Michael Douglas
Birthday: 25 September 1944, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
Birth Name: Michael Kirk Douglas
Height: 178 cm
An actor with over forty years of experience in theatre, film, and television, Michael Douglas branched out into independent feature production in 1975 with the Academy Award-winning One Flew Over the ...Show More
When my daughter Carys wants to get married I'll be as rough with the guy as Catherine's [wife Cathe Show more
When my daughter Carys wants to get married I'll be as rough with the guy as Catherine's [wife Catherine Zeta-Jones] dad was when he checked me out. He gave me the once over and then some. Hide
Kirk's career was constant, overwhelming. The guy didn't stop. Back then they were doing five movies Show more
Kirk's career was constant, overwhelming. The guy didn't stop. Back then they were doing five movies a year. My father did 90-plus films. He was Spartacus! I always admired his tenacity and stamina but he was intimidating to me as a child. Like a lot of actors, he was consumed with ambition and his career. He was also consumed with guilt because of the time he spent away from the family. It took him a long time to come to terms with it. But we get on very well now. Hide
When you are a second-generation success, you are provided for. And that certainly was a big opportu Show more
When you are a second-generation success, you are provided for. And that certainly was a big opportunity. But you don't have that "rags-to-riches" story, which is always a much more dramatic story to plot. Your success is not one that is as easily accepted by the people outside. Or they don't really have an appreciation of what you have accomplished. As a producer, my successes came fairly early in my career; as an actor, they came much later. Winning the Academy Award for Wall Street (1987) really helped me to finally overcome that "second generation" thing. It's hard for people, no matter how generous and gracious they are, to really allow you any slack. They say, "Oh, it must have been hard to be Kirk Douglas' son", but they don't really want to accept it. You grow up in this business and all that means is that you don't get the joy of succeeding. If you succeed, it's expected. If you look around you can see that there are hardly any second-generation people that have succeeded at all. It's a minefield of disasters, of broken careers and self-destruction out there. The public's perception is that you didn't have to do anything. So if you succeed, it's just assumed. If you don't get success, you're an asshole like everybody else. Hide
From the moment I met Catherine [wife Catherine Zeta-Jones] and we formed our family, I was a new ma Show more
From the moment I met Catherine [wife Catherine Zeta-Jones] and we formed our family, I was a new man, very different from the one I used to be. This is the result of my everyday life with her, of the intense love we have for each other, of the great need for each other that we have, and of the great respect that we have for one another. There is a time when you become sarcastic, you lose the passion, and, when you are blessed again, and you have the fortune to love somebody the way I love my wife, you understand that you have to nurture your partner and not take everything for granted. What a marvelous gift! Hide
It's hard in my business to find new friends because you're always suspect of what their motives mig Show more
It's hard in my business to find new friends because you're always suspect of what their motives might be. And while I don't like that about myself, I tend to get a little more cautious about making new friends. The people that you knew either when you were starting out in your career or in college didn't take your success as part of the equation of your friendship. They are the ones you love and trust. I would like to be more open about meeting people, but it's hard. Hide
I do pictures for myself, because I figure if I like them, some other crazy people out there might l Show more
I do pictures for myself, because I figure if I like them, some other crazy people out there might like them, too. You know, once you've gained your confidence and done some bizarre, strange films with some roles that have been successful, it gives you the confidence to go out there and take more chances. Hide
I am not selfish enough to slow down. I hurt myself because I'm such a team player. I'm great to wor Show more
I am not selfish enough to slow down. I hurt myself because I'm such a team player. I'm great to work with; I'm always looking out for other actor and making it work. Hide
Catherine was a tremendous surprise in my life. After my divorce I was puttering along quite well as Show more
