Hollywood Acting Legend Kirk Douglas Passed Away Today At Aged 103

Daily Mail: Kirk Douglas dies aged 103: Spartacus star's heartbroken son Michael pays tribute to his father saying 'I love you and am so proud to be your son' as grandson Cameron leaves the Hollywood legend's home and the coroner arrives

* Hollywood acting legend Kirk Douglas died on Wednesday aged 103
* The Spartacus star is survived by his wife of 65 years Anne Buydens and his three sons Michael, Joel, and Peter. A fourth child, Eric, died of a drug overdose in his 40s, in 2004
* His son Michael Douglas, an acting icon in his own right, revealed the news of his father's death in an emotional statement
* Douglas suffered a stroke back in 1996 that left him with slurred speech and damaged facial nerves
* Douglas was the son of Jewish Russian immigrants who rose through the ranks to become one of Hollywood's biggest-ever stars
* The famed actor, who was one of the last of Hollywood's Golden Age, made more than 90 movies in a career that stretched across seven decades
* Films such as Spartacus and The Vikings made him one of the biggest box-office stars of the 1950s and 60s
* He was nominated three times for the best actor Oscar in 1949 for Champion, The Bad and the Beautiful in 1953 and Lust for Life in 1957
* Douglas never received an Academy Award for an individual film but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded him an honorary Oscar in 1996 for his role as a creative and moral force in the industry

Hollywood acting legend Kirk Douglas has died aged 103.

The Spartacus star died on Wednesday at his home in Beverly Hills, California. He is survived by his wife of 65 years Anne Buydens and his three sons Michael, Joel, and Peter.

His son Michael Douglas, an acting icon in his own right, revealed the news of his father's death in an emotional statement to People magazine.

'It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,' he said.

'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.

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WNU Editor: When my parents immigrated to Canada and were exposed to Hollywood movies, Spartacus was their favourite movie. And when my mother learned that he passed away today, she cried. But Kirk Douglas played an even more important role in my life. He had a stroke two years before my father had his, and both of them experienced the same type of paralysis and inability to talk to make themselves understood. Fortunately for Kirk Douglas, his stroke was not as severe as my fathers, and he was able to go home. But instead of just doing nothing, Kirk Douglas wrote a book about what he had to go through when he had his stroke, and his long road to recovery .... My Stroke of Luck Paperback – Jan 7 2003 by Kirk Douglas. I immediately bought the book, and in the last two years of my father's life I used his book as my reference guide when I was with my father. Thank you Mr. Douglas for helping me during that time. RIP.

More News On The Passing Of Hollywood Acting Legend Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas, actor and Hollywood legend, dead at 103, family says -- FOX News
Kirk Douglas, Hollywood Icon and Spartacus Star, Dies at 103 -- People
Kirk Douglas, Hollywood legend and star of Spartacus, dies aged 103 -- The Guardian
From 'Ragman's Son' to Spartacus: Kirk Douglas, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants who rose from poverty to become a Hollywood legend during its Golden Age, has died at 103 -- Daily Mail