Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, whose
acting career spanned seven decades, has died at the age of 103.
Kirk Douglas, a stage and screen
actor, was well-known for a range of roles, including the 1960 classic
Spartacus, in which he played the titular character.
Born in New York in 1916, Kirk
Douglas rose to prominence during Hollywood’s “golden age”, earning
his first Oscar nomination for the 1949 film
Champion.
The legendary actor was also the father of Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas.
Michael Douglas said in a statement:
“It is with tremendous sadness that my
brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today.”
“To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the
golden age of movies… but to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply
Dad,” the statement read.
“Let me end with the words I told him on his last
birthday and which will always remain true. Dad – I love you so much and I am
so proud to be your son.”
Michael Douglas’s wife and Kirk’s
daughter-in-law, Welsh actress Catherine Zeta Jones, posted a photo of the two
together, writing: “I shall love you
for the rest of my life. I miss you already.”
Kirk Douglas was prolific as a film actor, with more than 90 credits to his
name – ranging from the 1940s to the 2000s.
He is perhaps best-known for Spartacus,
a Stanley Kubrick film which won four Oscars and was so popular that its iconic
“I am Spartacus” scene entered the pop cultural lexicon.
Kirk Douglas was himself nominated for an Oscar three times – for Champion (1949), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), and Lust for Life (1956). He eventually won the honorary award in 1996
in recognition of his 50 years in the industry.
The actor faced difficulties in his personal life. He narrowly survived a
helicopter crash in 1991 that left two people dead. Five years later, he
suffered a major stroke that affected his speech.
In 2004, his son Eric died at the age of 46 of an accidental drug overdose.
In his later years, Kirk Douglas turned his attention to charity. He donated millions of dollars to charitable causes and helped fund an Alzheimer’s unit at a retirement home in Los Angeles.
Michael Douglas has been accused of harassment more than a week after he issued a pre-emptive denial of the claims.
His former employee, author and journalist Susan Braudy, said the actor’s alleged treatment left her feeling “humiliated”.
Susan Braudy’ claims include that he performed an act in front of her.
Michael Douglas responded by saying: “This is a complete lie, fabrication, no truth in it whatsoever.”
The actor’s statement came 10 days before Susan Braudy’s allegations were published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Michael Douglas explained he “felt the need to get ahead” of the situation and share his concerns about the “nightmare” scenario.
Susan Braudy worked for Michael Douglas’s company Stonebridge Productions in the late 1980s.
She claims he used inappropriate language in front of her, including openly discussing extra-marital affairs, while she was running the company’s New York office.
Susan Braudy also alleges that Michael Douglas commented about her body, which made her then wear loose, dark clothing.
“I realized he thought he could do anything he wanted because he was so much more powerful than I was,” she said, adding that she ran home and vowed to never be alone with him again.
Susan Braudy finished working for the actor in 1989.
Michael Douglas, who originally spoke to Deadline, said: “I pride myself on my reputation in this business, not to mention the long history of my father and everything else.
“I don’t have skeletons in my closet, or anyone else who’s coming out or saying this. I’m bewildered why, after 32 years, this is coming out, now.”
The actor also claimed there is no evidence against him and he feared that such accusations could set back the #MeToo movement that has grown in the wake of the Hollywood harassment scandal.
Michael Douglas said: “Being accused, without a chance [to defend yourself] in court. To not even really have the information in front of you, to be able to argue or defend yourself.
“There is no due process, no chance of seeing evidence in front of me from my accuser. It worries me.”
Susan Braudy told The Hollywood Reporter she was not surprised by the way Michael Douglas had issued his denial.
She claimed the manner in which he did so was “part of the problem, as is his pretext of victimization”.
Susan Braudy added: “These are some reasons why so many women don’t come forward with their stories – Lord knows it’s taken 30 years and a movement for me to gather my courage.”
Val Kilmer has denied he has cancer after Michael Douglas claimed his former co-star is ill.
“I love Michael Douglas but he is misinformed,” Val Kilmer wrote in a Facebook post.
Las week, Michael Douglas claimed that Val Kilmer was “dealing with” throat cancer – the same ailment that Douglas was diagnosed with in 2010.
Val Kilmer, however, said he was “rehabbing steadily” from “a swollen tongue” and had “no cancer whatsoever”.
“The last time I spoke to [Michael Douglas] was almost two years ago, when I asked him for a referral for a specialist to get a diagnosis for a lump in my throat,” he wrote.
Image source Facebook
“I ended up using a team at UCLA [University of California, Los Angeles] and have no cancer whatsoever,” the 56-year-old continued.
Following Michael Douglas’s comments, it was reported that Val Kilmer had been reluctant to seek medical treatment due to his Christian Science faith.
Many Christian Scientists believe that diseases can be healing with prayer, although the church does not forbid adherents seeking medical aid.
In his post, Val Kilmer said “concerns about [his] health” had been raised “by publications that have no respect for the truth”.
The actor added: “Some fans have mistakenly thought my silence about my personal issues meant that somehow I wasn’t being responsible to my health, because of my reliance on prayer and Love.
“Nothing could be further from the truth… Being healthy and having the respect of my peers and love from my family, friends, peers and fans is a DAILY source of inspiration, for which I am so grateful.”