Catherine was a tremendous surprise in my life. After my divorce I was puttering along quite well as a single guy and couldn't believe how honest you could be with ladies, as long as you didn't date two of them in the same town at the same time. They knew I was seeing other people. Then I got struck down, I was just bowled over by Catherine, I was smitten with her. The age difference has been irrelevant to us. Hide
I was there the night John Lennon was shot, three blocks away. It left a lasting impression on me. I Show more
I was there the night John Lennon was shot, three blocks away. It left a lasting impression on me. It motivated me to do whatever I could to lobby for small-arms control. Hide
(2001, on his sex scene with Jeanne Tripplehorn in Basic Instinct (1992)) In a scene like that, what Show more
(2001, on his sex scene with Jeanne Tripplehorn in Basic Instinct (1992)) In a scene like that, what I try always to do is make the actress feel comfortable, let her know that I will be looking out for her. Okay, I'm going to touch your breast here. So there's none of that where she feels, Hey, what are you doing? It's sort of like doing fight sequences. You go through the beats. I'm going to go boom, kiss, kiss, rip. Then it's action and you do it. It's the most unspontaneous thing in the world. The difficulty of doing a sex scene is that sex is the one thing in movies that your entire audience knows about. Nobody in the audience has been killed and most haven't taken a bullet or been in any brutal fights. Lovemaking, everybody's an expert. Hide
I'm not a big filmophile. I don't watch movies a lot for a hobby. I spend all my time watching sport Show more
I'm not a big filmophile. I don't watch movies a lot for a hobby. I spend all my time watching sporting events. Because, opposed to movies, you can never tell how they're going to end. Hide
[on his career and his favorite films] I always say you work as hard on your failures as your succes Show more
[on his career and his favorite films] I always say you work as hard on your failures as your successes. I like my track record, I like my batting average. I got a real good batting average. A lot of movies. Not a lot of grand-slam home-runs, lot of singles, doubles, triples. Lot of hits, you know? Small but kind of ultimately worked out. Kind of fiduciary responsibilities and budgets. The ones that stick out are the ones nobody wanted to make, from Falling Down (1993) to Fatal Attraction (1987), things like that. Or ones that were so bizarre. The War of the Roses (1989), Wonder Boys (2000). Hide
(on dropping out of Cutthroat Island (1995)) I was fairly far down the road with that film, but I di Show more
(on dropping out of Cutthroat Island (1995)) I was fairly far down the road with that film, but I didn't pull out right before production - it was four or five months before. I just didn't feel comfortable doing a picture with the director married to the leading lady. After a couple of drafts, I didn't like where it was going. There was all this momentum to go ahead, but it didn't smell good. Hide
The process of making a movie continues to amaze me. There is a certain magic that happens. And you Show more
The process of making a movie continues to amaze me. There is a certain magic that happens. And you never know when it's going to be. But while a writer is alone with their word processor, or a painter is alone in a studio, or a musician is working on a song, movie making is a big kind of collaborative family. Certainly it starts with the written word, but then it becomes a collaborative art and that process never ceases to amaze me. It's almost mystical. It's something that is really alive and fresh. Hide
Wonder Boys (2000) was a huge disappointment personally. I loved the movie and we didn't even get cr Show more
Wonder Boys (2000) was a huge disappointment personally. I loved the movie and we didn't even get critically acknowledged as far as awards go. I thought it was a fucking disgrace. I'll be honest - it really hurt my confidence. It was a punch in the gut. In fact, it was my father who helped me through it. His favorite movie is Lonely Are the Brave (1962). Nobody saw that when it came out, nobody's seen it since. My father's disappointment in that movie helped me get over mine. Hide
One of the things I'm most proud about in "Fatal Attraction" is you start off with an audience not l Show more
One of the things I'm most proud about in "Fatal Attraction" is you start off with an audience not liking you. Hide
It's a much smaller minority of people who think they still have to stay in the closet. It's quite i Show more
It's a much smaller minority of people who think they still have to stay in the closet. It's quite interesting to see how fast it's all changed. Without naming names, I certainly think there are a couple of people out there who have not come out in the spirit of protecting their careers and livelihoods. It's probably a little bit more difficult going that way. I think that's true. Hide
[1980] The exciting thing about making movies today is that everything is up for grabs. And you had Show more
