Kirk Douglas, one of the last Hollywood stars from the Golden Age of the studio system, died this week at the age of 103. Kirk Douglas often played a particular kind of mid-century American man: unsentimental, fiery, hyper-masculine, street-smart and cynical. The kind of man with the soul of a scrapper, who knew how to throw a punch, fix a martini, and the value of a good suit. Like the actors of that long-gone era, he was recognizably Kirk in every role, yet his persona was malleable enough to handle a multitude of characters: shysters; men of integrity; mobsters; and weasels. Regardless of the role, he was always fun to watch. In his honor, I’ve compiled some clips of favorite scenes of his.
A Letter to Three Wives – (dir. Joseph Mankiewicz, 1949)
He plays a supporting role to the three women in the title, but as the host of a dinner party gone wrong, Douglas proves he can play comedy with aplomb.
Paths of Glory – (dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1957)
In Kubrick’s earliest anti-war film, Douglas stars as the honorable Colonel Dax. Here’s his bravura moment in a confrontation with Adolphe Menjou’s cynical General Broulard.
Out of the Past – (dir. Jacques Tourneur, 1947)
Douglas plays a secondary role in Tourneur’s haunting film noir, but he holds his own and projects understated menace in this scene opposite Robert Mitchum. Although it’s a brief scene, Douglas shows what a great actor can do with few lines and a lot of presence.
What’s your favorite Kirk Douglas role?