Celebrity profile
Michael Douglas
Oscar-winning star of Wall Street and producer of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
- BornSeptember 25, 1944
- FromNew Brunswick, New Jersey
- Known forWall Street · The Kominsky Method
Photo: Jan Beránek · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The story
Michael Douglas is an American actor and film producer, the elder son of Kirk Douglas and Diana Dill. He won his first Academy Award as a producer, when One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest took Best Picture, and his second as Best Actor for playing Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. He first broke through on TV in The Streets of San Francisco, then starred in Romancing the Stone, Fatal Attraction, The War of the Roses, Basic Instinct, Falling Down and Traffic. Later came an Emmy for playing Liberace in Behind the Candelabra, a Golden Globe for Netflix’s The Kominsky Method, and Hank Pym in Marvel’s Ant-Man films. A United Nations Messenger of Peace since 1998 and a longtime voice for nuclear disarmament, he has been married to Catherine Zeta-Jones since 2000. He said in 2025 that he was largely retired from acting, and in October 2026 he published his memoir, One Helluva Ride.
Facts checked against Wikipedia, Wikidata and the publisher’s page for his memoir. Sources are listed below.
Career highlights
Stars opposite Karl Malden on ABC’s The Streets of San Francisco (1972–1976), earning three straight Emmy nominations.
Produces One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, after getting the rights from his father; it wins the Oscar for Best Picture.
Produces and stars in The China Syndrome; the Three Mile Island accident happens 12 days after it opens.
Produces and stars in Romancing the Stone, which propels him to fame.
Wins the Best Actor Oscar as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street, the same year as Fatal Attraction.
Named a United Nations Messenger of Peace, focusing on disarmament.
Stars in Traffic and Wonder Boys, and marries Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Wins an Emmy playing Liberace in HBO’s Behind the Candelabra.
First plays Hank Pym in Ant-Man.
Stars in Netflix’s The Kominsky Method, which brings him a Golden Globe.
Receives an Honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Publishes his memoir One Helluva Ride on October 6.
Movies & TV: top 5
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975, producer)
- Wall Street (1987)
- Fatal Attraction (1987)
- Basic Instinct (1992)
- The Kominsky Method (2018–2021)
Seen on
Verified appearances and mentions on the shows MyShowNotes covers. We link an episode once its notes are live.
His memoir
One Helluva RideGrand Central Publishing, October 6, 2026Amazon
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Find Michael on
Related celebrities
Joe RoganComedian and host of The Joe Rogan Experience