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Michael Douglas says his father, Kirk Douglas, gave him $10,000 when he was 21 and told him he was on his own.
During an appearance Thursday on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” the actor discussed his new memoir, “One Helluva Ride.” Kimmel noted that Kirk had appeared on the show 19 years earlier to promote one of his many memoirs.
“I was 21 years old. He said, ‘Son,’ and he wrote me a check, $10,000. He said, ‘Okay, you’re on your own.’ And I said, ‘Well, that’s great, Dad, but I mean, I got you—I got two years of college left. Dad, I’m happy. I really appreciate it, but you know, there’s tuitions and things like that,’” Michael recalled.
Kirk Douglas gave Michael Douglas $10,000 when he was 21 and told him he was on his own. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for AFI)
Years later, Kirk would point to that moment when talking to his younger sons, Michael said.
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“Your brother, he never asked for anything. You know, I gave him that money, $10,000. That was it. Never asked for anything,” Kirk would tell them, according to Michael.
Kirk Douglas and Michael Douglas in 1950. (Silver Screen)
The “Basic Instinct” star also shared a story about a Christmas gift from his father: two Italian leather suitcases. While in college, Michael realized each one could hold “22 kilos of marijuana.”
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“I always felt bad about that. I could have got a loan, I guess, but that was how I brought them back to New York,” he said.
After years of being held up as the example, Michael eventually told his brothers about his suitcase scheme.
Kirk Douglas and Michael Douglas in 2011. (Getty Images)
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Kirk was a Hollywood star best known for movies including “Spartacus,” “Lust for Life” and “Paths of Glory.” Born Issur Danielovitch, he died Feb. 5, 2020, at age 103. He had four sons: Michael and Joel with his first wife, Diana Dill, and Peter and Eric with his second wife, Anne Buydens. Eric died in 2004.
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Michael followed in his father’s footsteps and made a name for himself in Hollywood. He won an Academy Award for his performance as Gordon Gekko in “Wall Street” and produced “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” which won the Oscar for best picture.
Michael Douglas was an Academy Award for “Wall Street.” (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
Michael’s other notable movies include “Fatal Attraction,” “Basic Instinct” and “Romancing the Stone.”
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