It took a few years for directors to work out how to cast this striking young man with a dimpled chin, great gnashers, square torso, and a voice as recognisable as Cagney's, but in "Champion" he found both stardom and his theme for many years. That theme was ambition. How you can have it in excess and what happens when you do.
It next popped up in Billy Wilder's caustic film "Ace in the Hole", where Douglas played a hack who exploits a tragic accident for headlines. "Virtue isn't photogenic," said Kirk Douglas, and it was an insight that stuck. He did many westerns and you could trace the contours of his career by looking at them alone. He tried to modernise them - directing one about politics, producing another about modernism - much to the annoyance of John Wayne. He made three films with Judy Garland's ex-husband, Vincent Minnelli - "The Bad and the Beautiful", "Lust for Life", and "Two Weeks in Another Town". This trilogy, more than any, defines Douglas penchant for melodrama and explosive performance style.
After the Kubrick pictures - "Paths of Glory" and "Spartacus" - Kirk Douglas began to be seen as something of a statesman. He was befriended by JFK and became an ambassador for his country. His career may have faltered in the 80s, but his autobiography way outsold those of other stars.