Val Kilmer described Michael Douglas as “a loving and devoted friend”, adding: “I’m sure he meant no harm.”
He said he would be making personal appearances later this month at screenings of Cinema Twain, a film of his one-man play about author Mark Twain.
Val Kilmer’s post follows a number of Facebook messages last year in which he assured fans he had “no tumor or infection of any kind”.
British filmmaker Edgar Wright has decided to pull out of directing Marvel’s Ant-Man.
Edgar Wright said in a joint statement that he and the studio had differences over their vision for the film and had made an “amicable” decision to part ways.
Marvel announced in 2012 that it had asked Edgar Wright to bring its smallest superhero to the screen.
Edgar Wright has decided to pull out of directing Marvel’s Ant-Man
Edgar Wright’s credits include The World’s End, Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
The change in director for Ant-Man won’t affect the film’s release date, which is set for July 2015.
Marvel says a new director will be announced shortly.
Michael Douglas, 69, confirmed he had a role in Ant-Man earlier this year.
He will play Henry “Hank” Pym, the creator of the technology used to shrink a human to the size of an insect.
Hank Pym first appeared in the 27th issue of Marvel Comics series Tales to Astonish in January 1962.
Anchorman star Paul Rudd, 44, is playing the part of Scott Lang, Ant-Man‘s alter-ego.
Marvel, which is owned by Disney, has had success at the box office in recent years with films such as Avengers and Iron Man 3 making $1 billion worldwide.
Michael Douglas will star as Hank Pym in the upcoming Marvel superhero film, Ant-Man.
Michael Douglas, 69, will play Henry “Hank” Pym, the creator of the technology used to shrink a human to the size of an insect.
Anchorman star Paul Rudd, 44, has already announced that he will be playing the part of Scott Lang, Ant-Man’s alter-ego.
“I’ve been dying to do a Marvel picture for so long,” said Michael Douglas.
“The script is really fun, the director is really good. Dylan [the actor’s 13-year-old son] will love it. He’ll have a picture he can see.”
Hank Pym first appeared in the 27th issue of Marvel Comics series Tales to Astonish in January 1962.
Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, said in a statement posted on Marvel.com that Michael Douglas will play Hank Pym with “charm and fortitude”.
Michael Douglas will star as Hank Pym in the upcoming Marvel superhero film, Ant-Man
On Sunday, Michael Douglas won a Golden Globe award for his role as the pianist Liberace in the HBO movie Behind the Candelabra.
“Sometimes – like [when] they didn’t see you for Liberace – you’ve got to shake them up a little bit and have some fun,” he said of surprising audiences with his decision to do a superhero film.
Ant-Man is due to be released in cinemas in July next year and will be directed by Edgar Wright.
Edgar Wright is best known for directing the trilogy Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End.
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones reunited once again.
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones spent the holidays skiing with their two children on New Year’s Day, just four months after announcing their separation.
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones spent the holidays skiing with their two children on New Year’s Day
Michael Douglas has revealed why he lied to the press about the type of cancer he had.
The 69-year-old actor explained that he discussed the cancer with his surgeon and decided to mislead the press about the type of cancer he had.
“This was right before I had to go on a big tour for Wall Street 4 so we kinda said there’s no way we can cancel the tour and say we don’t feel well,” Michael Douglas said.
“You gotta tell them, so you know, I said you just gotta come out and just tell them I’ve got cancer and that’s that.”
“But, the surgeon said let’s just say it’s throat cancer. I said <<OK, you don’t want to say it’s tongue cancer, why’s that?>> and he said <<well, if you really wanna know why, if we do have to have surgery it’s not gonna be pretty>>.
“You’ll lose part of your jaw and your tongue and all of that stuff. So I said, <<OK sure>>.”
Michael Douglas spoke to fellow thespian Samuel L. Jackson about how he felt when he found out he had the disease on Thursday’s This Morning show.
Michael Douglas spoke to fellow thespian Samuel L. Jackson about how he felt when he found out he had the disease on Thursday’s This Morning show
“I will never forget it… I had an inkling… particularly when I saw the look on his face when he pushed my tongue down. It kind of all rushes over you, you get a little numb, very numb.”
A further blow came for Michael Douglas when he discovered the severity of his cancer when he was diagnosed in August 2010.
“I said <<Stage four?>>…And that’s where I got a little scared,” Michael Douglas confessed.
On a special Male Cancer Awareness Week episode of the show in association with One for the Boys, Michael Douglas talked about how the diagnosis affected his children.
“The kids were great. They saw me have the radiation. I found the more they knew the better it was, what scares you is not knowing,” he explained.
“I looked pretty weird and I lost a lot of weight and I sat my kids down when there was some stupid tabloid stories and I said <<guys, I want you to know in case you hear at school that their might me stories coming out about your mummy and I…>> and my thirteen-year-old son Dylan said <<you mean like the story when you had three weeks to live, Dad?>> And I said <<yeah, like that one Dylan!>>.”
Michael Douglas also spoke about his current health.
“I was having checks every three months, then you go to six months, and just before I got here I had my last check up and I passed two years and I’m clean. And with my type of cancer if you’re clean after two years, there’s a 95 percent chance of it not coming back.”
Michael Douglas made his message clear to other men.
