Kirk Douglas: 101 Years Of Secrets & Scandals!
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Photo credit: Corbis
Kirk Douglas: 99 Years Of Scandals And Secrets!
Kirk Douglas turned 101 years old on Dec. 9, 2017 — 21 years after a debilitating stroke that had insiders speculating that it was the end for the 79-year-old screen legend with a sordid history!
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Instead, Kirk shocked Hollywood with a quick recovery. His voice would never be the same, but that didn't stop Kirk from continuing to work steadily as an actor! He bounded out to the stage of the Academy Awards to accept an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement just three months after he was hospitalized.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Kirk revealed the secrets of his own troubled marriage in The National ENQUIRER — with an exclusive book excerpt from his biography revealing how his philandering destroyed his marriage to first wife Diana. "I kept playing around with beautiful women," confessed Kirk.
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Photo credit: Corbis
"One night," he continued, "Warren Cowan and his wife, Ronnie, were having a birthday party for Diana. I was supposed to be back from the studio in time to take her, but I was late, 'rehearsing' with Marilyn Maxwell [pictured]. Diana may have had her suspicions. When I got home, there was a note stuck in the door. 'I'VE GONE TO THE COWANS. YOU CAN GO TO HELL.'"
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Photo credit: Getty Images
"I chose to go to the Cowans'," wrote Kirk, "entered on my knees. Diana was standing talking to somebody, and they turned around. There I was, on my knees. 'I'm not worthy of you. Anyone can see I'm not worthy of you.'...She started laughing in spite of herself." Sadly, the couple would still be filing for divorce in February of 1949.
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Photo credit: Corbis
The ENQUIRER was also there to report how Kirk stepped in to try to save the first marriage of his superstar son Michael. "He spoke to Michael like he never had before," a source told The ENQUIRER in a worldwide scoop. "He felt Michael wanted to be back with Diandra, but that he was too full of pride and pigheadedness to end the separation."
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Photo credit: Getty Images
"Part of the difficulty was around show business," added the insider. "Diandra just didn't understand or like the world of show business." Sources told The ENQUIRER that Kirk was heartbroken when Michael walked out on Diandra and their 4-year-old son Cameron.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
"Michael and Diandra definitely reconciled," said a close family friend at the time, "and they have Kirk to thank for it. Kirk tried hard not to be a meddling father, but it really hurt him to see Michael and Diandra apart, and he was upset because Michael was womanizing during the separation!" Sadly, Michael and Diandra would still divorce in 1995.
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Photo credit: Corbis
Sadly, Kirk has never recovered from the 1990 death of his troubled son Eric, who died from an alcohol and drug overdose. The ENQUIRER was there when the 90-year-old " Spartacus" star said: "The natural tendency is to blame yourself. What did I do wrong, and what more could I have done to help?"
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Kirk said the family placed Eric in a long list of rehabilitation centers, but nothing helped. "It broke my heart that my son Eric died at 46, and I'm still alive," added Kirk. "I feel guilty that my youngest son lived a life of pain and died before I did. He didn't have a chance to taste the sweetness of life. He didn't get to fall in love, get married and have children."
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Photo credit: Getty Images
For years, Eric had berated himself for being a "loser" and the black sheep of a powerful and highly successful family. Finally a worn-out Eric lost his will to live. "I am so misunderstood by my father and brother," Eric told The ENQUIRER, "and all they want to do is send me to rehab!"
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Photo credit: National ENQUIRER
The ENQUIRER ultimately revealed the shocking secret that had driven Eric to the grave. "I'm gay," Eric had told reporter Rick Egusquiza before his tragic end, "and I can't come out to my family!" Eric was a tortured soul dying with the fear that most of his family could never accept his lifestyle.
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Photo credit: Corbis
Michael Douglas had his own problems with his demanding dad, with the future Oscar winner living a hippie lifestyle that baffled his rich dad. "I was living in a commune off campus where my friends and I had built a little house," Michael told The ENQUIRER. "You had to enter by a back stairway and go through the kitchen before you could get to the attic bedroom."
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Photo credit: Getty Images
"We didn't even have an indoor toilet," Michael continued. "One day, I invited Kirk for a visit. I'll never forget the way his face fell when he saw the house. He said, 'Michael, I worked all my life to prevent this kind of misery, and here you are proud of living in this dreadful dump. My God!'"
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Photo credit: Corbis
Kirk has never shied away from his outspokenness, though. "I can't fake it," Kirk said. "If I don't like someone, that person knows at once how I feel. My wife Ann is always saying to me: 'Honey, why did you have to let that person know how you felt about him?' It's really hard for me to mask my feelings. I can control my words and voice but I can't control my unconscious feelings enough to fool anyone!"
