Legendary Jewish actor and Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas ז״ל dead at 103.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — US silver screen legend Kirk Douglas, of Jewish Russian origin who has become one of Hollywood’s biggest-ever stars, died Wednesday. He was 103.
Douglas was born 1916 as Issur Danielovitch (Yiddish: איסר דניאלאָוויטש ) in Amsterdam, New York . His parents Bryna and Herrschel Danielovitch were Jewish immigrants from Chavusy in the Russian Empire (present-day Belarus). The family spoke Yiddish at home.
The famed actor, who was one of the last of Hollywood’s Golden Age, made more than 90 movies in a career that stretched across seven decades
Films such as Spartacus and The Vikings made him one of the biggest box-office stars of the 1950s and 60s
He was nominated three times for the best actor Oscar in 1949 for Champion, The Bad and the Beautiful in 1953 and Lust for Life in 1957
Douglas never received an Academy Award for an individual film but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded him an honorary Oscar in 1996 for his role as a creative and moral force in the industry.
The Spartacus star is survived by his wife and his three sons Michael, Joel, and Eric.
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His son Michael Douglas, an acting icon in his own right, revealed the news of his father’s death in an emotional statement to People magazine.:
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‚It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,‘ he said.
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“Israel mourns the loss of Kirk Douglas, a legendary actor, a proud Jew and a great friend of the Jewish state,” said a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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May he rest in peace
Baruch Dayan Ha’Emet
Dr. Rafael Korenzecher
Dr. Korenz Blog 