“Guys… you look at your body every day, you know every mole and everything that’s there. If you see something that looks a little strange or you feel a bump somewhere, check it out. Please.
“I made that mistake and I don’t want to see you do it.”
Michael Douglas, winner of the trophy for best actor in a miniseries or movie for playing Liberace in HBO’s Behind The Candelabra, closed his speech with a reference to his son Cameron who is serving a lengthy prison term for various drug crimes.
The actor said he hoped “they allow me to see him soon”.
It came in a no-holds-barred speech, which saw Michael Douglas cover everything from smutty jokes to thanking his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones for “her support”, despite their separation.
Backstage, Michael Douglas explained it will be another year before he can visit 34 year-old Cameron.
“I’m questioning the system,” he said.
Michael Douglas won Emmy award for best actor in a miniseries or movie for playing Liberace in HBO’s Behind The Candelabra
“At first I was certainly disappointed with my son, but I’ve reached a point now where I’m disappointed with the system.”
Cameron Douglas was convicted in 2010 of selling methamphetamine.
A judge nearly doubled his sentence after he was found guilty of repeatedly breaking prison rules by arranging to get drugs.
Cameron Douglas is scheduled for release in 2018.
“If you happen to have a slip, they punish you,” Michael Douglas said.
“In my son’s case, he has spent almost two years in solitary confinement.”
Michael Douglas said he’s optimistic Attorney General Eric Holder might change laws involving non-violent drug offenders.
From the stage, Michael Douglas also thanked his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones “for your support”.
That was an attention-getter following the announcement last month that the couple was taking “some time apart to evaluate and work on their marriage”.
Catherine Zeta-Jones did not accompany her husband to the Emmys. She was in China this weekend.
Apart from his emotional moments, Michael Douglas also let a few jokes slip out.
“This is a two-hander, and Matt, you’re only as good as your other hand,” he jokes, referring to co-star Matt Damon, who was also nominated for the gong.
“So I can say you were magnificent. You really deserve half of this.
“You want the bottom or the top. The top? I figure that.”
Michael Douglas and co-star Matt Damon also took to the stage during the awards show where they paid tribute to Liberace and introduced a performance by Sir Elton John.
Behind the Candelabra has topped this year’s Emmy awards, held in Los Angeles on Sunday.
The Liberace biopic, shown on the cable network HBO in the US, won three awards including best TV movie and a best actor award for Michael Douglas.
Breaking Bad was named best drama, while Modern Family took the leading comedy award for the fourth time.
Claire Danes took the best actress prize for her role in Homeland.
Accepting his first ever Emmy award, Michael Douglas thanked his family and his wife, Catherine Zeta Jones.
Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas, who have been married for 13 years, announced last month that they were “taking time apart”.
Michael Douglas also thanked his co-star, fellow nominee Matt Damon.
“You’re magnificent,” he said.
The actor added: “The only reason I’m standing here is because of you.”
It was the second consecutive Primetime Emmy award win for Claire Danes in the leading actress category for her portrayal of troubled CIA officer Carrie Mathison in Homeland.
Claire Danes paid tribute to Henry Brommell, one of the writers of the critically acclaimed series, who died in March and received a writing award posthumously during the ceremony.
Behind The Candelabra won three Emmy awards including best TV movie and a best actor award for Michael Douglas
Her co-star, British actor Damian Lewis lost out in the lead actor category to Jeff Daniels, who was the surprise winner for his role in The Newsroom.
It was the first ever Emmy nomination and win for Jeff Daniels, who plays self-righteous news anchor Will McAvoy.
Jeff Daniels beat stiff competition from Kevin Spacey, nominated for House of Cards, Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm and Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston, who was widely tipped to take the coveted accolade.
As well as taking the top honor of best drama series, Breaking Bad was also successful in the supporting actress category, with Anna Gunn winning ahead of Downton Abbey‘s Maggie Smith and Mad Men‘s Elisabeth Moss.
Anna Gunn, who plays Skyler White in the hit show, dedicated the win to her daughters.
Best supporting actor in a drama series went to Bobby Cannavale for Boardwalk Empire.
British screenwriter Abi Morgan had success with newsroom drama The Hour, claiming the award for best writer in the mini-series or movie category.
In the best comedy actress category, Julia Louis-Dreyfus won her fourth Emmy for her role as the US vice-president in Veep, from The Thick Of It creator Armando Iannucci. She also won an Emmy for Veep last year.
“This is so much good fortune it’s almost too much to bear,” said Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
“I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to make people laugh. It’s a joyful way to make a living.”
Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory won his third Emmy for best actor in a comedy.
Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon Cooper in the CBS comedy, scored the hat trick after previous wins in 2010 and 2011.
Toby Jones and Imelda Staunton had each been up for best actor and supporting actress for Hitchcock drama The Girl while Charlotte Rampling had been nominated for Restless for best supporting actress in a TV movie.
The glittering ceremony included a performance by Elton John, who paid tribute to the late pianist Liberace.
Elton John, who performed Home Again, said he was “honored” to have been asked to take part in the ceremony for the first time in its 64-year history.
Among those to receive a special posthumous tribute was 31-year-old Cory Monteith, who died in July of a drug and alcohol overdose.
