Kirk Douglas Trivia Quiz

Answer: Issur Danielovitch

Kirk was born Issur Danielovitch in New York of Russian immigrant parents in 1916, and changed his name to Isadore Demsky before changing it again to Kirk Douglas. Mladen Sekulovich is Karl Malden's birth name. Malden appeared with Michael Douglas on the television series "Streets of San Francisco". Emanuel Goldenberg became Edward G. Robinson and Maurice Micklewhite is better known to film audiences as Michael Caine.

Answer: Cast a Giant Shadow

Michael was 22 when he had a bit part in 1966 as a jeep driver in "Cast a Giant Shadow". His 'official' film debut came three years later in "Hail, Hero".

Answer: Spartacus

Although "Spartacus" is often considered Kirk's best role and the movie itself received six Oscar nominations, winning four (including Best Supporting Actor for Peter Ustinov), the film was shut out in the major categories and was not nominated for Best Picture, Director or Screenplay, nor was Kirk himself nominated. Kirk did finally receive an Honorary Oscar in 1996 for his body of work.

Answer: Bix Beiderbecke

Although Kirk's role in "Young Man with a Horn" is based on the life of jazz musician Bix Beiderbecke, his character in the film is called Rick Martin. Kirk had a cameo role as George S. Patton in "Is Paris Burning?" Two of his best known roles were Vincent Van Gogh in "Lust for Life" and Doc Holliday in "Gunfight at the OK Corral".

Answer: Burt Lancaster

Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas co-starred in seven different movies ("I Walk Alone", "Gunfight at the OK Corral", "The Devil's Disciple", "The List of Adrian Messenger", "Seven Days in May", "Tough Guys" and the made-for-TV movie "Victory at Entebbe").

The most unusual of these pairings was "The List of Adrian Messenger", in which Kirk played a murderer who was also a master of disguise, and Burt had a cameo appearance as a middle-aged woman. Kirk appeared with John Wayne and Robert Mitchum three times each and with Henry Fonda twice.

Answer: Seven Days in May

In "Seven Days in May" the Joint Chiefs of Staff, led by their chairman (Burt Lancaster), plan a military coup because the feel the President of the United States (Fredric March) is too weak. Kirk plays Burt Lancaster's top aide who figures out what is going on and tries to stop it.

The film was directed by John Frankenheimer, who had earlier directed "The Manchurian Candidate", from a screenplay by Rod Serling.

Answer: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

Kirk played the captain of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, which winds up going through a time warp and emerging in the waters off Hawaii on December 6, 1941. Kirk orders his aircraft to intercept the Japanese attack force but is eventually unsuccessful when the Nimitz is returned to the present day.

Answer: Newspaper reporter

"Ace in the Hole" was a commercial failure when first released but has since been widely acclaimed as a very prescient look at sleazy journalism. Kirk plays a down-on-his-luck reporter who stumbles onto a big story, a miner trapped in a cave-in. He manipulates the local authorities into delaying the rescue and putting the miner in greater jeopardy in order to get increasingly dramatic exclusive stories.

Answer: Lonely are the Brave

Kirk finds out a pal of his has been arrested and lets himself be arrested as well in order to break the friend out of jail. When the friend refuses to go, Kirk escapes by himself and finds himself the object of a huge manhunt. Walter Matthau plays the sheriff, who is somewhat sympathetic to Douglas's plight.

A good bit of the film's plot was mirrored in the first Rambo movie "First Blood". Kirk was actually signed to play Richard Crenna's role in "First Blood" but dropped out of the project due to differences over the final script.

Answer: Elizabeth Montgomery

Kirk got a Golden Globe nomination for his role in this taut drama, which has been compared by some critics to "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Ironically, Kirk originated the role of Randall McMurphy in the stage production of "Cuckoo's Nest" and owned the film rights.

He tried unsuccessfully for a number of years to get the film made with himself in the lead role. When the film was eventually made in 1975, Kirk was too old for the role, which earned Jack Nicholson his first Oscar. Kirk turned the producers' reins for "Cuckoo's Nest" over to son Michael Douglas (and Saul Zaentz) and the movie won five Oscars, including Best Picture.