We all know the name Kirk Douglas. The actor was always generous with his considerable wealth, but he didn’t always do what we might expect with it.
Douglas’s children did not receive much financial assistance from the actor.
The reason for this may surprise you.
Spartacus and The Bad and the Beautiful are just two of the many global hits starring the famous actor Kirk Douglas.
Kirk worked with countless Hollywood actors, actresses and directors, including the esteemed Billy Wonder and Vincent Minnelli. However, many people do not know that the star of The Ace in the Hole comes from a very humble family.
Douglas’s father was a Russian immigrant who came to America and eventually settled in Amsterdam, New York. Eventually, Harry was able to bring his wife to New York, and they settled there, with Harry starting work as a rag picker.
The couple had seven children, and Kirk was the only boy. As he explained in a 2017 interview with the Wall Street Journal, he grew up as the only brother to six girls.
In the same interview, Kirk recounted how poverty affected the family, even saying that they often did not have enough money to feed everyone.
He goes on to describe the bones his sisters begged for to help their mother make soup. Kirk himself sometimes resorted to stealing to keep from starving, saying:
“When I was hungry, I stole food — an egg from a neighbour’s chicken coop or a tomato from a garden. I also stole fruit and vegetables from the counter.”
He admits that for some time after taking food from others, he felt enormous guilt, but the conditions in which the family lived at the time did not make the situation any easier. Kirk even described how poor their sleeping conditions were: he slept on an old sofa, while his sister shared two bedrooms.
Kirk Douglas (centre) poses with his four sons during a gala evening at the Majestic Theatre in Manhattan, where he was honoured by the American Academy of Dramatic Arts; sons, from left to right: Peter, Joel, Michael, Eric.
His parents slept in the last bedroom, separate from their son. Douglas says he often felt distant from his beloved father, saying,
‘I loved my father, but I wondered if he loved me. I wanted to earn his praise and love. But he was cold.’
His mother, Brina, tried to take care of the family every second of the day. She did all this without a proper stove, running water, or a washing machine.
In 1934, when Kirk graduated from high school, it was not surprising that the future actor did not have the money to pay for college, despite his high academic achievements and various school awards.
Instead of using the traditional meaning of the word, Douglas gathered all these awards, his certificates, acting awards, essays, poems, and a letter of recommendation from his English teacher and set off on a 200-mile journey. His long journey was spent alongside a friend who was a sophomore at the university that was their final destination — St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York.
His first meeting with the dean led to his enrolment at the university and substantial assistance in securing the necessary loans. In his second semester, Kirk even received a scholarship.
To pay for tuition and living expenses, Douglas also worked various odd jobs, including wrestling at a local circus. In addition, he tried to get work at various resorts and hotels, and was eventually hired as an actor at the Tamarack Playhouse in Lake Pleasant.
At the age of 25, Kirk Douglas met 17-year-old Betty Persky at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan.
After gaining considerable fame for her first film role, the young actress invited film producer Hal Wallis to see Douglas perform on Broadway, and the rest is history.
Kirk served in the Navy during World War II, but returned in 1946 to star in his first film, Martha Ivers’ Strange Love.
His breakthrough came about three years later, in 1949, in the film Champion, for which he was nominated for an Oscar for his role as Midge Kelly.
Douglas eventually married Anne Buydens, a German philanthropist who was born into a privileged family but lost everything during World War II.
The famous couple began raising money and contributing to charity through their own organisation, the Douglas Foundation, founded in 1964. Both partners were motivated by knowing what it was like to have nothing, and the foundation focused on improving the lives and well-being of disadvantaged young people.
The Douglas Foundation has donated millions of dollars to charitable causes and organisations such as Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
It has even collaborated with Kirk’s alma mater, St. Lawrence University. In collaboration with the university, the charity established the Kirk Douglas Scholarship, which provides money to low-income students to help them through four years of study.
Douglas and his wife spent most of their lives giving money back to those in need, but sadly, Douglas passed away on 5 February 2020 at his home in California.
The star left most of his £80 million fortune to his foundation and appointed his longtime wife as the trustee of these funds. However, Buydens herself also passed away in April 2021 at the age of 102.
Eric and Peter, the couple’s two sons, work in Hollywood as television and film producers (respectively). Kirk also had two sons from his previous marriage to Diana Dill, which lasted from 1943 to 1951: film producer Joel Douglas and renowned actor Michael Douglas.
Interestingly, Kirk did not leave his children a penny of his fortune after his death. Although each of his sons is famous in his own right, this does not mean that they suffered in terms of caring for themselves or their families.
Nevertheless, this is not a typical decision for Hollywood royalty. Douglas clearly understood that money should be redistributed to those who need it most, rather than to his sons, who grew up with everything they needed.
I would certainly like to be able to help people in the same way that Kirk Douglas and his wife did! What do you think about how they lived their lives and raised their children?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