His Glee co-star Jane Lynch described him as a “beautiful soul”.
“He was not perfect, which so many of us here tonight can relate to. His death is a tragic reminder of the rapacious, senseless destruction that is brought on by addiction,” she said.
The Sopranos star James Gandolfini was also honored during the ceremony.
James Gandolfini, who won three Emmys for his role as a therapy-seeking mob boss in the show, died in June following a heart attack.
Tributes were also paid to producer Gary David Goldberg, Jean Stapleton and Jonathan Winters.
Despite being nominated for 17 awards, American Horror Story: Asylum won just one accolade, while the hotly tipped Netflix drama, House of Cards, also took one award for best directing in a drama series for David Fincher.
US cable and satellite television network HBO led this year’s awards, winning seven Emmys, followed by Showtime with four, ABC and NBC with three each and AMC and Comedy Central with two each.
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones “are taking time apart” after 13 years of marriage, it has been confirmed.
Michael Douglas, 68, and Catherine Zeta Jones, 43, married in 2000 after meeting in France two years earlier.
They have two children – Dylan, 13, and Carys, 10.
The pair have both struggled with health problems in recent years.
Michael Douglas was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2010, while Catherine Zeta Jones sought treatment for bipolar disorder in 2011 and again earlier this year.
The couple share the same birthday, 25 September, and met at the Deauville Film Festival in France in 1998.
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones had their first child in August 2000, and married three months later in a lavish ceremony at New York’s Plaza hotel, where guests included Goldie Hawn, Christopher Reeve, Jack Nicholson and Brad Pitt.
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones had their first child in August 2000, and married three months later in a lavish ceremony at New York’s Plaza hotel
OK! magazine paid $1.5 million for exclusive access to photographs of the day, but rival magazine Hello! spoiled the scoop by publishing pictures taken by somebody pretending to be a guest or a waiter.
A long legal battle followed in the UK, with the couple arguing that Hello! Magazine had invaded their privacy.
The case was eventually resolved in 2007, when the House Of Lords ruled Hello! had breached OK!‘s confidentiality.
Prior to the wedding, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones reportedly signed a pre-nuptial agreement, which entitles Zeta Jones to $1.5 million for every year of their marriage in the event of the relationship coming to an end.
Michael Douglas insisted on the contract after his first wife, Diandra, was awarded $70 million in their divorce.
Speaking to the Mirror earlier this month, Michael Douglas said his biggest regret was not ending his first marriage sooner. He had married Diandra in 1977 and they separated in 1995, but did not file for divorce until 2000.
“I have nothing against her and in fact I’m very fond of my first wife, but we should have ended that marriage eight or 10 years earlier,” Michael Douglas said.
“It took me too long to realize that if you go to a marriage counsellor to resolve problems, it’s in his interest to keep the marriage going.”
In the same interview, Michael Douglas paid tribute to Catherine Zeta Jones, who had given him “this second chance to have a family”.
“The thing I’ve learned about getting older is you can’t take love for granted,” he said.
“You protect it, nurture it and it grows and after one’s initial, physical emotional aspects, it becomes deeper.”
Michael Douglas, whose films include Wall Street and Basic Instinct, recently made his post-cancer return to the big screen playing Liberace in the biopic Behind The Candelabra.
Catherine Zeta Jones, an Oscar-winner for her role in Chicago, is currently starring alongside Helen Mirren and Bruce Willis in popcorn action film Red 2.
After Catherine Zeta-Jones turned up alone to the Red 2 premieres in Los Angeles and New York, the rumor mill went into overdrive that she’s getting a divorce from Michael Douglas after 13 years of marriage.
They’ve overcome Michael Douglas’ stage 4 cancer and her bipolar disorder but apparently they’re now calling it quits.
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones divorce
“Michael and Catherine’s marriage is effectively over,” one close family insider told Star magazine.
“Michael is going to announce the split soon, but he wants to wait until after the Emmys in September.”
According to this insider: “Catherine is fighting to save the marriage but he’s had it.”
“Michael has been through so much in recent years. he feels that life is too short for all this misery – her wild rages, temper tantrums, mood swings, secret boozing and demanding ways!”
And considering Michael Douglas’ divorce to first wife Diandra in 2000 was one of the most expensive in Hollywood history, his split from Catherine Zeta-Jones could cost a lot of money. Star magazine are putting the couple’s joint worth at a cool $300 million.
Another source said: “It’s been a long, rocky road for Michael and Catherine, but it’s clear to every-one that the end is near.”
Meanwhile the National Enquirer reports that Michael Douglas, 68, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, 43, secretly split a year ago in a trial separation.
A new study suggests that one third of people diagnosed with throat cancer are infected with a form of the HPV virus.
HPV (human papillomavirus) is the major cause of cervical cancer.
Actor Michael Douglas is reported to have spoken about the link after his own diagnosis with throat cancer.
Experts said this study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, which quantifies the link, showed “striking” results.
There are more than 100 types of HPV. Most people will be infected with HPV at some point, but in most the immune system will offer protection.
A new study suggests that one third of people diagnosed with throat cancer are infected with a form of the HPV virus
There are two HPV strains which are most likely to cause cancer – HPV-16 and HPV-18.
