Skip to main content
Tags: worldwarii | kirkdouglas | birthday | actor

WW2 Vet, Superstar Actor Kirk Douglas Is 102 Today

kirk douglas
Kirk Douglas speaks onstage during the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. ( Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

By    |   Sunday, 09 December 2018 10:37 AM EST

Actor Kirk Douglas, whose acting career paused as he served on an anti-submarine craft during World War II, is celebrating his 102nd birthday Sunday and will be fêted in the upstate New York town he grew up in, The Daily Gazette reported.

"He has his limitations, but he's doing pretty well, just like my mother," Douglas' niece Gordon told the paper. "We're doing the best we can, and while it's unfortunate that neither one can travel anymore, they still do stay in touch.

"He's going to celebrate with his family, and we'll do the same here [via FaceTime]. We're also going to celebrate on Feb. 24 when Ida [Sahr, Douglas' sister] turns 100."

The town of Amsterdam, N.Y., planned a ceremony Sunday to place a historic marker where Douglas grew up.

Douglas' Dec. 9, 1916 birth name was Issur Danielovitch and he was known as Izzy Demsky growing up, according to the Gazette.

Douglas' service during WWII ended in 1944 "when a depth charge failed to work correctly," the paper reported.

He then went to Hollywood and continued an acting career that netted him his first Oscar nomination in 1949 for "Champion."

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


Newsfront
Actor Kirk Douglas, whose acting career paused as he served on an anti-submarine craft during World War II, is celebrating his 102nd birthday Sunday and will be fêted in the upstate New York town he grew up in, The Daily Gazette reported."He has his limitations, but he's...
worldwarii, kirkdouglas, birthday, actor
192
2018-37-09
Sunday, 09 December 2018 10:37 AM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
TOP

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved