Eric Anthony Douglas(June 21, 1958 – July 6, 2004) was an American actor andstand-up comedian.[1][2]Douglas was the youngest son of actorKirk Douglasand his second wifeAnne Buydens.His half-brother was actor and producerMichael Douglas.Douglas pursued a career in show business but did not attain the same level of success as his father and siblings. His career was overshadowed by his numerous run-ins with the law and problems with alcohol and drugs.[3]
Eric Douglas | |
---|---|
Born | Eric Anthony Douglas June 21, 1958 Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
Died | July 6, 2004 New York City,U.S. | (aged 46)
Resting place | Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery |
Alma mater | Pitzer College Royal Academy of Dramatic Art London Academy of Dramatic Art |
Occupation(s) | Actor, stand-up comedian |
Years active | 1971–2004 |
Parent(s) | Kirk Douglas Anne Buydens |
Relatives | Peter Douglas(brother) Michael Douglas(half-brother) Joel Douglas(half-brother) Cameron Douglas(half-nephew) |
Early life and education
editDouglas was born inLos Angeles,California, the youngest son of actorKirk Douglas(1916–2020) andGerman AmericanmotherAnne Buydens(1919–2021).[4]His father was Jewish and his mother later converted to Judaism. He was the younger brother ofPeter Douglas,and his older half-brothers areMichaelandJoel Douglas.
Douglas studied atPitzer CollegeinClaremont, California,andRADAandLAMDA,both inLondon.
Career
editActing
editDouglas made his screen debut in 1971 inA Gunfight,starring his father andJohnny Cash.In 1982, Douglas appeared in theNBCtelevision filmRemembrance of Love,also starring his father. Douglas portrayed a younger version of his father's character in flashback scenes.[5]He appeared in several films in the 1980s includingThe Flamingo Kid(1985),Tomboy(1985),The Golden Child(1986), andHonor Bound(1988). In the late 1980s, Douglas performedoff-Broadwayat theVillage GateTheater with the critically acclaimedimprovisational comedytroupeNoo Yawk Tawk.[6]He also appeared in a production ofDale Wasserman'sShakespeare and The Indiansat the Music Theatre Conference for the Eugene O' Neill Theatre Center in 1981. Also in the production was folk performerBobby Bridger,but the production never made it to Broadway.
In 1991, Douglas appeared with his father (in the senior Douglas'sEmmy-nominated performance) in "Yellow", the Season 3 finale of the television seriesTales from the Crypt.The father and son acting duo portrayed father and son characters with Eric a young officer inWorld War Ibrought up on charges of cowardice by his commanding general who is also his cold-hearted father.
Stand-up comedy
editIn the early 1990s, Douglas attempted a career as a stand-up comedian. He performed in New York City comedy clubs with much of his self-deprecating material coming from his status as theblack sheepof the Douglas dynasty.
Douglas entered British comedy folklore when, during a stand-up performance atThe Comedy Store, London,he was angered by the audience's reaction to his stand-up routine. In a moment that would lead to club co-founderDon Wardsaying he had"died on his arse",Douglas shouted "You can't do this to me, I'm Kirk Douglas's son!" A member of the audience then stood up and shouted, "No, I'm Kirk Douglas' son," referring to the iconic "I'm Spartacus"scene of the 1960 film starring Kirk Douglas. This ended up with the majority of the audience standing up and repeating the line.[7]
Personal life
editLegal issues
editDouglas was arrested multiple times throughout the 1990s. One of his first arrests came in 1991 for kicking aBeverly Hillspolice officer.[8]On October 30, 1994, Douglas was arrested in Los Angeles forcocainepossession. Less than a month later, he was arrested forDUIand for leaving the scene of an accident when he crashed into a parked car while trying to leaveThe Comedy StoreinWest Hollywoodafter a fight.[9]In May 1996, Douglas was arrested for possession of a controlled substance when police found eleven vials ofcrack cocaineand 1,085Xanaxpills in hisHell's Kitchen, Manhattanapartment.[10]He pleaded guilty to the charges and was placed on probation and was ordered to complete a drug rehab program.[11]
In August 1996, he was arrested inLong Beach, California,for driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Two days later, Douglas was arrested inNew Canaan, Connecticut,for disorderly conduct after he attempted to kiss a young girl who was a fellow patient atSilver Hill Hospital,a rehab facility he was in at the time.[12]He was cleared of the charges in February 1998.[13]In February 1997, Douglas was arrested for DUI after crashing his rental car into two parked cars.[14]
Drug issues
editIn 2000, Douglas revealed in an interview that he went into an eight-day coma in 1999 after accidentally overdosing onXanax.Douglas recalled, "I was in L.A. sitting around my breakfast table with my dad and I choked on a piece of sausage. But because the pills had taken effect, I was not able to dislodge the sausage from my throat." After the Douglases' maid attempted theHeimlich maneuver,Douglas was taken toCedars-Sinai Medical Centerwhere he fell into a coma. Due to ananoxic brain injury,his speech became slurred and hisgaitwas altered.[15]