HPV-16 is thought to be responsible for around 60% of cervical cancers, 80% of cancers in the anus and 60% of oral cancers.
This study looked at HPV’s link with cancer of the back of the throat – oropharyngeal cancer.
It looked at blood test results collected from people who took part in a huge prospective study into lifestyle and cancer, who were all healthy at the start.
Everyone gives a blood sample when they join the study, and in this case the researchers were able to check for the presence of antibodies to one of HPV’s key proteins – E6.
E6 knocks out part of cells’ protection system, which should prevent cancer developing.
Having the antibodies means HPV has already overcome that defense and caused cancerous changes in cells.
The researchers compared blood test results – some more than 10 years old – for 135 people who went on to develop throat cancer and for 1,599 cancer-free people.
The University of Oxford team found 35% of those with throat cancer had the antibodies, compared with fewer than 1% of those who were cancer-free.
However, these patients were more likely to survive throat cancer than people whose disease had other causes, such as alcohol or tobacco use.
The study found 84% of people with the antibodies were still alive five years after diagnosis, compared with 58% of those without.
Liberace’s old Las Vegas mansion has been put up for sale for $529,900.
The expansive main living area contains two of Liberace’s favorite chandelier, with mirrored walls and fitted wardrobes.
Another room features a raised stage style area with bright red carpet and a small mirrored ceiling.
One room boasts tile piano keys decorating the floor, while a mirror bar is etched with Liberace’s signature and an image of a piano.
The home sits on almost half an acre of land, includes five fireplaces and “several large areas for entertaining” according to Las Vegas Inc.
A new owner can look forward to a bedroom ceiling adorned with a $1.6 million reproduction of Michelangelo’s painting at the Sistine Chapel, according to the publication.
Liberace’s former Las Vegas Mansion is owned by the JPMorgan Chase bank that seized the home from its last owner through foreclosure and is asking for cash-only offers
There is also one of Liberace’s signature “L” logos left on one of the outside gates of the home, which has changed hands twice since his foundation sold it in 1989.
Another outside shot shows an ornate front door decorated with gold and what looked to be brightly colored stained glass windows at either side of the house.
The two-storey, 14,939 square foot house is on sale for more than $3 million less than in its heyday.
The two bedroom, ten bathroom home, which was built in 1962, is owned by the JPMorgan Chase bank that seized the home from its last owner through foreclosure and is asking for cash-only offers.
Liberace, born Władziu Valentino Liberace, bought the house in 1974.
Liberace, who died of an AIDS related illness in 1987, has enjoyed some posthumous fame recently after Michael Douglas played him in HBO biopic Behind the Candelabra.
Starring Matt Damon as Liberace’s secret boyfriend Scott Thorson, the film follows the last ten years of Liberace’s life based on Thorson’s memoir, Behind the Candelabra: My Life With Liberace.
Scott Thorson revealed his life as the toyboy lover of flamboyant pianist Liberace, describing it as a whirlwind of extravagance and excess.
Their outrageous lifestyle, captured in new film Behind The Candelabra, makes the latest breed of bling-loving celebrities look tasteful and understated.
But after five dazzling, rhinestone-encrusted years together, Scott Thorson claimed he was dumped like “a piece of trash”.
Scott Thorson lost it all and began a downward spiral into d**gs, crime and the odd spell behind bars.
The tattooed 54-year-old, who is battling colon cancer, was in jail in Reno, Nevada, for burglary when the acclaimed film – based on his book of the same name – was shown on US TV last month.
Director Steven Soderbergh revealed that the movie was rejected as “too gay” by every major American studio, before being snapped up by cable channel HBO – which is why it went straight to TV in the US and did not get a cinema release there.
Of casting Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as Scott Thorson, Steven Soderbergh joked: “I needed to see Jason Bourne on top of Gordon Gekko.”
Scott Thorson was just 17 when he met 58-year-old Liberace backstage after one of his Las Vegas shows in 1977.
He soon moved in with the musician in his lavish, custom-built Las Vegas palace.
On the bedroom ceiling was a reproduction of the fresco in Rome’s Sistine Chapel – but the cherubs all had Liberace’s face.
At the peak of his powers, Liberace was the world’s best-paid entertainer and owned 39 pianos, 32 cars and 26 dogs.
Scott Thorson says: “He built a 70,000 sq ft palace in Las Vegas for me, filled with the world’s most expensive treasure – $25million worth of antiques.
“A well-known artist spent a year painting the Sistine Chapel fresco on the ceiling.
“Even the Queen and the Queen Mother were big fans of his.
“When he played the London Palladium I went into the Royal Box to use the toilet, just so I could say I had used the Queen’s bathroom. They sent us lots of gifts – including a Welsh Corgi.”
Scott Thorson was even given a minor role in TV’s The Liberace Show, driving the pianist on stage in a jewel-encrusted Rolls-Royce while wearing a white chauffeur’s outfit.
His relationship with Liberace was bizarre to say the least.
Scott Thorson revealed his life as the toyboy lover of flamboyant pianist Liberace
The world-famous showman got a plastic surgeon to make Scott Thorson look more like his son, and put him on a cocktail of diet pills.
Scott Thorson reveals: “He had to throw the Press off, so he <<adopted>> me, changed my face so I looked more like him.
