Jump to content

Michael Douglas

Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michael Douglas
Douglas smiling
Douglas at the 2016 César Awards
Born
Michael Kirk Douglas

(1944-09-25) September 25, 1944 (age 80)
Citizenship
Alma materUniversity of California, Santa Barbara (B.A., 1968)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • film producer
Years active1966–present
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Diandra Luker
    (m. 1977; div. 1995)
  • (m. 2000)
PartnerBrenda Vaccaro (1971–1976)
Children3, including Cameron Douglas
Parent(s)Kirk Douglas
Diana Dill
RelativesJoel Douglas (brother)
Peter Douglas (half-brother)
Eric Douglas (half-brother)
Anne Buydens (stepmother)

Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944)[2] is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AFI Life Achievement Award.[3]

The elder son of Kirk Douglas and Diana Dill, Douglas earned his Bachelor of Arts in drama from the University of California, Santa Barbara. His early acting roles included film, stage, and television productions. Douglas first achieved prominence for his performance in the ABC police procedural television series The Streets of San Francisco, for which he received three consecutive Emmy Award nominations. In 1975, Douglas produced One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, having acquired the rights to the Ken Kesey novel from his father. The film received critical and popular acclaim, and won the Academy Award for Best Picture, earning Douglas his first Oscar as one of the film's producers.

Douglas went on to produce films including The China Syndrome (1979) and Romancing the Stone (1984), for which he received the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and The Jewel of the Nile (1985). Douglas received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone's Wall Street (1987), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor (a role he reprised in the sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps in 2010). Other notable roles include in Fatal Attraction (1987), The War of the Roses (1989), Basic Instinct (1992), Falling Down (1993), The American President (1995), The Game (1997), Traffic (2000), and Wonder Boys (2000).

In 2013, for his portrayal of Liberace in the HBO film Behind the Candelabra, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie. Douglas starred as an aging acting coach in the Netflix comedy series The Kominsky Method (2018–2021), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy. He has portrayed Hank Pym in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Ant-Man (2015).

Douglas has received notice for his humanitarian and political activism. He sits on the board of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, is an honorary board member of the anti-war grant-making foundation Ploughshares Fund and he was appointed as a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 1998. He has been married to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones since 2000.

Early life and education

Douglas was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the first child of actors Kirk Douglas (1916–2020) and Diana Dill (1923–2015).[4][5] His parents met at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.[6]

His father was Jewish and was born Issur Danielovitch. Michael's paternal grandparents were emigrants from Chavusy in the Russian Empire (present-day Belarus).[7][8][9][10][11][12] His mother was from Devonshire Parish, Bermuda, and had English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, French, Belgian, and Dutch ancestry.[13] Douglas' uncle was politician Sir Nicholas Bayard Dill, and Douglas' maternal grandfather, Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Melville Dill, served as Attorney General of Bermuda, as a Member of the Parliament of Bermuda (MCP), and as commanding officer of the Bermuda Militia Artillery.[14] Douglas is a US citizen by birth in the United States and has Bermudian Status from his mother's birth in Bermuda.[1]

His great-grandfather, Thomas Newbold Dill (1837–1910), was a merchant, an MCP for Devonshire Parish from 1868 to 1888, a member of the legislative council and an assistant justice from 1888, mayor of the City of Hamilton from 1891 to 1897, served on numerous committees and boards, and was a member of the Devonshire Church (Church of England) and Devonshire Parish vestries. Thomas Newbold Dill's father, another Thomas Melville Dill, was a sea captain who took the Bermudian-built barque Sir George F. Seymour from Bermuda to Ireland in thirteen days in March 1858, but lost his master's certificate after the wreck of the Bermudian-built Cedrine on the Isle of Wight while returning the last convict laborers from the Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda to Britain in 1863.[15] The current (installed on 29 May 2013) Bishop of Bermuda, the Right Reverend Nicholas Dill, is a cousin of Michael Douglas.[16][17][18]

Douglas has a younger brother, Joel Douglas (born 1947), and two paternal half-brothers, Peter Douglas (born 1955) and Eric Douglas (1958–2004), from stepmother Anne Buydens.

Douglas attended The Allen-Stevenson School in New York City, Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts, and The Choate Preparatory School (now Choate Rosemary Hall) in Wallingford, Connecticut. He received his B.A. in dramatic art from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1968,[19] where he was also the honorary president of the UCSB Alumni Association. He studied acting with Wynn Handman at The American Place Theatre in New York City.[20][21]

Career

1969–1979: Early years

Douglas with Tisha Sterling in the CBS Playhouse production The Experiment in 1969, Douglas's first television role[22]

His first TV breakthrough role came with a 1969 CBS Playhouse special, The Experiment—and it was the only time he was billed as "M.K. Douglas".[23] On November 24, 1969, Douglas formed his first independent film production company, Bigstick Productions, Limited.[24][25][26] Michael Douglas started his film career in the late 1960s and early 1970s, appearing in little known films such as Hail, Hero!, Adam at 6 A.M., and Summertree. His performance in Hail, Hero! earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Male Newcomer.[27]

His first significant role came in the TV series The Streets of San Francisco from 1972 to 1976, in which he starred alongside Karl Malden. Douglas later said that Malden became a "mentor" and someone he "admired and loved deeply".[28] After Douglas left the show, he had a long association with his mentor until Malden's death on July 1, 2009. In 2004, Douglas presented Malden with the Monte Cristo Award of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut for the Lifetime Achievement Award.

