It’s one of the most famous scenes in all of classic cinema: lines of dirt-drenched men chained together in a dusty, rocky landscape. Roman soldiers encircling them on horseback. And a promise that these rebels will avoid painful punishment— if only they identify their famous leader.

So they respond— by rising one by one and claiming, over and over, “I’m Spartacus!” All to protect the beloved actual Spartacus, brought to rousing life in the film by the one and only Kirk Douglas.

We all know it even if we haven’t actually seen the movie, and it’s a scene as timeless as it is classic. So it seems only impossible that Spartacus could ever age— but like a fine wine, he has!

That’s right— Kirk Douglas is 101 years old!

Hard to believe, I know, but it’s true. Douglas’ nearly-as-famous son, Michael Douglas, shared photos of the event on his Facebook page, a small celebration on December 9 that was completed by not one but TWO cakes depicting images from some of Kirk’s most famous roles.

In attendance were sons Michael and Joel, granddaughter Kelsey, and wife Anne Buydens. Messages from more members of the Douglas clan poured in over social media, including from grandson Dylan and daughter-in-law Catherine Zeta-Jones.

While the celebration was family-focused and intimate – as it should be! – the messages were joined by birthday greetings from all over the globe, coming from fans eager to celebrate the long life of one of the last surviving members of Hollywood’s golden age.

A classic leading man

You’d be forgiven – we suppose – if you’re a little too young to really appreciate Kirk Douglas, or if you regularly get him confused with other members of the Douglas family. After all, all four of his children are involved in movie-making industry: late son Eric was an actor, Joel and Peter are producers, and, most famously, son Michael is an actor and fellow Academy-Award-honoree.

But Kirk is the original Douglas, and an original. Born Issur “Iggy Demsky” Danielovitch in 1916 Amsterdam, New York, Douglas grew up speaking Yiddish and working more than 40 jobs to help support his family, an impoverished existence he describes in his 1988 biography, The Ragman’s Son:

My father, who had been a horse trader in Russia, got himself a horse and a small wagon, and became a ragman, buying old rags, pieces of metal, and junk for pennies, nickels, and dimes …. Even on Eagle Street, in the poorest section of town, where all the families were struggling, the ragman was on the lowest rung on the ladder. And I was the ragman’s son.

It was a tough, cinematic beginning, and the way Douglas changed his life is equally movie-worthy. After talking his way into St. Lawrence University by promising to pay his way via gardening and janitorial work, he landed at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Once there, he befriended – and casually dated – a classmate by the name of Betty Joan Perske.

You probably know her better, though, as Lauren Bacall.

That’s right— Douglas’ chutzpah landed him in the right place at the right time to forge a friendship that would help launch his career in show business. After enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1941 and serving in World War II, Douglas began acting in films in 1946.

The rest was an incredible, storied career that includes Academy Award nominations, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, ten novels and memoirs, a Lifetime Achievement Oscar “for 50 years as a creative and moral force in the motion picture community”, and over 90 iconic film roles including Vincent Van Gogh, Ulysses and, of course, Spartacus.

What a life! Watch clips of some of Kirk Douglas’ best roles and wish him a happy 101st birthday in the video below.

Did you know Kirk Douglas had such an incredible life? Which of his famous roles if your favorite?

Sources

• IMDB
• Little Things
• Wikipedia