Just through is that Kirk Douglas has passed away at 103 years of age.

He had a great innings.

R.I.P.

R.I.P.


TL

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TimeLord04
Have TARDIS, will travel...
Come along K-9!
Join Calm Chaos

R.I.P.

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The son of Russian Immigrants, Kirk Douglas RIP.

Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch (Yiddish: איסר דניאלאָוויטש‎; Belarusian: Ісур Данілавіч) in Amsterdam, New York, the son of Bryna "Bertha" (née Sanglel; 1884–1958) and Herschel "Harry" Danielovitch (c. 1884–1950; citations regarding his exact year of birth differ).[4][5][6] His parents were Jewish immigrants from Chavusy, Mogilev Region, in the Russian Empire (present-day Belarus),[7][8][9][10][11][12] and the family spoke Yiddish at home.[13][14][15]

His father's brother, who immigrated earlier, used the surname Demsky, which Douglas's family adopted in the United States.[16]:2 Douglas grew up as Izzy Demsky and legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas before entering the United States Navy during World War II.[17][a]

In his 1988 autobiography, The Ragman's Son, Douglas notes the hardships that he, along with six sisters and his parents, endured during their early years in Amsterdam, New York:

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.[4]

Growing up, Douglas sold snacks to mill workers to earn enough to buy milk and bread to help his family. Later, he delivered newspapers and during his youth he had more than forty jobs before becoming an actor.[18] He found living in a family with six sisters to be stifling: "I was dying to get out. In a sense, it lit a fire under me." In high school, after acting in plays, he then knew he wanted to become a professional actor.[19] Unable to afford the tuition, Douglas talked his way into the dean's office at St. Lawrence University and showed him a list of his high school honors. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1939. He received a loan which he paid back by working part-time as a gardener and a janitor. He was a standout on the wrestling team and wrestled one summer in a carnival to make money.[20]

Douglas's acting talents were noticed at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, which gave him a special scholarship. One of his classmates was Betty Joan Perske (later known as Lauren Bacall), who would play an important role in launching his film career.[21] Bacall wrote that she "had a wild crush on Kirk,"[22] and they dated casually. Another classmate, and a friend of Bacall's, was aspiring actress Diana Dill, who would later become Douglas's first wife.

During their time together, Bacall learned Douglas had no money, and that he once spent the night in jail since he had no place to sleep. She once gave him her uncle's old coat to keep warm: "I thought he must be frozen in the winter . ... He was thrilled and grateful." Sometimes, just to see him, she would drag a friend or her mother to the restaurant where he worked as a busboy and waiter. He told her his dream was to someday bring his family to New York to see him on stage. During that period she fantasized about someday sharing her personal and stage lives with Douglas, but would later be disappointed: "Kirk did not really pursue me. He was friendly and sweet—enjoyed my company—but I was clearly too young for him," the eight-years-younger Bacall later wrote.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

R.I.P.

He will live forever in the legacy that he left behind.
All his movies since 1947.
Thank you for the contribution you made to humanity.

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R.I.P.

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With each crime and every kindness we birth our future.

R.I.P.. "Spartacus"

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R.I.P "Tough Guy"

"Lust for Life", "Spartacus", "Paths of Glory" and "Seven Days in May"
A brilliant actor and human.

R.I.P.