In late 1971, Douglas received from his father, Kirk Douglas, the rights to the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which had been purchased by Bryna Productions in February 1962.[29][30] Michael went on to produce the film of the same name with Saul Zaentz.[31] Kirk Douglas hoped to portray McMurphy himself, having starred in an earlier stage version, but the director, Milos Forman, went with Jack Nicholson, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Douglas won the Award for Best Picture for producing the film.[32] In December 1976, Michael and his brother Peter became head of their father's film production company, The Bryna Company, though Michael would depart by 1978 to focus exclusively on producing through his own Bigstick Productions.[33][34]

After leaving The Streets of San Francisco in 1976, Douglas played a hospital doctor in the medical thriller Coma (1978), and in 1979 he played the role of a troubled marathon runner in Running. In 1979, he both produced and starred in The China Syndrome, a dramatic film co-starring Jane Fonda and Jack Lemmon about a nuclear power plant accident (the Three Mile Island accident took place 12 days after the film's release). The film was considered "one of the most intelligent Hollywood films of the 1970s".[20] In June 1979, Michael appointed Jack Brodsky Executive Vice-president of Bigstick Productions.[35]

1980–2000: Success in Hollywood

Douglas in The Streets of San Francisco, c. 1975

Douglas' acting career was propelled to fame when he produced and starred in the 1984 romantic adventure comedy Romancing the Stone. It also reintroduced Douglas as a capable leading man and gave director Robert Zemeckis his first box-office success. The film also starred Danny DeVito, a friend of Douglas' with who he had shared an apartment in the 1960s.[36] It was followed a year later by a sequel, The Jewel of the Nile, which he also produced. Bigstick Productions was then partnered with Mercury Entertainment, a company backed by producer Michael Phillips in 1986 to produce independently financed features.[37] In the 1980s, Douglas formed a new film production company, The Stone Group (later renamed Stonebridge Entertainment) with partner Rick Bieber.[38][39]

In 1987, Douglas starred in the thriller Fatal Attraction with Glenn Close. That same year he played tycoon Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone's Wall Street for which he received an Academy Award as Best Actor. He reprised his role as Gekko in the sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps in 2010, also directed by Stone.[40]

Douglas starred in the 1989 film The War of the Roses, which also starred Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito.[41] In 1989 he starred in Ridley Scott's international police crime drama Black Rain opposite Andy García and Kate Capshaw; the film was shot in Osaka, Japan.

In 1992, Douglas founded the short-lived Atlantic Records distributed label Third Stone Records.[42] He founded the label with record producer Richard Rudolph, who became the company's president and CEO.[43] Among the acts signed to Third Stone were Saigon Kick and Nona Gaye.[44]

That same year, Douglas had another successful starring role when he appeared alongside Sharon Stone in the film Basic Instinct. The movie was a box office hit and sparked controversy over its depictions of bisexuality and lesbianism. In March 1994, Douglas announced that he had formed a new film production company, Douglas/Reuther Productions, in partnership with Steven Reuther.[45] In 1994 Douglas and Demi Moore starred in the hit movie Disclosure focusing on the topic of sexual harassment with Douglas playing a man harassed by his new female boss. Other popular films he starred in during the decade were Falling Down, The American President, The Ghost and the Darkness, The Game (directed by David Fincher), and a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's classic – Dial M for Murder – titled A Perfect Murder. In 1998 Douglas received the Crystal Globe award for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.[46] On November 19, 1997, Douglas formed his fourth film production company, Furthur Films.[47][48]

In 2000, Douglas starred in Steven Soderbergh's critically acclaimed film Traffic, opposite Benicio del Toro and future wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones. Douglas and the cast of Traffic were awarded a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.[49] That same year he also received critical acclaim for his role in Wonder Boys, as a professor and novelist suffering from writer's block. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

2001–2012: Established actor

Douglas in June 2004

Douglas starred in Don't Say a Word (2001), filmed shortly before his marriage to Zeta-Jones. In 2003, he starred in It Runs in the Family, which featured three generations of his family (his parents, Kirk and Diana, as well as his son, Cameron). The film, although a labor of love, was not successful, critically or at the box office. Also in 2003, Douglas starred in The In-Laws.[50][51] Douglas was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes in 2004. Michael and Kirk Douglas are the only father and son to have both been awarded this recognition.[52][53] He then starred in and produced the action-thriller The Sentinel in 2006.[54] During that time, he also guest starred on the episode "Fagel Attraction" of the television sitcom Will & Grace as a gay cop attracted to Will Truman (Eric McCormack); the performance earned Douglas an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Show. Douglas was also the voice of founding father Benjamin Franklin in Freedom: A History of US, the PBS television adaptation of Joy Hakim's 10-volume book A History of US.[55]

Douglas was approached for Basic Instinct 2, but declined to participate in the project.[56] In 2006, Douglas was Mr. Thompson in You, Me, and Dupree.[57] The following year, Douglas played Charlie in King of California.[58] In December 2007, Douglas began announcing the introduction to NBC Nightly News. Howard Reig, the previous announcer, had retired two years earlier.[59] That same year, Douglas received the Career Achievement Award from the National Board of Review.[60][61]

In the late 2000s, Douglas starred in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009),[62] Beyond a Reasonable Doubt,[63] and Solitary Man.[64] In 2009, he was honored with the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award[65] and the David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures from the Producers Guild of America.[66] In 2011, Douglas voiced Waylon on Disney Channel's cartoon Phineas and Ferb[67] and starred in the dramatic thriller Haywire.[68] He was also honored that year by the French Minister of Culture with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres with the rank of Commandeur.[69] In 2012, Douglas was honored with the Monte Cristo Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center for his "monumental achievements and contributions to the American and international theater community."[70][71]

2013–present: Resurgence and expansion

Douglas collaborated with Steven Soderbergh again on the 2013 film Behind the Candelabra, playing Liberace, opposite Matt Damon as Scott Thorson. The film dramatizes the last 10 years of the pianist's life and the relationship he had with Thorson.[72] His portrayal of Liberace received critical acclaim, which resulted in him receiving the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards. He also won SAG and Golden Globe Awards for the performance.[73] Also that year, he starred in Last Vegas, a comedy also starring Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Kline.[74] In 2014, Douglas starred alongside Diane Keaton in the romantic comedy, And So It Goes[75] and he produced and starred in Beyond the Reach.[76]