“He didn’t want people to realize I was his lover – he wanted them to think I was his son.
“I was given cheek implants and a new chin so I would resemble him.
“He took me to this plastic surgeon and he wanted me to lose weight. The doctor put me on the Hollywood diet. It contained pharmaceutical c***ine and Demerol to bring me down. Liberace agreed to all this.
“Then, when I became addicted and he was worried I was out of control and would tarnish his image, he threw me out like I was a piece of trash.
“In the movie it says he offered me rehab, but he didn’t.
“I was living in the penthouse in LA and they hired guards to throw all my personal belongings off the balcony and discard me.”
In 1982 Scott Thorson took Liberace to court in a bitter “palimony” suit. Later he settled for $93,000, some jewellery, custody of two dogs and a gold-plated Rolls-Royce he had been given as a 21st birthday gift.
But the split plunged him from the dizzy showbiz heights to the depths of despair.
Scott Thorson, who survived being shot five times during a robbery in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1991, even accuses the team behind the film – including its stars – of neglecting his cries for help during his most recent spell behind bars.
Instead Dennis Hof, who owns the infamous Bunny Ranch br***el, last week posted bail for Scott Thorson.
Scott Thorson says: “Hollywood turned its back on me. Matt Damon or Michael Douglas would not bail me out, even though I offered to talk to them about the film.
“I need to put money back into my pocket. I didn’t make much out of the movie. I own a small percentage of the film but Hollywood is notorious for padding the bill so it shows no profit.”
Biopic Behind the Candelabra was a big hit when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. It pulled in 2.4million viewers when it aired in the US on HBO – the largest audience for an original movie on the channel in almost a decade. It opens in cinemas across Europe today.
Scott Thorson says: “It has been a big success, all these European companies have picked it up. So for the filmmakers to say they haven’t made a dime would be a big mistake – especially with my mouth.
“I went after Liberace, so I’m not scared.
“I was whisked out of jail when Dennis Hof paid my bail. He turned up with five Bunny Girls to pick me up in this big limousine.
“The first night we went up to Dennis’s private residence in the ranch and I watched the film for the first time. I was blown away.
“Matt Damon did a great job playing me. And he did a great job in bed with Douglas, too.”
The film ends when the pair are reunited on Liberace’s deathbed just before he passed away from pneumonia caused by AIDS in 1987.
Scott Thorson’s life has had some twists and turns that are not in the film. For starters, he claims he had a romance with Michael Jackson.
He said: “Liberace introduced me and Michael in the late 1970s. It was right around the time Thriller was coming out and Michael and I became lovers.
“Our relationship went on for six or seven years. Michael was very generous too. He treated me well.
“Liberace and I had both undergone plastic surgery around the same time Michael underwent a nose job because he didn’t think he was handsome. We all healed together at the Liberace compound in Palm Springs.”
Also in his eventful life, Scott Thorson was put in witness protection after testifying against his d**g dealer Eddie Nash in 1981, changing his name to Jesse Marlow.
He said: “I’ve survived being shot five times, overdoses, and I’ve tried to commit suicide. But I’ve survived to tell my story.”
Life for Scott Thorson at the moment, at the Bunny Ranch, is the most exotic it has been for years.
He said: “There are 22 acres with stables, a gymnasium, a personal trainer, Jacuzzi, swimming pool and lots of beautiful people.
“They have built a great team around me and I am drug free for the first time in many years. It’s been about 110 days.
“There are so many beautiful women here. I’m having lots of Bunny Ranch therapy.
“These girls are so gorgeous I could end up turning straight.
“I haven’t lived the dream like this since I lived with Liberace.
Scott Thorson, who was Liberace’s one time toy-boy companion, claims he had an even more famous lover, in the shape of late superstar Michael Jackson.
Scott Thorson – whose memoir inspired HBO’s Behind the Candelabra starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon – now alleges he had a six to seven years relationship with Michael Jackson.
Liberace’s 54-year-old former partner claims Michael Jackson and the piano genius used to bond at his Palm Springs compound as they both recovered from plastic surgery.
“Liberace introduced me and Michael in the late 1970’s,” Scott Thorson toldThe Sun.
“It was right around the time Thriller was coming out and Michael and I became lovers.”
“Our relationship went on for six or seven years, Michael was very generous, too. He treated me well.”
Scott Thorson previously talked about his relationship with Michael Jackson after he gave an interview to The National Enquirer back in 2004 claiming their first s**ual encounter took place at the home of late female impersonator Danny La Rue.
Scott Thorson, who was Liberace’s one time toy-boy companion, claims he was the lover of late superstar Michael Jackson
“I was standing only a few feet away from Michael when he motioned with his hand to come over to him and join him on the bed,” Scott Thorson revealed.
“I climbed onto the bed – our lovemaking session lasted about an hour.”
Behind The Candelabra tells the story of the bizarre love affair between Scott Thorson, then 17, when he met Liberace, who was 57 at the time.
Liberace lavished his much younger lover with gifts but it came at a price as he demanded that he get plastic surgery so that he could look more like him.
After their break-up, Scott Thorson launched an unsuccessful $113 million lawsuit against Liberace who died of suspected AIDS in 1986.