[1980] The exciting thing about making movies today is that everything is up for grabs. And you had better grab. Hide
Having a little girl is incredible. I tell you it's an insight. I think guys who have sisters have a Show more
Having a little girl is incredible. I tell you it's an insight. I think guys who have sisters have a big advantage, understanding the female psyche. Hide
(2001, on why he thinks Black Rain (1989) didn't do better at the box office) It was hard to know wh Show more
(2001, on why he thinks Black Rain (1989) didn't do better at the box office) It was hard to know who to root for. And people here were uncomfortable with race stuff and talking about the bomb. There was a critic, who'll remain nameless, who called it a racist film. I called him up and asked, "Have you ever been to Japan?". He said no and I said, "Then what the hell are you talking about?". The Japanese loved it. I loved it - I thought it rocked from top to bottom. Hide
Unlike your average profession, acting usually comes in concentrated doses. When you're an actor, it Show more
Unlike your average profession, acting usually comes in concentrated doses. When you're an actor, it's anywhere from two and a half to five months of intense work and then it's done. That's the hardest part of film acting. There is no audience response, so you really don't get any immediate satisfaction. What I really love is the feeling of nailing something. You nail the scene. Most of the time you don't shoot movies in continuity, you only do things in parts, so nailing a scene is really a rewarding sensation. Hide
[Ruling out a post-series Streets of San Francisco reunion movie] Like any great thing, like a fine Show more
[Ruling out a post-series Streets of San Francisco reunion movie] Like any great thing, like a fine wine, it's better off left alone. Hide
[on wife Catherine Zeta-Jones] She is not only beautiful but also very deep and we understand each o Show more
[on wife Catherine Zeta-Jones] She is not only beautiful but also very deep and we understand each other extremely well. I love her above all. Catherine is the woman of my life. A dream. Hide
Those British film certificates explained in full: "Oh, I get it, it's simple. PG means the hero get Show more
Those British film certificates explained in full: "Oh, I get it, it's simple. PG means the hero gets the girl, 15 means that the villain gets the girl, and 18 means everybody gets the girl.". Hide
I was always shocked when so many people who saw Wall Street (1987) said I was the person who influe Show more
I was always shocked when so many people who saw Wall Street (1987) said I was the person who influenced them and inspired them to go into investment banking. I'd say: "I was the villain," and they would say: "No, no, no." They didn't see me that way, so it was all very seductive I guess. Hide
King of California (2007) was just, I thought, a really great, fresh, original kind of script. I lov Show more
King of California (2007) was just, I thought, a really great, fresh, original kind of script. I loved the tone, the mix of tragedy, comedy and drama, and that it was a good part. Kind of a challenge, and I was excited to work on it. Hide
Revenge is a very good motivation if you can direct it. It's healthy. Very healthy.
Revenge is a very good motivation if you can direct it. It's healthy. Very healthy.
On Basic Instinct 2 (2006): Yes, they asked me to do it a while ago, I thought we had done it very e Show more
On Basic Instinct 2 (2006): Yes, they asked me to do it a while ago, I thought we had done it very effectively. Paul Verhoeven is a pretty good director. I haven't seen the sequel. I've only done one sequel in my life, The Jewel of the Nile (1985), from Romancing the Stone (1984). Besides, there were age issues, you know? Sharon still looks fabulous. The script was pretty good. Good for her, she's in her late forties and there are not a lot of parts around. The first one was probably the best picture of her career - it certainly made her career and she was great in it. Hide
[on Saul Zaentz] Saul is a wonderful mixture - he's a street-smart guy from Jersey who has impeccabl Show more
[on Saul Zaentz] Saul is a wonderful mixture - he's a street-smart guy from Jersey who has impeccable taste. There are a lot of people in this town who pretend to have both toughness and good taste, but with Saul it isn't pretense. His power comes from his joy and enthusiasm for a project. Hide
I admire Albert Finney very much, his performances always look so effortless. And of course, my good Show more
I admire Albert Finney very much, his performances always look so effortless. And of course, my good friend Jack Nicholson, who lives life to the full, and who never ever does things by halves. He's a real hero! Hide
I'm impressed with the people from Chicago. Hollywood is hype, New York is talk, Chicago is work.
