Michael Douglas: His Career In Pictures

A true acting legend! Michael Douglas has been in the business for more than half a century and you can believe that he knows his way around Hollywood... Let's dive into some of his most legendary films to find out more about this now dashing silver fox…

Michael Douglas was born on September 25, 1944 to actor Kirk Douglas and Diana Dill. Douglas always had a love for theater which, at a later point in his life, lead him to receive his Bachelor's degree in Drama at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Michael Douglas, as you can imagine, started out quite small in the industry. One of his first roles in the movie 'Hail Hero!' earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Male Newcomer... Only a few years out of college and critics already knew he was going to be an instant success!

Michael's first production job was in 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' alongside the likes of Milos Forman and Saul Zaentz. Fun Fact: Kirk Douglas, Michael's father, wanted to play the leading role in the movie, but sadly, he was deemed to old for the part. Instead, the role was given to Jack Nicholson who ended up winning an Oscar for his performance. Of course, Michael didn't go unrecognized for his great work! He too, won an Academy Award for Best Picture.

In 1979, Michael Douglas produced and starred in one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the era, ‘The China Syndrome.’ The film was mainly about a nuclear power plant accident which at the time, was a topic that was all the buzz!

Another Douglas classic has to be his role in the action thriller ‘Fatal Attraction’ alongside Glenn Close. It's one of his films we constantly think about even today!

Douglas won his second Academy Award for Best Actor for his brilliant role in ‘Wall Street’ back in 1987. 23 years later, Michael starred in the film series second installment Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

This movie caused quite the controversy at the time! Back in 1992, Michael Douglas was able to secure himself a role in the movie ‘Basic Instinct’ alongside Sharon Stone. The film was a box office hit, of course.

One of the few, and important, Michael Douglas comedies has to be ‘Wonder Boys.’ It is here where he plays a professor/novelist who is suffering from writer's block. He was promptly nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for his performance.

Another few early 2000's Michael Douglas hits are ‘Don't Say A Word,’ ‘The Sentinel’ and ‘It Runs In The Family,’ which starred all three generations of the Douglas family. What a happy coincidence! Of course, all of these films are worth a watch…