"Career definitely went first" — Michael Douglas reveals his relationship with father Kirk Douglas was not good in the beginning

American actor and film producer Michael Douglas recently opened up about the difficult relationship he had with his father, Kirk Douglas, and how it changed over the course of their lives.

On May 3, 2024, the 79-year-old appeared on an episode of Who's Talking to Chris Wallace? on MAX. When the host asked the actor about life with the famous Kirk Douglas, he responded:

"It was different stages. It was not particularly good in the beginning, probably it was just because of the amount of work that he was doing. He just — career definitely went first before family."

Michael then noted that their bond improved as he got older. Kirk Douglas passed away on February 5, 2020, at the age of 103.

Michael Douglas recalls relationship with father Kirk Douglas

Michael Douglas was born on September 25, 1944, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States to parents Kirk and Diana Douglas. He is famous for his roles in the the Ant-Man franchise, Wall Street, Fatal Attraction, Wonder Boys, and Behind the Candelabra.

On Friday, the actor appeared on the show Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?, where he addressed his bond with his father Kirk Douglas. The late actor and filmmaker made his film debut in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers in 1946 and soon became a leading box-office star of the 1950s.

Michael Douglas shared that although their relationship was not good in the beginning, it changed later on. He said:

"But then in the sort of third act of his career, I think the second act, he was a little stunned that I was having a certain degree of success. It is a reminder for me now as I’m into my third act that we can change. And we were very close. So I'm happy to say that by the time he was ending his life and before that, the last 15, 20 years, were a joy to be with him."

Michael Douglas also opened up about living in the shadows of his father's successful career when he began his career in the late 1960s. Wallace asked Michael during the show whether he measured his own success in Hollywood against Kirk's.

The host also pointed out how he followed his own father, the late journalist Mike Wallace, into his profession. In response, the actor noted:

"It wasn't necessarily that I was doing it, but you'd be working with people [and] they'd go, ‘It's just like your father. Your father does that, it's just really like your father.’ And, of course, we're in a career where you're trying to create your own identity. I said, 'Yeah, I get from my father half my expressions,'. So it took me a long time to sort of create my own identity."

Michael Douglas has received several accolades throughout his career, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and more. Back in April, he made an appearance on Sirius XM's The Jess Cagle Show with Julia Cunningham.

The Basic Instinct actor said he did not truly feel he achieved success in Hollywood until 1987, nearly two decades into his acting career. Douglas explained:

"I didn't really feel it until the year of Fatal Attraction and Wall Street together. The commercial success of Fatal Attraction and winning the Oscar for Wall Street sort of finally got me free of that shadow, and I think that was a big moment."

Michael Douglas shares one son, Cameron, with his ex Diandra Luker. He also has two children Dylan and Carys, with his wife, the Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.

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