Subsequent to reading this insightful memoir by actor, Kirk Douglas, I am not only moved by his honesty and wisdom but truly intrigued by the man behind the legend, and equally, if not more so…the woman behind the man, Anne Douglas. After exploring the couple’s lifetime achievements and remarkable deeds, I find myself a little nervous before interviewing the dynamic duo that have been together over fifty years. Douglas professes of his wife, “She is the best friend, the best American, the best human being I know.”
Last year the couple decided to remarry as part of the celebration of their fiftieth anniversary and Anne converted to Judaism. She laughs “Kirk has been married twice to Shiksa.’s...it was time he married a nice Jewish girl.”

The two have received countless honors including, lifetime achievement awards, nominations, commendations, medals and honors individually and as a couple, and they continue to come. In 1991, the American Film Institute singled Kirk Douglas out for its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, stating, “No other leading actor has been more ready to tap the dark desperate side of the soul and thus reveal the complexity of human nature.” In 1999, Kirk celebrated his second Bar Mitzvah at the age of 83 at Sinai Temple in Westwood, California, marking the second cycle of life, which begins at the age of seventy, according to the ancient Rabbinic writings of Judaism.

Kirk and Anne met in 1953 when Kirk was starring in the movie “ An Act Of Love” which was filming in Paris and America. Anne, who was born in Hanover, Germany, was working in Paris. Fluent in German, French, English and Italian she supported herself by doing film translations, writing subtitles and eventually producing and handling protocol for the Cannes Film Festival. In due course, she turned to managing public relations in Europe and the United States for foreign films. As chance would have it, she was hired to handle the public relations for the movie “An Act Of Love”. Eventually, Kirk hired her as his assistant and ended up falling for her. “She wouldn’t have me at first, but I eventually won her over,” he boasts.” They were married in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1954.

Now well over a half a century later, they are sitting on the porch of their Montecito, California home, their home away from home (their main residence in Beverly Hills). They refer to Montecito as their haven. It provides the perfect opportunity to spend quality time with their seven grandchildren. They had two sons together and Kirk had two additional sons from a former marriage; Michael, Joel, Peter and Eric. Eric, the youngest son past away last year at the age of 46 after a long battle with drugs and alcohol.

While Anne and Kirk cherish spending quality time with their children and grandchildren, they share a mutual desire to remain involved in world affairs… stating “This is what truly keeps us alive.” They reflect on a life lived well and remain heavily involved in a number of philanthropic endeavors. Early in their relationship they shared a passion to aid others less fortunate. Kirk Douglas was a Goodwill Ambassador for the United States State Department for decades, first serving and touring under President John F. Kennedy. The Douglas Foundation was formed in 1964 and their son Peter now serves as President. Their selfless acts of kindness have helped to support several worthy causes they hold close to their hearts. Case in point, Kirk and Anne were avid collectors of impressionistic art. Their collection consisted of great works of art by Chagall, Miro, Picasso and Vlaminck to name a few. They decided to auction off their collection using the proceeds to help establish the Anne Douglas Center for Women, a shelter for homeless women, as well as, the Motion Picture Relief Home’s Alzheimer Unit, which is named, “Harry’s Haven,” after Douglas’s father.

Anne Douglas was a founding member of the Women’s Guild, which helped to build a free bed clinic at Cedar Sinai Hospital. She remained active and deeply involved with this organization for over thirty-five years. She is also one of five women active in the Women’s Research Fund supporting clinical studies for women’s breast and ovarian cancer. Additionally, because of her immense love for children and her concern about the degenerative state of children’s playgrounds in Los Angeles, The Douglas Foundation has now refurbished, rebuilt and beautified over 350 new children’s playgrounds in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Their goal is to complete 400 more. The Douglas Foundation has also constructed a number of playgrounds in Israel for Arabs and Jews, not to mention, a theatre directly opposite the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. At every opening of each playground Anne Douglas announces to the public something that she say’s she always taught her own children “When you care, you share”. This statement pretty much sums up the character and moral fiber of this special woman.

