“Michael Douglas’ Son Stuns as a Grown-Up Heartthrob”
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have gone through a lot of ups and downs. Their lives have changed a great deal since they moved between the U.S. and Bermuda, along with their children Dylan Douglas and Cary Zeta-Douglas. Overcoming the pressure of being the son of a Hollywood actor and grandson of Kirk Douglas, another famous celebrity – it is commendable to see the 23-year-old Dylan Douglas carving out a niche for himself. His success was hugely supported by his parents, who took a brave step of moving to Bermuda and allowed him to have the best childhood possible.
On September 25, 1944, Michael Douglas was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to Hollywood actors Diana and Kirk Douglas. His parents got divorced when he was six years old, and Douglas saw his father only during holidays.
As a child, Michael Douglas went to the Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts, and later on attended the Choate School, an elite private academy. Douglas developed an interest in show
business at a very young age. He spent a lot of time with his father Kirk Douglas on film sets over the summers, and even as a teenager, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become an actor. Douglas requested his dad to find him some suitable acting roles.
Kirk Douglas being a protective father didn’t want either of his sons to get entangled in the baffling world of the film industry, but Michael Douglas had made up his mind and was unstoppable. Michael turned down the offer to study at Yale University and instead moved to California and enrolled himself at the University of California Santa Barbara.
While in California, he continued to persuade his father Kirk of that one opportunity that could open the doors of Hollywood for him. Finally, he bagged his first acting assignment in 1966.
A Star on the Rise
Michael Douglas made a debut in the role of an uncredited driver in Cast a Giant Shadow, where he shared screen space with his father.
“I was fortunate to grow up and watch how my father behaved – how Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, and Frank Sinatra were at the house all the time,” Michael Douglas said on The Talk. “You see stars with their insecurities and how they conduct themselves, so I think that’s kept me level.”
After he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in 1968, Douglas moved to New York City to pursue his childhood dream of becoming an actor. Douglas received his training at the American Place Theatre and the Neighborhood Playhouse. During this period he landed some roles as a lead actor and also performed in off-Broadway productions
Making a Mark in Hollywood
Even before his first feat as a feature film artist, Michael Douglas played a small role in the television series The F.B.I. His work impressed the producer Quinn Martin who offered Douglas his breakthrough role in the new cop series The Streets of San Francisco. The program first aired in 1972 on prime time, and became one of A.B.C.‘s highest-rated series ensuring Douglas 3 Emmy Award Nominations for his performance. He was also the director for 2 episodes in the series, giving him an insight of his future stint in showbiz
In 1975, Douglas went on to produce the classic One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a movie that is considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. The film won five Academy Awards, including the Best Picture Award for Douglas himself. By now Douglas was one the most sought after producers and directors. His next production The China Syndrome (1979) where he starred opposite Jane Fonda won even more Academy Award nominations and was lauded as one of the best films of the year by the National Board of Review.
Michael Douglas emerged as one of the leading Hollywood stars following his portrayal of Gordon Gecko in Wall Street (1987), Falling Down (1993), and The Game (1997).
Michael Douglas meets his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones
This was the time when he met the love of his life, Catherine Zeta-Jones. He had become her admirer even before they met.
She caught his eye when he watched a screening of her then-upcoming movie The Mask of Zorro. “I’m watching this movie, and I go, ‘Wow, who is this girl? She’s incredible,’ ” Douglas recalled.
The two Hollywood biggies finally met in 1996 at the Deauville Film Festival.
Michael Douglas knew that he’d just found his soulmate. But what he said next could have ended in a complete disaster. “I said to her after about half an hour, ‘You know, I’m going to be the father of your children,’ ” Douglas recalled on The Jonathan Ross Show, as quoted by E! News. “It sounded good, and she said, ‘You know, I’ve heard a lot about you and I’ve seen a lot about you, and I think it’s time I say goodnight.’ ”
The couple dated for about nine months and then started thinking about their future together.
“He certainly didn’t want me as an ex- girlfriend on his list, and I certainly didn’t want ‘Michael Douglas’ as an ex-boyfriend on my list,” she said. “We looked at each other one day and said, ‘We’re having a lot of fun together.’ ”
Douglas and Zeta-Jones have a 25-year age difference, which meant that their relationship was soon all over the media. But they didn’t care about what the world said; their love for each other was strong. On December 31, 1999, Douglas proposed to Zeta-Jones at his home in Aspen, Colorado
Dylan Douglas
In August 2000, the pair welcomed their first child, Dylan Douglas. Dylan was Catherine Zeta-Jones’s first child, and Douglas’s second. His first son was Cameron who was born in 1978 to his then-wife Diana Luker.
In 2003 Zeta-Jones and Douglas were blessed with their second child – daughter Carys Zeta-Douglas. Their marriage, like any other, has also been through a lot of obstacles, but in the end, their love beat all the odds. Now, their little ones are not so little anymore and Dylan Douglas has opted for an entirely different career than that of his parents.
At just 23 years of age, Dylan Douglas has had the fortune of living in several different places already. He has all the makings of an adventurer.
Dylan Douglas’s diagnosis
Because Dylan couldn’t read till the age of five, Zeta-Jones and Douglas decided to move back to New York where he could attend a special school. He was enrolled at the Windward School, which specializes in accomodating students with Dyslexia.
The following years were a difficult time for the Douglas family. While Dylan was settling into his new school, his half-brother, Cameron Douglas, was sentenced to seven years in prison for drug dealing offenses, according to Variety. That following year, Michael Douglas was diagnosed with stage IV oral cancer and underwent an eight-week course of chemotherapy and radiation. While the star eventually pulled through, the stress of his diagnosis proved to be too much for his wife Zeta-Jones to handle. According to the Guardian, a spokesperson for the actress told the public in a 2011 statement that Zeta-Jones had checked herself into a mental health facility for bipolar disorder treatment.
