{"id":594,"date":"2020-02-06T17:25:32","date_gmt":"2020-02-06T17:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/?p=594"},"modified":"2020-02-06T17:25:56","modified_gmt":"2020-02-06T17:25:56","slug":"remembering-the-life-and-legacy-of-kirk-douglas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/2020\/02\/remembering-the-life-and-legacy-of-kirk-douglas.html","title":{"rendered":"Remembering the Life and Legacy of Kirk Douglas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kirk Douglas, one of the biggest post World War II actors known for starring in movies such as \u201cPaths of Glory,\u201d and \u201cSpartacus,\u201d has passed away at the age of 103.<\/p>\n

A statement from the late actor\u2019s oldest son, actor Michael Douglas, was released on Wednesday confirming the actor\u2019s death. The 103 year old died at his home from natural causes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,\u201d Michael stated in a post on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kirk Douglas, born Issur Danielovitch was born December 9, 1916 in Amsterdam, New York, to Jewish immigrant parents. Douglas joined the United States Navy, right after the country entered World War II, as a communications officer. After the war, Douglas returned to his home state of New York. He then started his career in acting, radio, and commercials. His breakout film \u201cChampion,\u201d led the actor to stardom. The film gave Douglas his first Academy Award Nomination for the role of Scrappy Michael \u201cMidge\u201d Kelly, a ruthless boxer. Douglas would go on to later star in Hollywood headliner films such as \u201cDetective Story,\u201d \u201cThe Bad and the Beautiful,\u201d and \u201c20,000 Leagues under the Sea,\u201d in which he would receive many Oscar nominations and recognition for.<\/p>\n

Known as Hollywood\u2019s \u201cJewish goy,\u201d for his Nordic looks, the actor revealed in 1997 that he started to embraced his long neglected Jewish heritage following a helicopter crash in 1991. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Douglas determined that God let him survive the accident so he could come to terms with his Jewish heritage. \u201cI hadn\u2019t thought about God for a long time. I ran away from him many, many years ago, \u201cDouglas said. \u201c It\u2019s tough to be Jew.\u201d\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Douglas went on to discuss how since the crash that left two others dead, to enduring survivor\u2019s guilt and a stroke, he has become a better person.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have become more giving of myself and what I have,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Douglas has received many honors throughout his life, not only in the United States, but abroad as well. He was heavily recognized for his work in film and his philanthropic affiliations.<\/p>\n

In 1981, Kirk Douglas was presented with the Presidential Medal of Honor in recognition of his work throughout the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kirk Douglas, one of the biggest post World War II actors known for starring in movies such as \u201cPaths of Glory,\u201d and \u201cSpartacus,\u201d has passed away at the age of 103. A statement from the late actor\u2019s oldest son, actor Michael Douglas, was released on Wednesday confirming the actor\u2019s death. The 103 year old died…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":624,"featured_media":597,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[127],"tags":[43,62,273],"class_list":["post-594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actor","tag-actor","tag-celebrity-death","tag-remembering"],"yoast_head":"\nRemembering the Life and Legacy of Kirk Douglas<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Remembering the Life and Legacy of Kirk Douglas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kirk Douglas, one of the biggest post World War II actors known for starring in movies such as \u201cPaths of Glory,\u201d and \u201cSpartacus,\u201d has passed away at the age of 103. 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