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Photo credit: Corbis
Kirk still had plenty of close pals, including a friendly rivalry with fellow screen legend Burt Lancaster. The ENQUIRER reported on the backstage bantering between the two — with 6'2" Burt always eager to let Kirk know that he was the bigger star in every way.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
As the two men were filming "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" in the mid-1950s, autograph hounds surrounded Burt. He told them: "Why don't you ask Mr. Douglas for his? Great performer. Of course, you don't recognize him without his built-up shoes!"
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Photo credit: Corbis
Kirk could always laugh at himself, and told The ENQUIRER about the time that he was robbed of $500 while promoting a film role where he played a master thief. "Just imagine it," Kirk said. "I'm in Miami telling everyone how brilliant I am at stealing $1 million in my picture, and I get stung for $500 — right under my nose. I admire the guy's nerve. I'd like to meet him just to find out how he did it!"
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Photo credit: Corbis
Kirk could always laugh at himself, and told The ENQUIRER about the time that he was robbed of $500 while promoting a film role where he played a master thief. "Just imagine it," Kirk said. "I'm in Miami telling everyone how brilliant I am at stealing $1 million in my picture, and I get stung for $500 — right under my nose. I admire the guy's nerve. I'd like to meet him just to find out how he did it!"
The theft occurred while Douglas was promoting "The Master Touch" at the posh Palm Bay Club. "That guy was terrific," Kirk laughed. "He conned his way past two security checks, came up six stories, and went past a lot of my friends in the suite. He walked right into the bedroom and took the money clip off the bed, where I left it for about 10 minutes while I shaved!"
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Photo credit: Corbis
Kirk still faced dark days after his stroke, with The ENQUIRER revealing how he even placed a gun in his mouth as a planned suicide attempt. Having seen his pal Burt Lancaster waste away after a stroke, the distressed star was ready to blow his brains out. But the long barrel of the pistol "bumped up against my teeth," Kirk recalled. "It sent shivers through my teeth, and I pulled the gun out. A toothache delayed my death. I laughed hysterically!"
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Photo credit: Corbis
Kirk (pictured here with Anne, his wife of 62 years) won't act his age, either. The ENQUIRER reported in 2016 how the Douglas family was freaking out over his insisting on traveling cross-country to see his imprisoned grandson Cameron. At the time, Michael's son was sitting in an East Coast prison cell over drug trafficking charges — and Kirk was determined to see him one more time!
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Photo credit: Getty Images
"Kirk's heart has ached for his grandson every day he's been behind bars," a source told The ENQUIRER. Fortunately, Cameron was later paroled before Kirk insisted on risking his life, Kirk's own doctors had advised him against the trip, but a pal said: "Kirk just isn't going to take the chance he might already be gone by the time Cameron is released!"
Kirk Douglas: 99 Years Of Scandals And Secrets!
Kirk Douglas turned 101 years old on Dec. 9, 2017 — 21 years after a debilitating stroke that had insiders speculating that it was the end for the 79-year-old screen legend with a sordid history!
Photo credit: Corbis
Instead, Kirk shocked Hollywood with a quick recovery. His voice would never be the same, but that didn't stop Kirk from continuing to work steadily as an actor! He bounded out to the stage of the Academy Awards to accept an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement just three months after he was hospitalized.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Kirk revealed the secrets of his own troubled marriage in The National ENQUIRER — with an exclusive book excerpt from his biography revealing how his philandering destroyed his marriage to first wife Diana. "I kept playing around with beautiful women," confessed Kirk.
Photo credit: Getty Images
"One night," he continued, "Warren Cowan and his wife, Ronnie, were having a birthday party for Diana. I was supposed to be back from the studio in time to take her, but I was late, 'rehearsing' with Marilyn Maxwell [pictured]. Diana may have had her suspicions. When I got home, there was a note stuck in the door. 'I'VE GONE TO THE COWANS. YOU CAN GO TO HELL.'"
Photo credit: Corbis
"I chose to go to the Cowans'," wrote Kirk, "entered on my knees. Diana was standing talking to somebody, and they turned around. There I was, on my knees. 'I'm not worthy of you. Anyone can see I'm not worthy of you.'...She started laughing in spite of herself." Sadly, the couple would still be filing for divorce in February of 1949.
Photo credit: Getty Images
The ENQUIRER was also there to report how Kirk stepped in to try to save the first marriage of his superstar son Michael. "He spoke to Michael like he never had before," a source told The ENQUIRER in a worldwide scoop. "He felt Michael wanted to be back with Diandra, but that he was too full of pride and pigheadedness to end the separation."
Photo credit: Corbis
"Part of the difficulty was around show business," added the insider. "Diandra just didn't understand or like the world of show business." Sources told The ENQUIRER that Kirk was heartbroken when Michael walked out on Diandra and their 4-year-old son Cameron.