Kirk Douglas’s repertoire’ now includes 87 films, 10 plays, 9 books (two of which were children’s books) and a number of other contributions to his art and his country. His autobiography, The Ragman’s Son, published in 1988, received rave reviews and became an international best seller. He followed it up with three novels and in 1997 he published a sequel to his autobiography entitled Climbing The Mountain: My Search for Meaning. In this deeply touching chronicle, Douglas discusses events since his 1991 helicopter crash in which two young men perished, the hard work of recovery from his stroke and his religious awakening in later in life.

In 1958, Douglas broke the infamous Hollywood blacklist when he chose to give screen credit to blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo for the Spartacus screenplay. Thirty years later the American Civil Liberties Union and the Writers Guild of America documented his act as courageous. Kirk Douglas considers this to be his proudest achievement.
In 1963, he bought the dramatic rights to Ken Kesey’s book One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and starred in the Broadway version. For the next decade Douglas tried to make the play into a motion picture but was not successful. Finally in 1975, he allowed his son Michael to produce the movie, which, of course, received five Oscars including best picture. He claims that not being able to act in the film was always his biggest disappointment.

In 1981, President Carter presented Douglas with the Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian award, in recognition of the many trips he had made at his own expense to speak to audiences around the world about why democracy works and what freedom means. He visited more than twenty countries, not to mention, his journeys to the war zones of Beirut, Lebanon, Red Cross Hospitals and Afghan refugee camps. The Academy of Motion Pictures honored him with a special Oscar for “50 years as a creative and moral force in the motion picture community.” And not to let any stone be unturned, he developed The Kirk Douglas Theater for The Center Theater Group in Culver City.

Mr. Douglas recently took on the special mission of helping high school students get over educational hurdles in order to graduate and receive their diploma. He meets with each student one on one. He is also very involved with Sinai Temple in Beverly Hills, where his close friend, Rabbi Walters, remarried Kirk and Anne last year. To add to his extensive list of awards and honors, in October 2005, Kirk Douglas will receive the Steven Cohen Humanitarian Award, which will be presented to him by the Heart Foundation.

“You’ve come a long way baby” doesn’t even begin to describe the passage that this handsome international cinema star, author and philanthropist has traveled. Born December 9, 1916 in Amsterdam, New York, the son of Jewish-Russian immigrants, Issur Danielovitch Demsky who later became Kirk Douglas, grew up a young athlete and won a wrestling scholarship to Saint Lawrence University. A second scholarship, from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, finally pointed him in the direction of his true passion. Although, his community had hopes that he would grow up to be a Rabbi, Kirk was determined to be an actor.

After young Douglas worked in New York on Broadway he left to serve in the United States Navy. However, in 1945 after his tour of duty, he returned wiser and more determined, once more joining the society of performing artist and eventually introducing his talents into the glamorous world of motion pictures. He worked alongside other great actors, such as, Burt Lancaster, Lauren Bacall, Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Barbara Stanwyck and John Wayne just to name a few. He has also been fortunate enough to work with all four of his son’s. Last year he and his son, actor, Michael Douglas completed a documentary together. The film, entitled A Father A Son: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood portrays the relationship between the two screen stars.

The man with the stunning blue eyes and signature cleft chin maintains a long list of credits and memorable roles that have gone down in history. Many are considered to be among the greatest classics in the motion picture industry, one of which is the brilliant film “Spartacus.” The fact that Douglas was nominated for an Academy Award three times for his unforgettable roles in "Champion," "The Bad and the Beautiful," and "Lust for Life" earned him the respect and recognition that made him a true legend.

However, it is said that alongside every great man is a great woman and this certainly rings true with Anne and Kirk Douglas. They have raised the bar for future generations not only with regard to leading by example and showing the importance of paying it forward but also accepting with gratitude all the blessings with which they have been bestowed. Recalling his own words, he reminds me, “I do not want to be called an Ingrate!”