In the city of New Brunswick, which is located in the US state of New Jersey, on September 25, 1944, a boy was born into the family of actors, who will subsequently become world famous under the name Michael Douglas. His mother Diana Dill and father Kirk Douglas divorced when Michael was only five years old. Diana moved with her children to Connecticut and remarried there. Mikey saw his father only in the movies or on TV.
In youth Michael Douglas He was notable for his childish fervor and at the age of 14 he was even kicked out of school, as the young womanizer overly worried the female part of the school. After that, he hung around idle for some time, bought a motorcycle and lived in a hippie commune.
When the guy was educated in a military school, he only dreamed of an acting career as his father. To achieve this goal, he refuses to study at Yale University and instead enters the University of California, where he is educated at the Department of Dramatic Art. There, Michael met Denny de Vito, they are friends with him to this day and starred together in many films.
The father demanded that the son should not act before the age of 25, since, in his opinion, in show business, in order to gain a place in the sun, you need to temper character. And Michael Douglas made his living as an assistant editor, assistant director, and even delivered coffee to the cinema.
Michael Douglas - the beginning of a stellar career
His television debut took place in the movie "Streets of San Francisco," where Michael Douglas played detective Steve Keller. In this series, he was remembered by all the wonderful acting and extraordinary courage, since he performed all the tricks himself. He also learned to work with a computer, because the circumstances of the plot required it.
In 1975, Michael persuaded Kirk Douglas to cede his right to produce the film “Flight Over the Cuckoo's Nest,” in which Jack Nicholson played the main role. As a result, this project became a cult film of the decade and received four Oscars.
Michael Douglas - gaining popularity
True popularity came to him as an actor only at the age of forty when Michael Douglas starred in the 1984 adventure comedy titled “A Novel with a Stone”. Produced by Douglas himself and staged by Robert Zemeckis, the movie became one of the best among the entertaining cinema of the 80s.
Michael Douglas - The Most Notable Roles
According to many film critics, in the second half of the 80s, the actor played the three most prominent roles. In 1987 - “Wall Street” and “Fatal Attraction”, and in 1989 - with Denis de Vito in “War of the Rose”. After working in these paintings, Michael Douglas became one of the most "expensive" actors in Hollywood. In 1992, he still starred in the film, which later became legendary, called "Basic Instinct."
Already in the status of a superstar, Michael Douglas starred in the role of the American president in the film under the same name. But still, it’s better for him to get characters not of pink romantics in some kind of love stories, but of a break-up role that requires an extraordinary reaction, such as, for example, “The Perfect Kill” or “The Game”.
Michael Douglas - personal life
The first time Michael Douglas married in 1981 the daughter of the Australian ambassador, Diandra Lucker, with whom they subsequently had a son, Cameron. This marriage broke up in 1998. To settle the money side of the divorce, he had to pay Diandra $ 45 million. The very same actor was left with a collection of luxury cars and an apartment in Manhattan.
After the divorce, the star had many novels, but they never turned into something more serious. However, the actor did not so much wander around in bachelors. At the premiere of the movie "The Mask of Zorro," Michael Douglas was simply amazed by the charm of Catherine Zeta-Jones, who played a major role in the film and set out to win her heart. He did it, and in December 1999 they got engaged, and after 4 months the couple legalized their relationship. They have two children - in 2000, Dylan Michael was born, and in 2003, Caris Zeta was born.
Michael Douglas - Interesting Facts
At the beginning of his career, Michael Douglas rented an apartment with Denny de Vito and is of Scottish, Russian-Jewish and Irish descent. For his wife, he is exactly 25 years older. The actor loves to play golf. In 1980, Douglas had to retire for three years due to a serious injury that he received while skiing. He was also treated in September 1992 for alcohol dependence. The son of the actor from his first marriage was expelled from the university, and he was imprisoned 3 times.
Michael Douglas - Today
In 2010, Douglas was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer, and on January 11, 2011, he announced that he had managed to defeat the disease. The actor is going to remarry Catherine Zeta-Jones - he decided to make such a gift his beloved for a decade of married life.
