Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas dead at 103

One of the last survivors of the golden age of cinema, Douglas was renowned for the macho and not-always-likeable tough guy roles he took on in around 90 movies over a six-decade career.

In this file photo taken on November 6, 2018, actor Kirk Douglas (R) attends a ceremony honoring his son actor Michael Douglas (L) with a Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, in Hollywood, California.
AFP

In this file photo taken on November 6, 2018, actor Kirk Douglas (R) attends a ceremony honoring his son actor Michael Douglas (L) with a Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, in Hollywood, California.

Kirk Douglas, the cleft-chinned movie star who fought gladiators, cowboys and boxers on the screen and the Hollywood establishment, died on Wednesday at the age of 103, his son Michael Douglas said.

“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” Michael Douglas said in a statement to People magazine and on his Facebook page.

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

Posted by Michael Douglas on Wednesday, February 5, 2020

“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,” Douglas added.

“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,” Michael added, saying he was "so proud" to be his father's son.

Douglas made more than 90 movies in a career that stretched across seven decades and films such as "Spartacus" and "The Vikings" made him one of the biggest box- office stars of the 1950s and '60s.

He also played a major role in breaking the Hollywood blacklist - actors, directors and writers who were shunned professionally because of links to the communist movement in the 1950s. Douglas said he was more proud of that than any film he made.

Route 6