I'm impressed with the people from Chicago. Hollywood is hype, New York is talk, Chicago is work.
(2001, on why he and Catherine Zeta-Jones sold photos of their newborn baby) It seems odd, I guess, Show more
(2001, on why he and Catherine Zeta-Jones sold photos of their newborn baby) It seems odd, I guess, for the United States. But Catherine is an international star and, in England, the paparazzi become like bounty hunters and go to extraordinary extremes to take a photograph they can sell. When you spend your whole life protecting your name and likeness, how do you deal with these people? I've been really open about it, saying, Look, you want to take a photograph of me and sell it? We'll split the money, and I'll give my half to charity. When we were going to have a baby, we knew a bounty hunt would happen. So when we were contacted by a magazine about their doing a layout, paying us for it, then syndicating the photos - a fairly common practice in Europe as opposed to here - we simply saw it as a way to build financial security for our new son and control what was going to be a madhouse. I'd rather do that than have some guy harassing us, though that happens anyway. Hide
[on his on- and off-screen chemistry with Karl Malden, who played Lt. Mike Stone]: I've had mentors. Show more
[on his on- and off-screen chemistry with Karl Malden, who played Lt. Mike Stone]: I've had mentors. Karl Malden was clearly a mentor and one of the most important people in my professional career. He was a tremendous influence on me in so many areas - such as work ethic. But I think that's probably why I do all these grey characters, I don't see a lot of heroes around. Hide
... in your career you can count on one hand the really good part. In "Wall Street" I had the best p Show more
... in your career you can count on one hand the really good part. In "Wall Street" I had the best part I ever had. Hide
[on more films centering on seniors] Well, they're back in the theaters. We've done this full circle Show more
[on more films centering on seniors] Well, they're back in the theaters. We've done this full circle when movies were designed for kids, but now they all watch them on their iPads. The old folks want to get out of the house. Hide
(2001, on wrapping Falling Down (1993) the same day the Rodney King riots began) You know, as we fin Show more
(2001, on wrapping Falling Down (1993) the same day the Rodney King riots began) You know, as we finished that film the riots were going on in L.A. I'll never forget the last day of shooting - that's literally when it all started. We were working in the Valley and, when we finished, I headed to the airport. It was a war zone. You could see dots of fires all over the place, all heading for the west side of town. I got my family on a plane - I didn't even know where it was going. Hide
[on Inside the Actors Studio (1994), answering an actor's question about whether to move from New Yo Show more
[on Inside the Actors Studio (1994), answering an actor's question about whether to move from New York City to Los Angeles] Don't go to L.A. unless there's work. It's one of the most frustrating and depressing places to be an actor. The problem is that it has no center. I would try to do something here first. Hide
[on the death of Karl Malden in 2009]: It was Karl who, more than anyone, got me to understand that Show more
[on the death of Karl Malden in 2009]: It was Karl who, more than anyone, got me to understand that an actor is just one part of a whole team that makes a TV series or movie work. And thanks to him, I learned about the dichotomy of standing alone in a craft where one must collaborate. Hide
I don't know about Brad Pitt, leaving that beautiful wife to go hold orphans for Angelina [Angelina Show more
I don't know about Brad Pitt, leaving that beautiful wife to go hold orphans for Angelina [Angelina Jolie]. I mean, how long is that going to last? I mean, don't ask me what happened with Renée Zellweger. I don't know how you get married for four months. And Julia [Julia Roberts] with Lyle [Lyle Lovett]. Hide
When you're making pictures out of heartfelt passion, it hurts when someone calls them a calculated Show more
When you're making pictures out of heartfelt passion, it hurts when someone calls them a calculated business move. Hide
[on Behind the Candelabra (2013)] I think the studios, in their infinite wisdom, even with Matt [Mat Show more
[on Behind the Candelabra (2013)] I think the studios, in their infinite wisdom, even with Matt [Matt Damon], myself and Soderbergh attached, thought it would only attract a gay audience. And with the cost of marketing movies and making them, they didn't want to take that risk. I see it as the studios' loss. Hide
[on Behind the Candelabra (2013)] I just want to commend Matt because I don't think I would have had Show more