Ironically, Scott Thorson has only just seen HBO’s mini-film about their relationship after he was jailed in Reno while awaiting sentencing for burglary charges.
Scott Thorson – who is currently living at The Bunny Ranch Br***el after the owner bailed him out – liked the way that Matt Damon portrayed him.
“Matt Damon did a great job playing me and he did a great job in bed with Michael Douglas too,” he revealed.
But he’s angry that he did not make more money out of the project and that the two stars did not come and bail him out recently.
“Hollywood turned its back on me. Matt Damon or Michael Douglas would not bail me out, even though I offered to talk to them about the film,” Scott Thorson complained.
Michael Douglas reportedly snubbed Scott Thorson, the terminally ill former lover of piano legend Liberace – even though he’s starring in a movie based on a book written by the dying man.
Scott Thorson, who was diagnosed with advanced anal cancer in August 2012, was Liberace’s lover from 1976 to 1982.
His book, Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace, is the basis of the new HBO film that stars Michael Douglas as the flamboyant performer.
But even though Michael Douglas is a fellow cancer sufferer, sources say he rebuffed Scott Thorson’s request to visit him on the set before being jailed in February 2103.
“All I wanted do was meet Michael and talk to him about my cancer,” Scott Thorson, 54, explained to The National Enquirer.
“But I was bluntly told it would be impossible. That really hurt.”
Scott Thorson’s six-year romance with Liberace began when he was just 18 and the entertainer was 57.
He revealed he was showered with lavish gifts, expensive vacations and promises by Liberace to adopt and care for him.
But the relationship ended in 1982, when Scott Thorson says he was dumped for a teenager.
Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Da¬mon as Scott Thorson in Steven Soderbergh’s Behind The Candelabra
Although Behind the Candelabra was published in 1988, a year after Liberace died of AIDS, Scott Thorson says he didn’t find out until 2008 that producer Jerry Weintraub wanted to make a movie out of the book.
At the time, Scott Thorson was serving time behind bars on a drug-related robbery and desperately needed money. He admits he got “a little up-front money and a small percentage” of the film sales.
While Scott Thorson did his time, Jerry Weintraub assembled his team: Michael Douglas as Liberace, Matt Damon as Scott Thorson and director Steven Soderbergh.
In August 2010, Michael Douglas was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer and the movie was put on hold.
Thankfully, Michael Douglas beat the cancer, and production began in the summer of 2012 in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Palm Springs. But Scott Thorson says he was left out in the cold.
“I thought it was very strange that I was never contacted,” he said.
“Then, about three months ago, I got one phone call from Jerry Weintraub when he found out that I had cancer. He said, <<I’m very sorry that you’re going through cancer>>. And that was it.”
Scott Thorson revealed he was immediately cut off when he asked if he could reach out to both Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. He said the indication was that Michael Douglas – whose son Cameron is also in jail on d**g charges – didn’t want him on the set, even as a consultant.
“It was clear that I wasn’t welcome,” Scott Thorson said.
“My heart sank. These people were portraying me but I was a persona non grata. I’m angry.”
Scott Thorson has undergone radiation and chemotherapy treatments, but the tumor remains.
“Right now, I’m very scared,” Scott Thorson admitted.
“I’ve already run through the money I got for the movie and I’ve got nothing left.
“I don’t know if I’ll make it to the premiere in May…or if I’m even invited.”
Michael Douglas’ casting as Liberace in biopic Behind The Candelabra divided opinion, with many doubting whether he was the right person to play the role of the flamboyant stage star.
However, Michael Douglas has certainly proved his critics wrong, judging by a world exclusive clip of new film Behind The Candelabra.
Michael Douglas’ Liberace and Matt Damon’s Scott Thorson in Behind The Candelabra
Michael Douglas, 68, is seen flirting up a storm with young stranger Scott Thorson, played by Matt Damon, after he walked into his dressing room after a show in the summer of 1977.
A clearly naive Scott Thorson tells Liberace after watching the show: “What, you’re going to do that all over again? I don’t know how you do it.”
Wearing a silver sequinned waistcoat over his white shirt, Liberace is then seen joking with Scott Thorson: “Oh aren’t you sweet, it’s not bad for an old bag, huh?”
Liberace then pokes fun at his age, by telling Scott Thorson: “When I was working saloons back in Milwaukee they called them saloons – that’s how old I am.”
And when Scott Thorson replies that he is also from Wisconsin as well, Liberace replied: “No, you are? Well this must be fate!”
Michael Douglas did not say he developed throat cancer because of a HPV infection, his publicist has said.
Michael Douglas, 68, who was diagnosed with cancer three years ago, was quoted as telling The Guardian his strain of cancer had been caused by HPV (human papillomavirus).
But in a statement Michael Douglas’ spokesman sought to clarify that the actor was not talking about his own cancer.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says HPV can cause cancer of the head and neck.
In his statement on Monday, Allen Burry said: “No. He [Michael Douglas] did not say oral s** was the cause of his cancer.”
The publicist referred to medical evidence linking oral s** to head neck cancer, adding “but [Michael Douglas] did not say it was the cause to his specific cancer”.
Michael Douglas was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2010
The Guardian stood by its story, releasing audio of the interview.
