Michael Douglas - biography, filmography and personal life (photo)

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Michael Douglas (full name Michael Kirk Douglas) - film actor, Hollywood superstar, born September 25, 1944 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Parents, famous actors Kirk Douglas and Diana Douglas Darrid, divorced when Michael was five years old. The boy stayed with his mother, graduated from school, and then for a long time could not decide how to build his future life. In the end, Michael Douglas, whose biography then opened its first page, entered the "American Place Theater" in New York.

First roles

Student years flew by quickly, Douglas was full of energy and preparing for his first film roles. The young actor played his debut role in the television series "Streets of San Francisco", which was filmed for four years - from 1972 to 1976. Michael's character was Police Inspector Steve Keller, a recently graduated college detective by vocation. However, work on television did not quite suit Douglas, he wanted to participate in film projects, especially since he watched the dizzying career of his father, Kirk Douglas, develop.

First"Oscar"

At the time, director Milos Forman was starting filming One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which was to be produced by Kirk Douglas. Michael persuaded his father to give him the rights of the producer and set to work. The picture made a splash, with a microscopic budget of 4.4 million dollars, box office receipts amounted to about 110 million. In addition, the film received five Oscars and a large number of nominations. One Oscar went to Michael Douglas for best film in 1976.

Then, the already accomplished actor Michael Douglas starred in the last episodes of "Streets of San Francisco" and in 1978 took part in the production of the action-packed thriller "Coma", in which he played the main role. His character, Dr. Mark Whitewes, at first does not believe the information about the criminal events in the clinic, but the horrifying facts eventually make him wary.

Chinese Syndrome

In 1979, the film "Chinese Syndrome" directed by James Bridges was released, about the catastrophic events at a nuclear power plant. Douglas became the producer of the film project and, in addition, played one of the main roles in the film. His character Richard Adams, a television cameraman, along with TV reporter Kimberly Wells (Jane Fonda), gets into a nuclear power plant at the time of the accident. A confrontation begins between television people and high-ranking officials from the department for nuclear energy, who stop at nothing to prevent publicity of what happened at the station. Moviereceived several prestigious awards, including Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA.

Accident

The accident that happened to Michael Douglas in 1980 on a ski slope put the actor out of action for a long time. It took three years for treatment, and Michael returned to work only in 1983. He played a major role in the film "Star Chamber" by Peter Hyams, but the picture was not successful. But the adventure movie, directed by Robert Zemeckis in 1984, called "Romancing the Stone", made a splash. This was facilitated by the magnificent performance of Hollywood star Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas himself. The film was once again produced by Michael Douglas. The box office grossed 12 times the production cost of the motion picture, and "Romancing the Stone" won several awards.

Adventure movies

The following year, hot on the heels of Romancing the Stone, Jewel of the Nile, directed by Lewis Teague, was released. Familiar characters - Jack Colton and Joan Wilder - live in abundance, but a measured existence without adventure begins to bother them. And when an Arab sheikh offers the writer to take up writing his biography, she agrees. And this is where the adventure began, Joan is kidnapped, the sheikh turned out to be a seasoned adventurer, an international criminal. Jack Colton goes in search of his girlfriend, taking with him an old friend Ralph (Danny DeVito). "PearlNeela" was received by the public with more restraint compared to the previous film. This time there were no awards.

Men's weaknesses, how they end

Two years after the adventure stories, Michael Douglas starred in one of his best films "Fatal Attraction", directed by Adrian Lyne. In this thriller, the main character - lawyer Dan Gallagher - also had adventures, but of a slightly different nature. The quiet life of a lawyer ended when his wife and daughter went to visit their parents, and Dan was left alone with his freedom. The lawyer met an interesting woman named Alex Forrest in the office of the firm he served, and immediately invited her to spend time together. The woman agreed, and they instantly became lovers. Spent a few hours at Gallagher's house, then settled into Alex's apartment. By the end of the second day, Dan was about to return home, but his mistress decided not to let him go. To begin with, she opened her veins, and the confused lawyer rushed to bandage her and calm her down in every possible way … The film received a BAFTA award, six Oscar nominations and four Golden Globe nominations. After the release of "Fatal Attraction", films with Michael Douglas became even more popular.

Douglas' main film

In the same 1987, Douglas starred in his main picture, for which he received the Oscar and Golden Globe awards. It was the movie Wallstreet directed by Oliver Stone. The plot focuses on the activities of Wall Street stock brokers, experienced Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), aspiring aspiring broker Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) and aging Carl Fox, Bud's father (Martin Sheen). Both Gordon and Bud is not known for cleanliness when concluding transactions, they do not hesitate to violate the law governing stock trading Bud's father, as an honest man of the old school, does not support his son's questionable methods, one day he has a heart attack Bud blames his father Gordon Gekko for illness and arranges a provocative deal for him, causing Gekko to lose a huge amount of money. In retaliation, Gordon turns Bud Fox in to the financial police.

War Rose

In 1989, director Danny DeVito directed the psychological tragicomedy War Rose. Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner met again on the set. Danny DeVito himself played a lawyer, and Douglas and Turner a happy married couple, whose happiness turned out to be short-lived, and petty quarrels soon grew into a major, all-consuming conflict with a deadly ending. The audience was perplexed how it is possible to create such global problems within the same family out of the blue. As it turned out, it was possible, and the events according to the scenario developed in a logical way, both warring parties were right in their own way, and no one wanted to give in.

Private life

Michael Douglas' personal life cannot be called cloudless. If roles in film projects broughtactor success and fame, then in ordinary life he had to suffer. Michael was married twice, the first wife was Diandra Looker, born in 1958, they got married in 1977. A year later, the couple had a son, Cameron. Diandra and Michael were together for twenty-three years, and divorced in 2000. The fate of their son, Cameron Douglas, was tragic: in 2010 he was jailed for five years for drug dealing.

While still married to Diandra, Michael met English actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. Katherine did not ask how old Michael Douglas was, although it was obvious that the age difference was huge. When a woman loves, she does not think about such things. Perhaps this acquaintance was the reason for the actor's divorce from his wife, according to the chronology of events, it can be concluded that Michael Douglas divorced when Zeta-Jones was already pregnant. Katherine is 25 years younger than Michael, has a beautiful appearance, friendly character and is one of the most successful movie stars of the present time. Michael and Katherine had a son, Dylan Michael, in 2000. Daughter Carys Zeta was born in 2003.

In 2010, Michael Douglas was diagnosed with throat cancer, before the end of the year the actor underwent treatment, and the results were encouraging. A little later, he announced a full recovery. Throughout this difficult period, Catherine Zeta-Jones was there and supported her husband in every possible way. But soon she, too, fell ill with a mental disorder in the form of severe depression. In August 2013, the couple almost divorced, but already in December 2013, it was announced thatreconciliation. Today, Michael Douglas, whose biography contains many pages about his difficult fate, is preparing to shoot the next film with his participation. The appearance of the actor has changed significantly, recently he began to think that it would be time to change roles and play the roles of aging characters. Perhaps the best films with Michael Douglas are yet to come.