He played Hank Pym, the Marvel Comics superhero, in the films Ant-Man (2015), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). In 2016, Douglas received his second Cesar d'Honneur for Career Achievement from the French Cesar Awards; the first was in 1998.[77][78] In 2017, Douglas starred in the action thriller Unlocked.[79]

In 2018, he starred with Alan Arkin in The Kominsky Method, playing Sandy Kominsky, an aging acting coach. He received a Golden Globe Award for his performance.[80] The same year, he starred in a Chinese film, Animal World, based on the Japanese manga series Kaiji.[81] In 2018, Douglas received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[82]

Starting in 2019, Douglas voiced the character Guy-I-Am in the Netflix animated series Green Eggs and Ham (TV series).[83] In 2023, Douglas again played Hank Pym in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). The Ant-Man films were directed by Peyton Reed and starred Paul Rudd.[84] Douglas reprised the role, voicing Hank Pym in the animated series What If... (2021-2023).[85] In May 2023, Douglas was honored with an Honorary Palme d'or for Lifetime Achievement at the Cannes Film Festival[86] and the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the 54th International Film Festival of India in November 2023.[87]

In 2024, he starred in the Apple TV+ miniseries Franklin, portraying Benjamin Franklin during the eight years that he spent in France attempting to convince King Louis XVI to support the burgeoning United States in the American Revolutionary War.[88]

Acting style and reception

According to film historian and critic David Thomson, Douglas was capable of playing characters who were "weak, culpable, morally indolent, compromised, and greedy for illicit sensation without losing that basic probity or potential for ethical character that we require of a hero".[89] Critic and author Rob Edelman points out similarities in many of Douglas' roles, writing that in some of his leading films, he personified the "contemporary, Caucasian middle-to-upper-class American male who finds himself the brunt of female anger because of real or imagined sexual slights".[20]

These themes of perceived male victimization are seen in films such as Fatal Attraction (1987) with Glenn Close, The War of the Roses (1989) with Kathleen Turner, Basic Instinct (1992) with Sharon Stone, Falling Down (1993), and Disclosure (1994) with Demi Moore. For his characters in films such as these, "any kind of sexual contact with someone other than his mate and the mother of his children is destined to come at a costly price."[20] Edelman describes his characters as the "Everyman who must contend with, and be victimized by, these women and their raging, psychotic sexuality".[20]

Conversely, Douglas also played powerful characters with dominating personalities, including Gordon Gekko, in the Wall Street franchise, who was described as the "greedy yuppie personification of the Me generation," and says "greed is good" in the movie; in Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile, he played an idealistic soldier of fortune; in The Star Chamber (1983), he was a court judge fed up with an inadequate legal system, leading him to become involved with a vigilante group; and in Black Rain (1989), he proved he could also play a Stallone-like action hero as a New York City cop.[20]

Having become recognized as a successful producer and actor, he describes himself as "an actor first and a producer second". He has explained why he enjoys both functions:

I love the fact that on one side, with acting, you can be a child—acting is wonderful for its innocence and the fun ... On the other side, producing is fun for all the adult kinds of things you do. You deal in business, you deal with the creative forces. As an adult who continues to get older, you like the adult risks. It's flying without a net, taking chances and learning. I was never good in economics or business—had no business background, you know, and I like it. I think I'm a chameleon. I think it's something that I possibly inherited early on as a child going back and forth between two families. I know that whether it's right or wrong, I have an ability to sort of fit into a lot of different situations and make people feel relatively comfortable in a wide range without giving up all my moral values. I think that same chameleonlike quality can transfer into films. I think if you can remember the reason you got involved with it in the first place and try to keep that impulsive, instinctive feeling even when you're being beaten down or exhausted or waylaid, you'll be successful."[90]

Personal life

Marriage and relationships

Douglas at a Vanity Fair party with his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, in 2012

After the filming of Summertree in 1971, Douglas began dating actress Brenda Vaccaro, a relationship that lasted nearly six years.[91]

In March 1977, Douglas married Diandra Luker, twelve years his junior and the daughter of an Austrian diplomat.[92][93] They had one son, Cameron, born in 1978. In 1995, Diandra filed for divorce and was awarded $45 million as part of the divorce settlement.[93][94]

In March 1999, Douglas began dating Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. The pair married on November 18, 2000. Zeta-Jones says that when they met in Deauville, France, Douglas said, "I want to father your children."[95] They have two children, son Dylan Michael (born August 8, 2000)[96] and daughter Carys Zeta (born April 20, 2003).[97] The family has a coastal estate near Valldemossa, Mallorca.[98]

In August 2013, People claimed that Douglas and Zeta-Jones began living separately in May 2013, but did not take any legal action towards separation or divorce.[99] A representative for Zeta-Jones subsequently confirmed that they "are taking some time apart to evaluate and work on their marriage".[100] It was reported in November, that the couple had reconciled and Zeta-Jones moved back into their New York apartment.[101]

In 1997, New York caddie James Parker sued Douglas for $25 million.[102] Parker accused Douglas of hitting him in the groin with an errant golf ball, causing Parker great distress. The case was later settled out of court.[103]

In 2004, Douglas and Zeta-Jones took legal action against stalker Dawnette Knight, who was accused of sending violent letters to the couple that contained graphic threats on Zeta-Jones' life. Testifying, Zeta-Jones said the threats left her so shaken she feared a nervous breakdown.[104] Knight claimed she was in love with Douglas and admitted to the offenses, which took place between October 2003 and May 2004. She was sentenced to three years in prison.

