Born Issur Danielovitch to Jewish immigrant parents, the actor and is six siblings lived in poverty in Amsterdam, New York.

He changed his named to Kirk Douglas after enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1941 and fought in the Second World War until being medically discharged three years later.

After attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York on a special scholarship, not only was it there that Douglas met his first wife but also actress Lauren Bacall, who helped launch his career.

Although Douglas began acting in radio, theatre and television, it was his friendship with Ball that helped land his first film role, ”The Strange Love of Martha Ivers,” in 1946.

Numerous movies and awards followed, including Oscar nominations for Best Actor in 1949’s ”Champion,” 1952’s ”The Bad and the Beautiful,” and 1956’s ”The Lust For Life,” for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe and the Cecil B DeMille Award at the Golden Globes in 1968 for his outstanding contribution to the world of entertainment.

Douglas considers Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 classic ”Spartacus” his personal favourite.