[on Behind the Candelabra (2013)] I just want to commend Matt because I don't think I would have had the courage at that point in my career to take this on. Hide
[on if he enjoys working on indie films] It's challenging, and as I say, it makes you go back to bei Show more
[on if he enjoys working on indie films] It's challenging, and as I say, it makes you go back to being much more instinctual and not overly planning or overly preparing. You do your homework before and just go, but it's really sort of where the pictures lie that you just wanna do. You try to mix it up, anyway. You always try to get a commercial picture or so-called "commercial" film in there from time to time, mixed up with an independent or a smaller or a character piece. So yeah, I'm pretty flexible. I enjoy it, I really do. It's something I like and am passionate about. Hide
(on his bout with cancer) It's been five years and I feel really good. But you have a new appreciati Show more
(on his bout with cancer) It's been five years and I feel really good. But you have a new appreciation. I'm more motivated, more responsible. My younger kids could be my grandchildren. I want to be here awhile. Hide
[on the sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)] There was a recession when the first movie ar Show more
[on the sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)] There was a recession when the first movie arrived in 1987. There's a recession now. Greed, which Gordon Gekko declared as being good, hasn't just survived but has thrived amid easy credit, sub-prime mortgages and an America that ignored the signs of an oncoming market collapse. We brought Oliver Stone a script. Stone, the son of a stockbroker, wanted to do it. Hide
There's something going on with young American actors - both men and women - because the Brits and A Show more
There's something going on with young American actors - both men and women - because the Brits and Australians are taking many of the best American roles from them. Clearly, it breaks down on two fronts. In Britain they take their training seriously while in the States we're going through a sort of social media image conscious thing rather than formal training. Many actors are getting caught up in this image thing which is going on to affect their range. With the Aussies, particularly with the males it's the masculinity. In the US we have this relatively asexual or unisex area with sensitive young men and we don't have many Channing Tatums or Chris Pratts, while the Aussies do. It's a phenomena. There's a crisis in young American actors right now. Everyone's much more image conscious than they are about actually playing the part. Hide
My life does take a bit of work. I certainly know how much guys like Catherine [Catherine Zeta-Jones Show more
My life does take a bit of work. I certainly know how much guys like Catherine [Catherine Zeta-Jones], and well deserved. She's fantastic and beautiful inside and out, she's a talented, talented actress, really good mom and a heck of a wife. Hide
[on watching Liberace on television] I never thought about the gayness. He just looked like he was h Show more
[on watching Liberace on television] I never thought about the gayness. He just looked like he was having so much fun. And that whole idea of talking directly to the audience, you just went along with him. He made you happy. Hide
Not going public with having cancer was not much of an option, even if I had objected. When you are Show more
Not going public with having cancer was not much of an option, even if I had objected. When you are a celebrity, nothing remains secret for very long. If it helps bring attention, then that is a major upside to this whole thing. Millions of families are going through the same thing my family and I are now going through. If I can bring any relief or encouragement to those suffering, that's the good news. Hide
[on Karl Malden]: He was fantastic. He just had a tremendous discipline, tremendous ethics. He insis Show more
[on Karl Malden]: He was fantastic. He just had a tremendous discipline, tremendous ethics. He insisted that next's week's script would be there when we were shooting that week's script. Every time between setups, between breaks, we'd go in the trailer and run lines for the next's week's show. That's the kind of discipline, training I got from Karl. Hide
As soon as I met Catherine [Catherine Zeta-Jones] I told her I wanted to have babies with her, and t Show more
As soon as I met Catherine [Catherine Zeta-Jones] I told her I wanted to have babies with her, and the moment I found out that she had the same birthday as me - tadaah! Then when I discovered she loved golf, I realized all my fantasies had come true. I've lucked out at this time in my life. I just lucked out. I'm so impressed by her intelligence, sense of humor and work ethic. Hide
