One of Hollywood's most legendary actors gets the spotlight in the Kirk Douglas Centennial Celebration, a series of 25 Douglas films presented July 8-Sept. 30 by the UCLA Film and Television Archive and the Hugh M. Hefner Classic American Film Program.
The series opens with "Lust for Life" (1956), which garnered Douglas a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination for his enthralling lead performance in director Vincente Minnelli's lush, eccentric biography of artist Vincent van Gogh.
Douglas is credited for 92 acting roles from 1946 to 2008, among them the blockbusters "Spartacus" (1960), which screens July 30 at 7:30 p.m., and "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1954), screening Aug. 28 at 7:00 p.m. Off-screen, Douglas became a symbol of free speech during the 1950's "red scare" when, in opposition to the Hollywood blacklist, he controversially supported Dalton Trumbo as the credited writer of "Spartacus." He is also the father of the Oscar-winning actor, Michael Douglas.
All screenings take place at the Billy Wilder Theater at the UCLA Hammer Museum.