peter Douglas and Eric Douglas.

Has two sons : Cameron Morrell (b. 13 December 1978), with Diandra Luker, and Dylan Michael (b. 8 August 2000), with Catherine Zeta-Jones.

His second son and first child with Catherine Zeta-Jones, a boy named Dylan Michael was born on 8th August about 6 p.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre near Beverly Hills. The baby weighed in at 7 pounds and seven ounces and measured 21-1/2 inches. He met Catherine at the Deauville Film Festival in France in August 1998; they began dating in March 1999 and got engaged on New Year's Eve 1999.

Daughter Carys Zeta Douglas with Catherine Zeta-Jones; Carys was born the 20th April of 2003, at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Father of Cameron Douglas.

Author of the card

  • Creation date: 01/07/2003 by abdest

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