Health issues

In 1980, Douglas was involved in a serious skiing accident which sidelined his acting career for three years. On September 17, 1992, the same year Basic Instinct came out, he began a 30-day treatment for alcoholism and drug addiction at Sierra Tucson Center.[105][106]

It was announced on August 16, 2010, that Douglas was suffering from throat cancer (later revealed to have been tongue cancer),[107] and would undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment.[108] He subsequently confirmed that the cancer was at stage IV, an advanced stage.[109]

Douglas credits the discovery of his cancer to the public Canadian health system when a doctor in Montreal, Quebec diagnosed the actor's medical condition after numerous American specialists failed to do so.[109][110] Douglas has since participated in fundraisers for Montreal's Jewish General Hospital, where he was diagnosed, and the McGill University Health Centre with which the hospital is affiliated.[111]

Douglas attributed the cancer to stress, his previous alcohol abuse, and years of heavy smoking.[112] In July 2011, Star magazine published photographs which appeared to show him smoking a cigarette while on holiday that month.[113] A representative declined to comment on the photographs.[114]

In November 2010, Douglas' doctors put him on a weight-gain diet due to excessive weight loss that left him weak.[115] On January 11, 2011, he said that the tumor was gone, though the illness and aggressive treatment had caused him to lose 32 pounds (14.5 kg).[116] He said he would require monthly screenings because of a high chance of recurrence within three years.[117] In June 2013, Douglas told The Guardian that his type of cancer is caused by the human papilloma virus transmitted by cunnilingus,[6] leading some media to report this as well. His spokesman denied these reports and portrayed Douglas' conversation with The Guardian as general and not referring specifically to his diagnosis.[118]

Although Douglas described the cancer as throat cancer, it was publicly speculated that he may have been diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer.[119][120] In October 2013, Douglas said he suffered from tongue cancer, not throat cancer. He announced it as throat cancer upon the advice of his physician, who felt it would be unwise to reveal that he had tongue cancer given its negative prognosis and potential for disfigurement, particularly because the announcement came immediately before Douglas' promotional tour for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

Faith and charity work

Douglas was born to a Jewish father and an Anglican (Church of England) mother.[121][122] His cousin, the Right Reverend Nicholas Dill, is the bishop of the established Anglican Church of Bermuda.[16][17] Douglas was not raised with a religious affiliation but stated in January 2015, that he now identifies as a Reform Jew.[123][124] His son, Dylan, had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony[125][126] and the Douglas family traveled to Jerusalem to mark the occasion.[127]

Douglas was the recipient of the 2015 Genesis Prize, a $1 million prize awarded by the Genesis Prize Foundation for Jewish achievement. He donated the prize money to activities designed to raise awareness about inclusion and diversity in Jewish life and to find innovative solutions to pressing global and community problems.[128]

Michael Douglas has been involved in various charitable activities, focusing on healthcare, nuclear disarmament, and human rights. Since 1998, he has served as a United Nations Messenger of Peace, primarily concentrating on disarmament issues.[129] Douglas has supported the Motion Picture & Television Fund, which aids those in the entertainment industry, and has participated in fundraising efforts for the Jewish General Hospital and the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, where he was diagnosed with cancer.[130] Additionally, he has been involved with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.[131] Michael Douglas has also raised awareness about the link between human papillomavirus (HPV) and oropharyngeal cancer, citing medical evidence and his own diagnosis to promote public health education and preventive measures. He was featured in the "100 Influential Celebrities in Oncology: The 2023 Edition" by OncoDaily for his contributions to public awareness.[132]

Allegations of sexual misconduct

In 2018, journalist and author Susan Braudy alleged on Today, an NBC morning news show in the United States, and in several other interviews that,[133] that in 1989 when Braudy was in her 40s and working as an assistant to Douglas, he regularly made degrading sexual comments about or to her. She stated this caused her to wear baggy clothing at work, and also recalled a one-on-one script meeting where Douglas allegedly undid his pants and fondled himself with her in the room.[134]

In a preemptive statement, Douglas admitted to using coarse language but categorically denied any other wrongdoing.[134][135] Zeta-Jones, asked about the allegations while promoting Cocaine Godmother, did not address them directly but said that her husband was "110 percent behind" the #MeToo movement and that she was "very, very happy" with his statement.[136] These accusations have never been corroborated or confirmed; no evidence has been found to prove the accusations and no charges were ever filed against Douglas.

Douglas at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival

Activism

Political activities

Douglas's hand and footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles
Douglas with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on June 2, 2024

Douglas is a registered Democrat and has donated money to the campaigns of Barack Obama, Christopher Dodd, Al Franken,[137] Edward Markey[138] Michael Bloomberg,[139] and Joe Biden.[140]

Douglas is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations(CFR).[141] He also a board member of RepresentUs.[142] In 2019, Douglas appeared in a short film for RepresentUs titled Unbreaking America:Divided We Fall.[citation needed] In 2023, Douglas was a key speaker at the American Democracy Summit in Los Angeles.[143]

Douglas is on the board of selectors of the Jefferson Awards for Public Service.[144]

Disarmament and gun control

Douglas has been a major supporter of gun control since John Lennon was murdered in 1980.[145] Since then Douglas has supported gun safety organizations like Everytown for Gun Safety[146] and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.[147]

He is an advocate of nuclear disarmament, a supporter of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and is an honorary board member of the anti-war grant-making foundation Ploughshares Fund.[148] In 1998, he was appointed UN Messenger of Peace by Secretary-General Kofi Annan.[149]

In 2003, Douglas hosted a "powerful film" on child soldiers and the impact of combat on children in countries such as Sierra Leone. During the documentary film, entitled What's Going On? Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone, Douglas interviewed children, and estimated that they were among 300,000 other children worldwide who have been conscripted or kidnapped and forced to fight. Of one such child he interviewed, Douglas stated, "After being kidnapped by a rebel group, he was tortured, drugged, and forced to commit atrocities."[150][151] Douglas discussed his role as a Messenger Peace for the UN:

I'm in an enviable position ... When I talk about movies I can talk about messages of peace, and infuse them into the entertainment pages.[150]

