Kirk Douglas – författare

Kirk Douglas's skilful and passionate autobiography charts the rise of the son of an illiterate Russian-Jewish ragman who became one of the last surviving legends from Hollywood's golden era, who died aged 103 in February 2020.With unflinching humour and frankness he reveals the inside story of more than forty years of stardom, working alongside Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster, John Wayne and Laurence Olivier - and his relationships with movie goddesses like Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth and Marlene Dietrich. He starred in numerous films that have gone on to become enduring classics, such as Spartacus, The Glass Menagerie, Lust for Life, Paths of Glory and Gunfight at the OK Corral. He was nominated for an Oscar three times, and won a lifetime achievement Oscar in 1996. He campaigned against the Hollywood blacklist, giving opportunities to young directors such as Stanley Kubrick and, after starring in the play One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, he gave the film rights to his son Michael Douglas, who produced the Oscar-winning movie that followed.Rich in unforgettable anecdotes that capture the true spirit of the golden years of Hollywood and Broadway, this is an autobiography that reads like a novel, narrated by the unmistakable voice of a true superstar.

Relaxing at home one sunny afternoon in 1995, Kirk Douglas suddenly felt a strange sensation in his right cheek. When he tried to describe what was happening, all that came out was gibberish. The cinema icon and movie legend was having a stroke. In this heartfelt and inspiring account, Kirk Douglas describes in powerful detail the helplessness and fear he felt following the attack, the depression that took him to the brink of suicide, and the love and support that pulled him through. Poignant and humorous, this is the deeply moving tale of a remarkable man whose gentle dignity and courage can be an inspiration to us all.

Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood is the story of film legend and charismatic centenarian Kirk Douglas and his wife of sixty-two years, Anne Buydens. The lessons of a life well-lived and untold stories of their enduring love unfold through the couple's own candid commentary and a treasure trove of priceless letters from their personal archives. Painstakingly maintained by Anne over the course of more than six decades and never before made public, the correspondence includes candid details of their (often turbulent) courtship and marriage, set against the backdrop of Kirk's screen triumphs in films ranging from Lust For Life to Paths of Glory and Spartacus.Through the letters themselves and Kirk and Anne's words, never-before-told stories emerge about the legendary stars they knew so well: Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich, Gregory Peck, Cole Porter, John Wayne, Tony Curtis, and son Michael Douglas; fascinating first-hand accounts of Hollywood film sets and dinner parties; exotic tales of travel to over forty countries as goodwill ambassadors. There are personal stories of presidents and first ladies (JFK and Jackie, LBJ and Lady Bird, Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter, Bill and Hillary Clinton and, "Ronnie" and Nancy Reagan), and powerful memories of both joy and sadness (Kirk's near-fatal helicopter crash, his astonishing recovery from a debilitating stroke, the tragic death of their youngest son). Complemented by dozens of previously unpublished photos, Kirk and Anne candidly details the adventurous, oftentimes comic, and poignant reality behind the glamour of a Hollywood life, as only a couple of sixty-two years (and counting) could tell it.