Michael Douglas is an American-born Hollywood star who has won the Academy Award for both acting and production. He achieved Hollywood star status in the 1970s when he played a leading role in the ABC police thriller drama series The Streets of San Francisco, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award three times in a row. As a producer, he became known for his work on the highly acclaimed, Academy Award-winning film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). He further consolidated his A-list status by acting and producing in films such as The China Syndrome (1979), Romancing the Stone (1984), and The Jewel of the Nile (1985).
In 1987, Michael Douglas won gold as the leading actor in the highly acclaimed box office monster Fatal Attraction and also won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in the drama film Wall Street. Since then, Douglas has resumed his role on Wall Street in the 2010 sequel to the movie Wall Street: Money never sleeps. The ageless actor recently received wide acclaim for his leading role in the 2013 biography Behind the Candelabra, including Golden Globe, Emmy, and SAG awards.
Michael Douglas Bio, Age
Born as Michael Kirk Douglas in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the Hollywood superstar is the son of veteran Hollywood actor, producer, and director Kirk Douglas and his first wife Diana Dill, who was also an actress. He was born on September 25, 1944, and has a younger brother Joel Douglas and two half-brothers Peter Douglas and Eric Douglas, all of whom are filmmakers/actors.
Michael Douglas studied at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and graduated in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in acting. During his studies, Douglas began his acting career on stage in conjunction with a number of smaller film roles. His groundbreaking television role landed him in an episode of the CBS Playhouse series The Experiment. This was followed by leading roles in films like Hail, Hero! (1969), Adam at 6 in the morning (1970), and Summertree (1971). His work in Hail, Hero! earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe New Star of the Year Award.
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Michael Douglas received his first major television role in the crime drama The Streets of San Francisco (1972-1976). His time in the series was shortened after the huge success of the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which he co-produced and for which he won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1975. Douglas also served as producer and actor in the highly acclaimed thriller film The China Syndrome (1979). The multi-talented actor cemented his A-list status with a starring role in the blockbuster Romancing the Stone (1984) and its sequel The Jewel of the Nile, which he also produced.
1987 was a golden year for Michael Douglas, as he starred in two of the year’s greatest films: Fatal Attraction and Wall Street. His role on Wall Street earned him an Oscar for Best Actor, and Fatal Attraction was the highest-grossing film of the year. Douglas proved to be a box-office hit with leading roles in such successful films as The War of the Roses (1989), Basic Instinct (1992), Disclosure (1994), Traffic (2000), and others. In 2006 the multi-talented artist doubled his role as lead actor and co-producer in the thriller The Sentinel.
Michael Douglas received several awards for his role in the biography Behind the Candelabra (2013), including an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, a SAG Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He starred in the superhero movie Ant-Man (2015) and also played his part in the sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018).
Net Worth
Michael Douglas has remained consistent throughout his Hollywood career, which spans five decades. His long career is peppered with numerous box office hits, both as an actor and as a producer. The Hollywood star currently has an estimated net worth of $300 million.
Wife, Kids
In addition to his outstanding Hollywood career, Michael Douglas has also received much media attention because of his blissful marriage to Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. With an age difference of 25 years, Douglas and Zeta-Jones have the same birthday on September 25. The duo is said to have met at the Deauville Film Festival in France in August 1998. However, it is reported that they have been officially together since March 1999. On November 18th, 2000 they finally entered into a marriage.
After 13 years of marriage, Michael Douglas and his wife Catherine separated briefly in 2013. They finally got back together before the end of the year, and since then they have become stronger and stronger. They have two children together, a son named Dylan Michael (born 8 August 2000) and a daughter named Carys Zeta (born 20 April 2003).
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Son
Prior to his present union, Douglas was married to an Austrian-born woman named Diandra Luker. They got together way back in March 1977 and they had one child together, a son named Cameron Morrell Douglas (born December 13, 1978). Cameron Douglas has since towed his famous father’s path into showbiz as he has starred in a number of movies. He featured in the 2003 comedy-drama film It Runs in the Family alongside his father Michael, grandfather Kirk, and grandmother Diana. Cameron Douglas has also made headlines for his numerous run-ins with the law. In August 2016, after serving 7 years for drug offenses, Cameron Douglas was transferred to a New York-based halfway house.
Is Michael Douglas Dead? Cancer
Academy-award-winning Hollywood actor and director Michael Douglas is still very much alive and well. However, the septuagenarian has had some serious health challenges in times past. Back in 2010, Douglas was diagnosed with the most advanced stage of cancer, stage IV cancer. The discovery was made at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada having been omitted by several specialists in the United States.
The actor’s condition was initially reported to be throat cancer, however, it was later confirmed to have been tongue cancer. According to the actor, the disease was attributed to his long years of heavy smoking, alcohol abuse, and stress. After months of successful chemotherapy and radiation treatment, Michael Douglas revealed that he was cancer-free in January 2011. Other than his battle with cancer, the Hollywood vet is still much healthy and kicking.