In 2006, he was a featured speaker for a United Nations-sponsored conference on the trade of illicit arms, especially of small arms and light weapons. Douglas made several appearances, saying:

The conference is an opportunity for UN member states to build on the Program of Action and to encourage countries to strengthen their laws on the illicit trade, ... an issue that affects us all ... [and] while owning guns is a legal right in most countries, the illegal trade in guns continues to fuel conflict, crime and violence.[150]

In 2009, Douglas joined the project Soldiers of Peace, a movie against all wars and for global peace.[152]

In February 2012, following his return to the character of financial criminal Gordon Gekko, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released a public service announcement video of Douglas calling on viewers to report financial crime.[153][154][155][156] In August 2014, Douglas was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.[157]

In 2023, Douglas served as executive producer and narrator for the political documentary by David Smick, America's Burning, that predicts a coming tidal wave of political, social, and economic division in America.[158]

Philanthropy

In a 2016 interview with Town & Country magazine, Douglas described his philanthropic giving as the “sprinkle approach”. He has given to over 70 organizations including Memorial Sloan-Kettering, the hospital where he was treated for cancer.[159] Douglas is a benefactor and board member of the Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York City and a longstanding board member of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT where he worked for three summers during college. He attended the ribbon-cutting opening ceremony in September 2023.[160][161] He is also a supporter of PEN America and has presented awards at the organization's annual galas.[162][163] In 1999, Douglas funded the establishment of UC San Francisco’s Michael Douglas Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Center.[164] Douglas is a supporter of the Clinton Global Initiative, part of the Clinton Foundation.[165][166] In 2023, Douglas voiced the opening film, "Keep Going!" shown at the opening event of the annual meeting.[167] For 12 years, Douglas hosted the Michael Douglas and Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament, raising over $10 million for the Motion Picture & Television Fund.[168] At UC Santa Barbara, he supports the Center for Film, Television, and New Media.[169] He also founded and funds the Michael Douglas Foundation Visiting Artists Program for the Department of Theater and Dance.[164] He serves on the Board of Trustees of The Douglas Foundation which has granted more than $118 million to organizations committed to providing more equitable access to education, healthcare, and the arts. The foundation was founded by his father and stepmother, Kirk and Anne Douglas, in 1964.[170]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Status Check: Michael K. Douglas". doiapps.gov.bm. Department of Immigration, Bermuda. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Our records indicate that Michael K Douglas, 09/25/1944 has Bermudian status.
  2. ^ Martin, Annie (October 10, 2019). "Michael Douglas on turning 75: 'Feeling good'". United Press International. Retrieved October 1, 2021. Douglas turned 75 years old Sept. 25
  3. ^ Kilday, Gregg (June 15, 2009). "AFI Life award all in Douglas family". The Hollywood Reporter. pp. 9, 14. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
  4. ^ Hutchison, Bill (March 16, 2015). "Michael Douglas reveals anti-Semitic attack on 14-year-old son Dylan in Europe". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  5. ^ Barber, Richard (October 7, 2016). "Michael Douglas: 'Kirk was film star first, father second'". The Guardian. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Brooks, Xan (June 2, 2013). "Michael Douglas on Liberace, Cannes, cancer and cunnilingus". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Paskin, Barbra (September 20, 2012). "Hollywood gladiator Kirk Douglas has his eyes set on a third barmitzvah". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  8. ^ Darrach, Brad (October 3, 1988). "Kirk Douglas". People. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  9. ^ Tugend, Tom (December 12, 2006). "Lucky number 90". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved December 12, 2006.
  10. ^ Buchanan, Rose Troup (June 19, 2015). "Michael Douglas accepts 'Jewish Nobel Prize' despite not being Jewish under religious laws". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  11. ^ Sales, Ben (June 17, 2015). "Michael Douglas: I 'never felt accepted' as a Jew". JTA - Jewish news. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  12. ^ Freeman, Hadley (February 12, 2017). "Kirk Douglas: 'I never thought I'd live to 100. That's shocked me'". The Guardian. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  13. ^ In the wings: a memoir, 1999, by Diana Douglas Darrid, p. 17
  14. ^ "Ancestors of Michael Kirk Douglas". Conovergenealogy.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
  15. ^ "Bermuda's Architectural Heritage: Hamilton Parish, Author: Diana Chudleigh, Editor: David L. White. Published by: The Bermuda National Trust, 2002". Archived from the original on August 15, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  16. ^ a b " Nicholas Dill becomes youngest Bishop of Bermuda, The Bermuda Sun". Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Page not found | Anglican Communion". Retrieved July 10, 2024. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  18. ^ "Movie stars congratulate new Bermuda bishop". Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  19. ^ Conrad, Eileen (February 2, 2004). "Michael Douglas Donates $1 Million to UC Santa Barbara". news.ucsb.edu. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  20. ^ a b c d e f Edelman, Rob; Unterburger, Amy L. (Ed.) International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers-3: Actors and Actresses (3rd Ed.), St. James Press (1997) pp. 347–348
