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Director's Take - Kirk Douglas
It is always phenomenal meeting entertainment industry legends, not only because there are so few left from the old emergent days of TV & film, but because they set a standard of excellence for subsequent generations to follow. They were groundbreaking and adventurous in a time when film and TV were new.
Kirk Douglas came to our stage recently and it was indeed an honor to have him here. What a pleasure to see this movie legend. You may remember him from some of his more well known films: Lust for Life (1956), Spartacus (1960), or The List of Adrian Messenger (1963).
What you may not know is that Mr. Douglas has been a Goodwill Ambassador for the US State Department since 1963. He was awarded by President Jimmy Carter in 1981 the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest US award a civilian can receive.
In person, Mr. Douglas is completely charming. He suffered a stroke in the 1990s, which has made him no less lucid, but it does take him more time to express himself. He is incredibly self-aware and also poignantly introspective about his life. He talked at length about his relationship with his sons Michael, and also about his son Eric who died of an accidental overdose in 2004. He also talked about his book coming out on March 16, “Let's Face It: 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning”.
Mr. Douglas has had an amazing life, living it to the fullest, and the fact that he continues to grow and challenge himself is inspiring and remarkable for this nonagenarian.
I enjoy watching Kirk Douglas act,even now.He's wonderful.