Kirk Douglas is a actor.
Kirk Douglas ( born Issur Danielovitch , December 9 , 1916 ) is an American actor , producer , director , and author . Douglas became an international star through positive reception for his leading role as an unscrupulous boxing hero in Champion ( 1949 ) , which brought him his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor . He received a second Oscar nomination for his dramatic role in The Bad and the Beautiful ( 1952 ) , opposite Lana Turner , and his third nomination for portraying Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life ( 1956 ) . The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is a film noir released in the United States in 1946 , starring Barbara Stanwyck , Van Heflin , Lizabeth Scott and featuring Kirk Douglas in his film debut .