  21. ^ Parker, John (2011). Michael Douglas: Acting on Instinct. Headline (Hachette Book Group). ISBN 9780755362868. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  22. ^ TV.com: CBS Playhouse: The Experiment Archived March 30, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ "Movie Pop Culture Trivia – When Actor Michael Douglas Could Not Use His First Name". The Pop Culture Report. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  24. ^ "BIGSTICK PRODUCTIONS, LTD. :: New York (US) :: OpenCorporates". opencorporates.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  25. ^ "The Salina Journal from Salina, Kansas on December 19, 1969 · Page 5". Newspapers.com. December 19, 1969. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  26. ^ "Look, Pa, I'm A Corp: Actor-Son's Bigstick". Variety. December 17, 1969. p. 6.
  27. ^ Mulkerrins, Jane (January 13, 2014). "Golden Globes 2014: Over-60s steal the show when it comes to TV". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  28. ^ McLellan, Dennis (July 2, 2009). "Oscar-winning actor Karl Malden dies at 97". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  29. ^ "The Eugene Guard from Eugene, Oregon on February 11, 1962 · Page 6". Newspapers.com. February 11, 1962. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  30. ^ "The Charlotte News from Charlotte, North Carolina on February 2, 1972 · 5". Newspapers.com. February 2, 1972. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  31. ^ "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Filmsite.org. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  32. ^ "The 48th Academy Awards – 1976". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 4, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  33. ^ "The Raleigh Register from Beckley, West Virginia on December 6, 1976 · Page 8". Newspapers.com. December 6, 1976. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  34. ^ "Republican and Herald from Pottsville, Pennsylvania on April 14, 1978 · 12". Newspapers.com. April 14, 1978. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  35. ^ "Boxoffice-June.04.1979". yumpu.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  36. ^ NY Daily News Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito remember old times at film awards
  37. ^ "Mercury, Douglas Team". Variety. June 11, 1986. p. 6.
  38. ^ "The York Dispatch from York, Pennsylvania on October 27, 1988 · 35". Newspapers.com. October 27, 1988. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  39. ^ "Fox Broadcasting, the Fox studio's television network,..." Los Angeles Times. April 8, 1992. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  40. ^ "Michael Douglas to Star in Wall Street 2". TV Guide. Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  41. ^ "THE WAR OF THE ROSES (15)". British Board of Film Classification. January 4, 1990. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  42. ^ Texeira, Erin (January 27, 1996). "Rapper, 2 Others Are Found Slain". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  43. ^ "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 24, 1992. Retrieved July 10, 2024 – via Google Books.
  44. ^ "Nona Gaye - She's Overjoyed". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 43. Howard Lander. October 24, 1992. p. 12. ISSN 0006-2510.
  45. ^ "Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California on March 25, 1994 · Page 52". Newspapers.com. March 25, 1994. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  46. ^ "33rd Karlovy Vary IFF Awards". Archived from the original on September 3, 2006. Retrieved September 25, 2006.
  47. ^ "FURTHUR FILMS, INC. :: New York (US) :: OpenCorporates". opencorporates.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  48. ^ "The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia on May 10, 1999 · 20". Newspapers.com. May 10, 1999. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  49. ^ Davis, Clayton; Buckner, Michael (April 5, 2023). "Every SAG Cast Ensemble Film Winner (Since 1994)". Variety.
  50. ^ Wilmington, Michael (May 23, 2003). "As a spotty remake, 'In-Laws' has multiple flaws". Chicago Tribune.
  51. ^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa. "The In-Laws". Entertainment Weekly.
  52. ^ Crook, John (January 24, 2004). "Douglas relishes family aspect of the Cecil B. DeMille Award". The Gainsville Sun.
  53. ^ Saroyan, Strawberry (January 8, 2004). "Cecil B. DeMille Award-Michael Douglas". Variety.
  54. ^ "Michael Douglas as a Secret Service Agent in 'The Sentinel'". The New York Times. April 21, 2006.
  55. ^ Boyle, Kelli (February 28, 2022). "Michael Douglas to Play Benjamin Franklin". TV Insider. ...[The] star previously voiced Franklin in Freedom:A History of US on PBS in 2003
  56. ^ "In conversation with Michael Douglas". Empire (August 2006).
  57. ^ "You, Me and Dupree". TVGuide.com. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  58. ^ Holden, Stephen (September 14, 2007). "A Determined Bipolar Dad in Search of Buried Treasure". The New York Times.
  59. ^ "Michael Douglas Does the News". Zap2it.com. December 19, 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.
  60. ^ Buckley, Cara (December 5, 2007). "The National Board of Review Award Winners for 2007". New York Times.
  61. ^ "National Board of Review Awards". CBS news. January 16, 2008.
  62. ^ Ebert, Roger (April 29, 2009). "A serial swordsman duels with destiny".
  63. ^ Travers, Peter (September 10, 2009). "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt". Rolling Stone.
  64. ^ Scott, A.O. (May 20, 2010). "Yes, He's a Jerk, but There's Something About Ben". The New York Times.
  65. ^ Kilday, Gregg (June 12, 2009). "Michael Douglas receives AFI Award". The Hollywood Reporter.
  66. ^ "Michael Douglas honored by movie producers". NBC News. October 9, 2008.
  67. ^ Blum, Matt. "Michael J. Fox and Michael Douglas Joine Phineas and Ferb". Wired.
  68. ^ McCarthy, Todd (November 7, 2011). "Haywire:Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
  69. ^ "Frédéric Mitterrand annonce la nomination de 265 personnalités étrangères au titre de la promotion Arts et Lettres du printemps 2011, soit 22 comma..." www.culture.gouv.fr. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  70. ^ Hetrick, Adam (April 16, 2012). "Michael Douglas Honored with Monte Cristo Award April 16". Playbill.
  71. ^ Ng, Philiana (December 14, 2011). "Michael Douglas to Receive Eugene O'Neil's Monte Cristo Award". The Hollywood Reporter.
  72. ^ Mikelbank, Peter (September 15, 2009). "Michael Douglas To Play Liberace". People. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  73. ^ Finn, Natalie (January 18, 2014). "Michael Douglas Gets in a Few Last Double Entendres Accepting "Bittersweet" SAG Award Win". E Online. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  74. ^ Oldenburg, Ann (October 26, 2013). "Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline bond in Last Vegas". USA Today.
