Kirk Douglas, who passed away earlier this month at age 103, chose charity over his son Michael when deciding how to divide up his $61 million fortune.
Douglas wanted $50 million to be given away to various charities through the Douglas Foundation, according to the Mirror. Among those getting a bequest is a scholarship program at his alma mater St. Lawrence University, Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, Culver City’s Kirk Douglas Theatre and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Michael Douglas, a famous actor in his own right who has been estimated to be worth $300 million, is not one of the beneficiaries, the Mirror reports.
“To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in setting a standard for all of us to aspire to,” the younger Douglas wrote after his father’s death on Feb. 5.
KIRK DOUGLAS: A LOOK BACK AT HIS RICH FAMILY LIFE
Kirk Douglas is survived by his wife of 65 years (married May 29, 1954) Anne Buydens, their son Peter Douglas, two sons from his first marriage — Michael and Joel Douglas — and seven grandchildren.
As his film career waned in the 1980s — and his son’s career took off — Douglas focused on philanthropy, charity work, and his role as a goodwill ambassador for the US State Department, a post he has held since 1963.
He and his wife Anne founded the Douglas Foundation in 1964.
“One of the entertainment industry’s largest and oldest private philanthropic institutions, the Foundation is committed to helping those who might not otherwise be able to help themselves,” its website reads.
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He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981, the Jefferson Award for public service in 1983, and the French Legion of Honor in 1985.
Some people make their own roads and are the star of their own show. Kirk Douglas is one of those people. He’s true Hollywood royalty. As much as Michael Douglas tried he never had roles like his dad. We’re talking some of the greatest movies of all time.
These are just a few of the many movies Kirk Douglas starred in. There were just too many to put them all up.
I thought the news about his will was rather interesting. In reality, Michael Douglas was worth $300 million they say. So it’s not like he really needed an inheritance. It’s interesting to see the different generations of successful families as today very few sons and daughters of successful parents were able to eclipse their parent’s success. An example would be Michael Douglas’s kids, Rod Stewart’s kids, Tom Cruz’s kids, etc, etc. The list goes on and on of great success of mothers and fathers whose sons and daughters were overshadowed by their parent’s success. It could be the business world or the world of music and entertainment, the generation we’re in today, speaks loudly “literally” but does not carry a big stick! Rest in peace, Kirk Douglas.
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- Robert Louis Annenberg Is a 40 year seasoned property owner, manager, investor, builder/developer and business man who is also an author of five published books to date (Amazon.com) and the chief editor of LifeQuestJournal.com. He can be reached at: [email protected] and (201) 289-2500.
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