In May 2001, Douglas sued his former psychiatrist, Dr. William Leader, claiming that Leader prescribed him a combination of prescription drugs that are lethal when combined with alcohol. Douglas asserted that Leader, who had been treating Douglas for his drug addictions for ten years, failed to consider his alcohol problem when he prescribedVicodin,Klonopin,and Xanax. Douglas claimed the drugs caused him to feel suicidal and also caused an episode ofcardiac arrestwhich led him to require constant care and hospitalization. Douglas sought $50,000 in damages from Leader.[16]
Weeks before his death, Douglas was back in a rehab center inUpstate New York.His parents reportedly visited him and gave him atough loveultimatum regarding his drug use.[17]
In 2009, during an appearance onThe Early Show,Kirk Douglas told interviewerJulie Chenthat he and his wife had taken Eric to "20 rehab centers" over the years and that "nothing helped".[18]
Death
editOn July 6, 2004, a maid found Douglas's body in hisManhattanapartment.[4]An autopsy and toxicology report later determined that his death was caused by "acute intoxication" from the combined effects of alcohol,tranquilizers,andpainkillers.Douglas's death was ruledaccidental.[19][20]He isinterredinPierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuaryin theWestwoodsection of Los Angeles, California. His father was later interred with him in 2020 and his mother was interred with them in 2021.[21]
Filmography
editYear | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1971 | A Gunfight | Bud Tenneray | |
1979 | The White Shadow | Student | Episode: "Albert Hodges" |
1979 | The Spy Who Did It Better | Bellboy | |
1982 | Remembrance of Love | Young Joe Rabin | TV movie |
1984 | The Flamingo Kid | Donny | |
1985 | Tomboy | Ernie Leeds Jr. | |
1986 | The Golden Child | Yellow Dragon | |
1987 | Student Confidential | Johnny Warshetsky | |
1987 | Highway to Heaven | Rhett Clark | Episode: "Playing for Keeps" |
1988 | La belle Anglaise | Eric | Episode: "Une vie de chien" |
1988 | Honor Bound | Lamarr | |
1991 | Delta Force 3: The Killing Game | Sam | |
1991 | Tales from the Crypt | Lt. Martin Kalthrob | Episode: "Yellow" |
1993 | The Alaska Kid | Eric | Miniseries |
2001 | Circuit Surgery | Eric | Short |
2007 | The Words Left Unsaid | Mordor | Short, (final film role) Released posthumously |
References
edit- ^Edemariam, Aida (July 9, 2004)."The lost son".The Guardian.London.Retrieved2008-07-03.
- ^"Kirk Douglas's youngest son dies".BBC News.July 7, 2004.Retrieved2008-07-03.
- ^"Other Obituaries: Eric Douglas".The Telegraph-Herald.2004-07-07. p. 2C.Retrieved10 December2012.
- ^abSilverman, Stephen M. (2007-07-07)."Kirk Douglas's Son Eric Found Dead".People.Retrieved28 December2010.
- ^Bianculli, David (1982-12-01)."Actor's next role is close to his heart".Boca Raton News.p. 6C.Retrieved10 December2012.
- ^Where Audiences Participate In Improvisational Comedy,by Stephen Holden
- ^"The Comedy Store at 30".BBC.2009-06-09.Retrieved10 December2012.
- ^"Kirk Douglas' son arrested for kicking a police officer".Eugene Register-Guard.1991-08-10. p. 2A.Retrieved10 December2012.
- ^"Eric Douglas arrested for drunk driving".Daily News.1994-11-23. p. 2.Retrieved10 December2012.
- ^"Eric Douglas arrested on a drug charge".Reading Eagle.1996-05-23. pp. B8.Retrieved10 December2012.
- ^"Eric Douglas".Lodi News-Sentinel.1997-05-07. p. 7.Retrieved10 December2012.
- ^"Douglas in court".The Bryan Times.1998-02-04.Retrieved10 December2012.
- ^"Douglas' son cleared of harassment charges".The Deseret News.1998-02-12. p. A2.Retrieved10 December2012.
- ^"Eric Douglas Arrested for auto accident".Herald-Journal.1997-02-11. pp. A–2.Retrieved10 December2012.
- ^Rush, George;Molloy, Joanna;Baker, K.C. (12 March 2000)."Coma Woe Unites Eric & Kirk".Nydailynews.com.Archived fromthe originalon 30 January 2013.Retrieved10 December2012.
- ^AFP(30 May 2001)."Kirk Douglas son sues psychiatrist".Philippine Daily Inquirer.p. A31.Retrieved10 December2012.
- ^Nichols, Adam;Rush, George;Hutchinson, Bill; Lebovich, Jennifer."Kirk Douglas Crushed By Son's Death".Nydailynews.com.Archived fromthe originalon 30 January 2013.Retrieved10 December2012.
- ^"Kirk & Anne Douglas: A True Inspiration".Cbsnews.com.7 April 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 19 January 2013.Retrieved10 December2012.
- ^"Eric Douglas death called overdose".Los Angeles Times.2004-08-11.Retrieved10 December2012.
- ^"Douglas son 'died accidentally'".BBC.2004-08-10.Retrieved28 December2010.
- ^"Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones and More Attend Kirk Douglas' Funeral 2 Days After His Death".
External links
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