  75. ^ Hoffman, Jordan (July 24, 2014). "And So It Goes:embarrassing for everyone". The Guardian.
  76. ^ McMillan, Graeme (February 5, 2015). "Beyond the Reach Trailer Shows the Dark Side of Michael Douglas". The Hollywood Reporter.
  77. ^ "Honorary Cesar:In 1998, Michael Douglas thanked the public in French". Premier. January 27, 2016.
  78. ^ Soghomonian, Talia (February 27, 2016). "2016 Cesar Awards Honor Michael Douglas". Collider.
  79. ^ Lodge, Guy (May 5, 2017). "Unlocked Film Review". Variety.
  80. ^ "Golden Globe Awards: Michael Douglas, 'Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' among local nominees". Suburbarazzi. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  81. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (May 10, 2018). "Cannes: CMC Takes Michael Douglas Chinese Film 'Animal World'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  82. ^ "Michael Douglas chokes up while celebrating Hollywood Walk of Fame star". USA Today. November 6, 2018.
  83. ^ Flores, Terry (November 1, 2019). "How Netflix's Green Eggs and Ham Expands the World of the Dr. Seuss Classic". Variety.
  84. ^ "Michael Douglas to Play Hank Pym in Marvel's Ant-Man". Variety. January 23, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  85. ^ Lewis, George; Sandwell, Ian (February 20, 2023). "Michael Douglas explains why things got easier after his first Ant-Man movie". DigitalSpy.
  86. ^ Roxborough, Scott (May 3, 2023). "Cannes:Michael Douglas to Receive Honorary Palme d'Or". The Hollywood Reporter.
  87. ^ "54th IFFI: Hollywood star Michael Douglas to get Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award". CNBC TV18. November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  88. ^ Schwartz, Ryan (February 5, 2024). "Apple Sets Dates for Jake Gyllenhaal's Presumed Innocent Remake, Michael Douglas' Franklin and 10 Others (Watch)". TVLine. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  89. ^ Thomson, David. The New Biographical Dictionary of Film, Alfred A. Knopf (2002) pp. 247–249
  90. ^ Hirschberg, Lynn. Rolling Stone magazine, Jan. 16, 1986 pp. 28–32, 41
  91. ^ "Michael Douglas & Brenda Vaccaro: Is Out-of-Wedlock No Longer In?". People. Vol. 2, no. 10. September 2, 1974. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  92. ^ "Ten Most Expensive Divorce Settlements in Hollywood". top-10-list.org. May 6, 2009. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009.
  93. ^ a b "Basic Breakup: Michael Douglas's Marriage Is Off Again". People.com. Vol. 44, no. 2. July 10, 1995. Archived from the original on July 19, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  94. ^ "10 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces". Forbes.com. May 22, 2002. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  95. ^ "Cheesy chat up line that snagged Catherine Zeta-Jones". The Sydney Morning Herald. July 12, 2007.
  96. ^ Craig, David Cobb (August 21, 2000). "Passages". People. Archived from the original on March 16, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  97. ^ "Carys—a name rooted in love". news.bbc.co.uk. BBC News. April 22, 2003. Retrieved September 25, 2006.
  98. ^ "Catherine Zeta-Jones shows off her hidden talents in Mallorca". Majorca Daily Bulletin. August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  99. ^ "Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones Separate". People. August 28, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  100. ^ Takeda, Allison (August 28, 2013). "Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas 'Taking Some Time Apart'". Us Weekly. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  101. ^ "Michael Douglas back with Catherine Zeta-Jones". TV3.ie. November 1, 2013. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
  102. ^ "The Smoking Gun Archive". The Smoking Gun. Retrieved December 23, 2006.
  103. ^ "Michael Douglas closes testicle chapter". salon.com. December 23, 2000.
  104. ^ Three-year term for Zeta stalker from BBC News Wales
  105. ^ Akitunde, Anthonia (September 18, 2012). "'Michael Douglas' Biography Reveals Actor's Hidden Demons (EXCERPT)". Huffington Post.
  106. ^ He went to rehab in the 1990s for what he said was an alcohol problem, but was widely reported to be sex addiction. Mirror, August 8, 2013
  107. ^ Blumm, K.C. (October 11, 2013). "Michael Douglas: I Lied – I Actually Had Tongue Cancer". People. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  108. ^ "Michael Douglas to Undergo Throat Cancer Treatment". ABC News. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  109. ^ a b Brooks, Xan (September 1, 2010). "Michael Douglas reveals his cancer has spread". The Guardian. London. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
  110. ^ Michael Douglas praises Canadian health care. Gobeandmail.com (May 3, 2011). Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  111. ^ "Douglas lends star power to Head and Neck Cancer fundraiser". McGill Reporter. Montreal. May 5, 2011. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  112. ^ "Michael Douglas: 'Cigarettes And Alcohol Caused My Cancer'" Archived January 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Starpulse.com (September 1, 2010). Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  113. ^ "Is Michael Douglas still smoking despite throat cancer?" CBS News.
  114. ^ Dillon, Nancy (July 29, 2011). "Michael Douglas caught smoking again after beating throat cancer". Daily News. New York.
  115. ^ "Michael Douglas' recent weight loss worries doctors" Archived November 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, November 14, 2010
  116. ^ "Michael Douglas says tumour is gone", BBC News, January 11, 2011
  117. ^ Carroll, Linda, "With throat tumor gone, Michael Douglas begins 3-year waiting game", NBC News. January 10, 2011
  118. ^ Blickley, Leigh (June 2, 2013). "Michael Douglas' Throat Cancer Not Really Caused By Oral Sex, Rep Says (UPDATED)". Huffington Post.
  119. ^ Exact type of cancer Douglas has per www.medscape.com. Medscape.com. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  120. ^ "Doctors believe Douglas has oropharyngeal cancer, not throat cancer". Newsoxy.com. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  121. ^ Fried, Sydnee (February 5, 2016). "Michael Douglas, Natan Sharanksy Discuss Jewish Inclusion". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  122. ^ Hines, Ree (April 8, 2015). "Michael Douglas talks family, faith after stranger's anti-Semitic rant at son". Today Show. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  123. ^ "Michael Douglas to be honored by the Genesis Prize Foundation". Los Angeles Times. January 14, 2015.
