Kirk Douglas to Be Included in Oscars In Memoriam

By Brent Lang

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Kirk Douglas will be included in the “in memoriam” section of this year’s Academy Awards. His death on Wednesday at the age of 103 led to an outpouring of tributes across Hollywood.

It also resulted in some last minute edits to the “in memoriam” package, which had been completed, but was edited to include the screen icon. It’s unclear if the Oscars will have any additional tributes to one of the last members of Hollywood’s golden age.

Given Douglas’ stature in the industry, it’s unsurprising that the Academy has modified the “in memoriam” section to include the actor. However, in the past, the organization has faced blowback for failing to include major filmmakers and performers in its list of the departed. In 2019, the were criticized for ignoring “Singin’ in the Rain” director Stanley Donen, Oscar-nominee Sondra Locke, and Oscar-nominee Carol Channing in the “in memoriam” reel.

Douglas’ resume included roles in classics such as “Paths of Glory,” “Spartacus,” “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral,” and “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” He is also credited with helping to end the Hollywood Black List when he hired Dalton Trumbo to write the screenplay for “Spartacus” and gave the blacklisted writer, who had been crafting scripts under pseudonyms, a credit.

Douglas was nominated for three Oscars over the course of his career. He was recognized for “Champion,” “The Bad and the Beautiful,” and “Lust for Life,” and received an honorary Academy Award in 1996. Douglas’ son, Michael Douglas, earned an Oscar for “Wall Street” and starred in such films as “Basic Instinct” and “Fatal Attraction.”