Times have changed and sex sells. Around 1990, I voluntarily went into rehab because I was drinking Show more
Times have changed and sex sells. Around 1990, I voluntarily went into rehab because I was drinking too much and some smart-ass editor said, "Oh, another boring story about an actor going to rehab. Let's give him sex addiction." Then it became, "Self-confessed sex addict!". Hide
[1998] I create challenges by the roles I take. I'm sort of proud of the fact that I'm not really ty Show more
[1998] I create challenges by the roles I take. I'm sort of proud of the fact that I'm not really typecast. People are always trying to get a handle on what you do. With me, either it's my sex trilogy: Fatal Attraction (1987), Basic Instinct (1992) and Disclosure (1994) - or my businessman trilogy: Wall Street (1987), The Game (1997) and this picture I'm doing now called A Perfect Murder (1998). I've been fortunate that, within those categories, I've been able to choose different types of roles, and I am proud that the audience has been able to accept me in whatever type of role I play. They are not the typical "movie star" roles. They're more ambivalent characters. Sometimes they are morally depraved. They are not the outright positive type of images that you attribute to selecting a "star"-type role. And the pictures themselves are more oddball. I've been very fortunate in that area, too. I've taken chances and so far the audiences have basically condoned those choices. They have allowed me to do those different types of roles. I do pictures for myself, because I figure if I like them, some other crazy people out there might like them, too. You know, once you've gained your confidence and done some bizarre, strange films with some roles that have been successful, it gives you the confidence to go out there and take more chances. Hide
[on researching his characters] With Black Rain (1989) I spent a lot of time with homicide detective Show more
[on researching his characters] With Black Rain (1989) I spent a lot of time with homicide detectives, and I spent a lot of time with different brokers on Wall Street (1987). It helps get the rhythm of the piece and the tone, and how overplayed or underplayed it might be. That's also the magic of movies: You get to hang out and live these different lives. I think a certain amount of that helps the verisimilitude. Hide
A lot of directors aren't really keen on working with an actor who's also a producer. As if they're Show more
A lot of directors aren't really keen on working with an actor who's also a producer. As if they're talking to you, and they feel like your wheels are going in the back of your head. Hide
(on the 2008 crash) I lost 35 to 40 per cent of my net worth. I decided to just weather out the stor Show more
(on the 2008 crash) I lost 35 to 40 per cent of my net worth. I decided to just weather out the storm. I waited, didn't do anything and the next year we kind of came back to where we were the year before but I lost two years. Now I manage my own funds. I am much more conservative these days in my investments. Hide
[on his decision to give the lead role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) to Jack Nicholson i Show more
[on his decision to give the lead role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) to Jack Nicholson instead of his father Kirk Douglas] My father has played up his disappointment with that pretty good. God bless him, he's 93. I finally said, "Dad, I worked six years getting this together..." I have to remind him, I shared part of my producing back-end (credit) with him, so he ended up making more money off that movie than he had in any other picture. Hide
I do most of my preparation before the filming process starts. Your principal choices are done befor Show more
I do most of my preparation before the filming process starts. Your principal choices are done beforehand and then if you feel like you've nailed it, and you have adequate time, then you get to try something else. One of the biggest lessons I have learned as an actor is that it's all just celluloid, it's all disposable. They only use a little bit and you try to remind yourself of that so that you can take chances and burn film if you've got to. Make a fool of yourself. Do something that's not right. And that's the biggest risk and opportunity. Hide
Actors are paid to be selfish and self-involved.
Actors are paid to be selfish and self-involved.
Michael Douglas's FILMOGRAPHY - Page 7
as Actor (218)
Michael Douglas'S roles
Mr. Thompson
Dan Gallagher
Nicholas Van Orton
William 'D-Fens' Foster
Dr. Hank Pym
Tom Sanders
Charles Remington
Gordon Gekko
President Andrew Shepherd
Charlie
Show More