  124. ^ Galloway, Stephen (November 29, 2010). "Michael Douglas: One Hell of a Year". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  125. ^ "Michael Douglas Visits Kotel". The Jewish Press. June 26, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  126. ^ Hammel, Sara (December 4, 2015). "Michael Douglas Emotionally Pays Tribute to Wife Catherine Zeta-Jones While Accepting AARP Award: 'Thank You for the Love'". People.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  127. ^ Butnick, Stephanie (June 27, 2014). "Michael Douglas Says 'Shalom' From Israel". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  128. ^ Rosenblatt, Gary (January 14, 2015). "Genesis Prize Taps Michael Douglas". The Jewish Week. Archived from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  129. ^ Nations, United. "Michael Douglas". United Nations. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  130. ^ "Spotlight: Michael Douglas's Charity Work". IMDb. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  131. ^ "Michael Douglas: Charity Work & Causes". Look to the Stars. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  132. ^ OncoDaily Editorial Team. "100 Influential Celebrities in Oncology: The 2023 Edition".
  133. ^ "Michael Douglas Accuser on Alleged Sexual Harassment: 'I was humiliated'". The Guardian. January 18, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  134. ^ a b Rao, Sonia (January 19, 2018). "Michael Douglas accused of sexual harassment by former employee". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  135. ^ Belloni, Matthew (January 18, 2018). "Michael Douglas, Alleged Harassment, Media and the #MeToo Moment". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  136. ^ "Catherine Zeta-Jones: Husband Michael Douglas is a #MeToo supporter". USA Today. January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  137. ^ "Donor search—Michael Douglas". newsmeat.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2006.
  138. ^ Manchester, Julia (June 29, 2020). "Celebrities fundraise for Markey ahead of Massachusetts senate primary". The Hill.
  139. ^ Neumann, Sean (January 21, 2020). "Michael Douglas endorses Mike Bloomberg for President". People.
  140. ^ Jacobs, Jennifer; Gardner, Akayla (April 26, 2024). "Actor Michael Douglas helps raise cash for Biden". Bloomberg.
  141. ^ Winters, Rebecca (March 13, 2005). "The World is in His Hands". Time.
  142. ^ Swann, Sara (December 9, 2019). "Michael Douglas joins Jennifer Lawrence in movies about democracy's problems". Fulcrum.
  143. ^ Griffiths, Shawn (September 24, 2023). "Tackling the crises in American Democracy". Independent Voter News.
  144. ^ "Board | youth community | service award". Jefferson Awards. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  145. ^ Michael Douglas – Douglas Pushes For Tighter Gun Control. Contactmusic.com. Retrieved on May 4, 2012.
  146. ^ Hornaday, Ann (April 5, 2024). "Michael Douglas as Ben Franklin? You bet your britches". The Washington Post.
  147. ^ Dalton, Alex (January 12, 2024). "2024 legislative session sees new raft of gun-related bills". Chicago Tribune.
  148. ^ "Michael Douglas, Actor, Producer". Nuclear Threat Initiative Official Website. Archived from the original on April 27, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  149. ^ "Messengers of Peace". United Nations. Archived from the original on December 26, 2002. Retrieved December 23, 2006.
  150. ^ a b c Firsing, Scott T. Disturbing Times: The State of the Planet and Its Possible Future, South Publishers (2007) pp. 92–93
  151. ^ Acosta, Yvonne (June 1, 2003). "Face to face with former child soldiers--and hope:Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas visits Sierra Leone". UN Chronicle.
  152. ^ "Michael Douglas—The Cast—Soldiers of Peace". Soldiersofpeacemovie.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
  153. ^ "FBI – The State of Financial Crime". FBI. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  154. ^ "Michael Douglas Stars In FBI's Anti-Financial Fraud PSA [VIDEO]". The Huffington Post. February 27, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  155. ^ "FBI Taps Michael Douglas to Raise Financial Crime-Fighting Profile". WNYC. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  156. ^ "Michael Douglas, Gordon Gekko, Takes on Insider Trading in Real Life". ABC News. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  157. ^ "Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories". The Guardian. August 7, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  158. ^ Lindner, Larry (September 1, 2023). "A Nation at risk". N Magazine.
  159. ^ Barnes, Brooks (December 8, 2016). "How Michael Douglas and His Parents Turned Their Celebrity Into Serious Philanthropy". Town & Country.
  160. ^ Jacobs, Julia (September 14, 2023). "An Arts Center Opens at Ground Zero With Stars Onstage and Off". The New York Times.
  161. ^ Parrott, Max; Sorensen, Mac (September 13, 2023). "Cultural cornerstone:Perelman Performing Arts Center opens in Lower Manhattan near World Trade Center". AMNY.
  162. ^ Ferme, Antonio (May 24, 2022). "Billions star Asia Kate Dillion Honors High Schooler Protesting Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Legislation". Variety.
  163. ^ Italie, Hillel (May 24, 2022). "PEN America honors activists, artists and dissidents". The Times of India.
  164. ^ a b "Michael Douglas:37th AFI Life Achievement Award Honoree". American Film Institute.
  165. ^ "Holywood gets involved in Clinton Global Initiative". Arkansas Times. September 22, 2006.
  166. ^ Jana, Reena (September 19, 2012). "Clinton Global Initiative's Annual Meeting to focus on design". ZD Net.
  167. ^ "Keep Going". September 20, 2023.
  168. ^ Pike, Joe (February 29, 2012). "Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman to Host Celebrity Golf Tournament in The Bahamas". Travel Agent Central.
  169. ^ "Michael Douglas Pledges $1 Million for UCSB Film Center". Philanthropy News Digest. February 4, 2004.
  170. ^ Hammond, Pete (February 4, 2023). "Douglas Foundation Archive Adds 10,000 Personal Items From Anne and Kirk, Goes Online Fully Digitized For Public Access". Deadline.

Further reading