Photo credit: Getty Images
"Michael and Diandra definitely reconciled," said a close family friend at the time, "and they have Kirk to thank for it. Kirk tried hard not to be a meddling father, but it really hurt him to see Michael and Diandra apart, and he was upset because Michael was womanizing during the separation!" Sadly, Michael and Diandra would still divorce in 1995.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Sadly, Kirk has never recovered from the 1990 death of his troubled son Eric, who died from an alcohol and drug overdose. The ENQUIRER was there when the 90-year-old " Spartacus" star said: "The natural tendency is to blame yourself. What did I do wrong, and what more could I have done to help?"
Photo credit: Corbis
Kirk said the family placed Eric in a long list of rehabilitation centers, but nothing helped. "It broke my heart that my son Eric died at 46, and I'm still alive," added Kirk. "I feel guilty that my youngest son lived a life of pain and died before I did. He didn't have a chance to taste the sweetness of life. He didn't get to fall in love, get married and have children."
Photo credit: Getty Images
For years, Eric had berated himself for being a "loser" and the black sheep of a powerful and highly successful family. Finally a worn-out Eric lost his will to live. "I am so misunderstood by my father and brother," Eric told The ENQUIRER, "and all they want to do is send me to rehab!"
Photo credit: Getty Images
The ENQUIRER ultimately revealed the shocking secret that had driven Eric to the grave. "I'm gay," Eric had told reporter Rick Egusquiza before his tragic end, "and I can't come out to my family!" Eric was a tortured soul dying with the fear that most of his family could never accept his lifestyle.
Photo credit: National ENQUIRER
Michael Douglas had his own problems with his demanding dad, with the future Oscar winner living a hippie lifestyle that baffled his rich dad. "I was living in a commune off campus where my friends and I had built a little house," Michael told The ENQUIRER. "You had to enter by a back stairway and go through the kitchen before you could get to the attic bedroom."
Photo credit: Corbis
"We didn't even have an indoor toilet," Michael continued. "One day, I invited Kirk for a visit. I'll never forget the way his face fell when he saw the house. He said, 'Michael, I worked all my life to prevent this kind of misery, and here you are proud of living in this dreadful dump. My God!'"
Photo credit: Getty Images
Kirk has never shied away from his outspokenness, though. "I can't fake it," Kirk said. "If I don't like someone, that person knows at once how I feel. My wife Ann is always saying to me: 'Honey, why did you have to let that person know how you felt about him?' It's really hard for me to mask my feelings. I can control my words and voice but I can't control my unconscious feelings enough to fool anyone!"
Photo credit: Corbis
Kirk still had plenty of close pals, including a friendly rivalry with fellow screen legend Burt Lancaster. The ENQUIRER reported on the backstage bantering between the two — with 6'2" Burt always eager to let Kirk know that he was the bigger star in every way.
Photo credit: Corbis
As the two men were filming "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" in the mid-1950s, autograph hounds surrounded Burt. He told them: "Why don't you ask Mr. Douglas for his? Great performer. Of course, you don't recognize him without his built-up shoes!"
Photo credit: Getty Images
Kirk could always laugh at himself, and told The ENQUIRER about the time that he was robbed of $500 while promoting a film role where he played a master thief. "Just imagine it," Kirk said. "I'm in Miami telling everyone how brilliant I am at stealing $1 million in my picture, and I get stung for $500 — right under my nose. I admire the guy's nerve. I'd like to meet him just to find out how he did it!"
Photo credit: Corbis
The theft occurred while Douglas was promoting "The Master Touch" at the posh Palm Bay Club. "That guy was terrific," Kirk laughed. "He conned his way past two security checks, came up six stories, and went past a lot of my friends in the suite. He walked right into the bedroom and took the money clip off the bed, where I left it for about 10 minutes while I shaved!"
Kirk still faced dark days after his stroke, with The ENQUIRER revealing how he even placed a gun in his mouth as a planned suicide attempt. Having seen his pal Burt Lancaster waste away after a stroke, the distressed star was ready to blow his brains out. But the long barrel of the pistol "bumped up against my teeth," Kirk recalled. "It sent shivers through my teeth, and I pulled the gun out. A toothache delayed my death. I laughed hysterically!"
Photo credit: Corbis
Kirk (pictured here with Anne, his wife of 62 years) won't act his age, either. The ENQUIRER reported in 2016 how the Douglas family was freaking out over his insisting on traveling cross-country to see his imprisoned grandson Cameron. At the time, Michael's son was sitting in an East Coast prison cell over drug trafficking charges — and Kirk was determined to see him one more time!
Photo credit: Corbis
"Kirk's heart has ached for his grandson every day he's been behind bars," a source told The ENQUIRER. Fortunately, Cameron was later paroled before Kirk insisted on risking his life, Kirk's own doctors had advised him against the trip, but a pal said: "Kirk just isn't going to take the chance he might already be gone by the time Cameron is released!"
Photo credit: Getty Images
