Michael Douglas - Details

Biography

Michael DouglasMICHAEL DOUGLAS is an Oscar®-winning actor and producer with a gift for choosing projects that reflect current trends and public concerns. Among his earliest successes was his role as Karl Malden's sidekick in the police series "The Streets of San Francisco," which became one of the highest-rated primetime programs in the mid-1970s. Douglas earned three successive Emmy Award nominations for his performance and directed two episodes of the series.

Long interested in making a film version of Ken Kesey's novel "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Douglas purchased the movie rights from his father, Kirk Douglas, and formed a partnership with Saul Zaentz to produce the film. The 1975 release won Academy Awards® for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress, and went on to gross more than $180 million at the box office. Douglas' next producing project, "The China Syndrome" (1979), was a controversial thriller that was nominated for three Academy Awards®.

Douglas resumed his acting career in the late 1970s, starring in "Coma, Running, It's My Turn, The Star Chamber" and "A Chorus Line." He once again became an actor/producer with the 1984 hit "Romancing the Stone" and was named Producer of the Year in 1984 by the National Association of Theater Owners. The following year, he re-teamed with his "Romancing the Stone" co-stars Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito for "The Jewel of the Nile."

"Starman," executive produced by Douglas, was the sleeper hit of the 1984 Christmas season and earned an Oscar® nomination for Best Actor for Jeff Bridges. Douglas would later create a television series based on the film. The following year, Douglas starred opposite Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction" and as corporate raider Gordon Gekko in "Wall Street." The latter earned him an Academy Award® for Best Actor.

Douglas next starred in "Black Rain" and then teamed up again with Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito in "The War of the Roses." In 1988 he formed Stonebridge Entertainment, Inc., which produced "Flatliners."

"Basic Instinct," in which he starred with Sharon Stone, became one of the top-grossing films of 1992, and a year later Douglas gave one of his most powerful performances in the controversial drama "Falling Down." That year he also produced the hit comedy "Made in America." 1994 saw Douglas starring with Demi Moore in "Disclosure," based on the best seller by Michael Crichton. The following year, he portrayed the title role in romantic drama "The American President." Most recently he starred in the psychological thrillers "The Game" and "A Perfect Murder."

In 1994, Douglas formed Douglas/Reuther Productions with fellow producer Steven Reuther. Their first fully financed production was "The Ghost and the Darkness," starting Douglas and Val Kilmer, followed by the hits "Face/Off' and "The Rainmaker." He recently formed a new production company Further Films, which will release "One Night At McCool's" later this year through USA Films.

Douglas, who has worked to abolish nuclear weapons and halt the proliferation of small arms, was named a Messenger of Peace for the United Nations by Secretary General Kofi Annan in 1998. He also launched Costa Nord, a cultural center featuring exhibits and a multi-screen movie event centered around the North Cost of Mallorca, where Douglas has had a home for over twenty years.

On New Year's Eve 1999, Michael Douglas became engaged to actress Catherine Zeta Jones. Douglas recently created a non-profit charity website, www.michaeldouglas.com.

Events

  • 25th September 1944 - Birth