2years ago Actor Kirk Douglas passed away at the age of 103.
Although I’m 30 years old I was very familiar with Mr. Douglas’s work.
I was first introduced to the cleft chined actor in 20,000 leagues under the sea then Spartacus and in elementary art class I became obsessed with Vincent Van Gogh and seeing Douglas portray him really brought the artist to life.
Paths of Glory would expose me for the first time to the First World War in a way that captured me. Not only was Kirk Douglas an accomplished actor he was also a veteran of the Second World War.
Douglas’s real name was Izzy Demsky until he legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas before enlisting in the Navy during WWII. He initially tried joining the Air Force but was told he was too old.
He joins the Navy in 1941, not long after Pearl Harbor, where he served as a gunnery and communications officer in anti-submarine warfare on board PC-1139. Eventually he was medically discharged for war injuries in 1944.
His discharge was due to chronic ameobic dysentary discovered when hospitalized due to abdominal injuries due to dropping of accidental depth charge.
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