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Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch Demsky in Amsterdam, N.Y. in 1916. Born to Russian-Jewish ancestry, Kirk grew up in a poor ghetto. A fine student and a great athlete he was on the wrestling team at St. Lawrence University. He received an acting scholorship and was talented enough to gain entrance into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He only appeared in a handful of minor parts before joining the U.S. Navy in 1941. After the war ended in 1945 Douglas went back to acting. Eventually getting his big break in the movie The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. Unknown to many, Douglas has long been involved in humanitarian causes and has been a Goodwill Ambassador for the U.S. State Department since 1963. His efforts were rewarded in 1981 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 1983 with the Jefferson Award. Furthermore, the French honored him with the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. More recognition followed for his work with the American Cinema Award in 1987, and the German Golden Kamera Award, also in 1987. The National Board of Reviews Career Achievement Award in 1989, an honorary Acedemy Award in 1995, a recipient of the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999, and the UCLA Medal of Honor in 2002. Despite a helicopter crash and a stroke suffered in the 1990's Douglas remains active and continues to film movies.