Wednesday was a sad day for the entertainment industry. Iconic Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, star of classic Hollywood films such as Spartacus and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and father of actor Michael Douglas, died at the age of 103. The news was shared by Michael, who spoke for the Douglas family about the loss of not just the beloved actor, but a man who was a humanitarian as well.
"It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103," Michael said in a statement to People. "To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to. But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband."
Douglas had a long, and impressive career and was nominated three times for best actor by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1996. Over the course of his career, Douglas appeared in more than 80 movies before his retirement in 2004, leaving behind a cinematic legacy that has left indelible marks across not just film and television, but other forms of media as well.
As news of his death began to circulate on Wednesday, celebrities began taking to social media to honor the man who wasn't just a film icon but was also known for standing up for his beliefs, including his pushback against McCarthy Era blacklisting in Hollywood by starring in 1960's Spartacus, a film written by the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo.
Read on for how celebrities are remembering the late, great Kirk Douglas.
(Photo: John Kobal Foundation / Getty Images)