Kirk Douglas Biography

- Douglas received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981, the French Legion of Honor in 1985 and the National Medal of the Arts in 2001.

- In 1984 Douglas was inducted into the Western performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Musuem in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

- Douglas originally played the central character Randle Patrick McMurphy from ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ on stage. But Douglas’ son Michael gave the film role to Jack Nicholson instead because he thought his father was too old.