In the newspaper’s article on Sunday, Michael Douglas was asked if, given his illness, he regretted his years of smoking and drinking.
Michael Douglas was quoted as saying: “No. Because without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV, which actually comes about from cunni***gus.”
The actor continued: “I did worry if the stress caused by my son’s incarceration didn’t help trigger it. But yeah, it’s a s**ually transmitted disease that causes cancer.”
Michael Douglas’ illness is now in remission, following treatment.
His son, Cameron, is serving a prison sentence for d**g possession and dealing.
Michael Douglas, who is married to Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, was treated in the early 1990s for an addiction which some at the time claimed to be s**.
Michael Douglas himself denied this and said he was in rehab for alcohol abuse.
Michael Douglas has claimed that his throat cancer was caused by human papilloma virus (HPV), a s**ually transmitted disease.
Michael Douglas, 68, who fought a six month battle with the disease from August 2010 until January 2011, had initially believed that it was his years of smoking and drinking that had lead to the illness.
The Hollywood star made the frank admission about how he developed the illness during an interview with The Guardian newspaper when he was asked if he had regretted smoking and drinking in the past.
Michael Douglas candidly replied: “No. Because, without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV, which actually comes about from cunni***gus.”
The actor, who is married to Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, was diagnosed with cancer in August 2010 after a walnut-sized tumor was found on his tongue.
Michael Douglas’ health troubles started just a few months after his eldest son Cameron – from his first marriage to Diandra Luker – was jailed for d**g possession and dealing.
The actor admitted he initially believed his disease had been triggered by the stress over his son’s legal troubles.
Michael Douglas has claimed that his throat cancer was caused by human papilloma virus
Michael Douglas explained: “I did worry if the stress caused by my son’s incarceration didn’t help trigger it. But yeah, it’s a s**ually transmitted disease that causes cancer. And if you have it, cunni**gus is also the best cure for it.”
He was diagnosed with stage four of the disease and underwent an intense course of chemotherapy and radiation.
Eventually, Michael Douglas was given the all-clear, although he still has to undergo check-ups with doctors every six months.
However, the actor is optimistic he has conquered the disease once and for all.
“With this kind of cancer, 95 per cent of the time it doesn’t come back,” he said.
More than 20 years ago, Michael Douglas was hospitalized for an addiction, which many reports at the time claimed was to s**.
However, he has since denied that he was a s** addict, insisting that he was being treated for alcohol abuse.
HPV is a sexually transmitted virus which is more widely known as a cause of cervical and anal cancer.
Last year, Cancer Research UK said the rising rates of HPV16-positive cases of oral cancer could be linked to oral s**.
The TV premiere of Behind the Candelabra, starring Michael Douglas as flamboyant pianist Liberace and Matt Damon as Scott Thorson, was seen by 2.4 million people in the US.
The Nielsen Company said it was the HBO network’s biggest audience for one of its original movies since medical drama Something the Lord Made in 2004.
A further 1.1 million people tuned in for a repeat of the film that aired immediately after Sunday’s premiere.
The TV premiere of Behind the Candelabra, starring Michael Douglas as flamboyant pianist Liberace and Matt Damon as Scott Thorson, was seen by 2.4 million people in the US
Behind the Candelabra, Steven Soderbergh’s film, will be released in UK cinemas on June 7.
Based on Scott Thorson’s memoir Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace, the film charts the life of the American pianist and the secret affair he had with the author, played by Matt Damon.
The drama received its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this month.
ABC’s Dancing With the Stars remains the most-watched programme on US television with around 15 million viewers last week.
Cameron Douglas, the drug-addict son of Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas, has suffered severe injuries, including a broken leg and fingers, after being attacked in prison.
Cameron Douglas, 34, who is doing time for years of drug use and dealing, was apparently attacked after an unnamed New York crime boss put a $100 bounty on his head for being a “rat”.
During a 2010 bail hearing, Cameron Douglas’ psychiatrist inadvertently revealed that his client had snitched to the police about his drug suppliers, David and Eduardo Escalera, during his original sentencing hearing.
Cameron Douglas’ testimony against the dealers helped get him a five-year, rather than 10-year, sentence. But last year he was sentenced to an additional four and a half years for smuggling in heroin and a prescription narcotic while at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Pennsylvania.
“He broke his femur, which is hard to snap, and had to have a rod inserted,” a source told The New York Post.
Cameron Douglas, the drug-addict son of Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas, has suffered severe injuries, including a broken leg and fingers, after being attacked in prison
Speaking publicly about his son, Michael Douglas said in 2010 that he thought prison might be a “blessing in disguise” for his wayward son. He assumed blame for “being a bad father” but said that without prison intervention, Cameron “was going to be dead or somebody was gonna kill him. I think he has a chance to start a new life, and he knows that”.
During last year’s sentencing for smuggling drugs into prison, Cameron Douglas told the court that he was “ashamed” of what he had done.
Judge Richard Berman branded him “reckless, disruptive and non-compliant”.
He banned Cameron Douglas from receiving family visits for two years and said he must immediately undergo drug treatment in prison.
The judge’s sentence was twice as long as had been requested by prosecutors and Richard Berman told Cameron Douglas he had “blown the biggest opportunity of his life”.
Cameron Douglas had also written to the judge to tell him that he was “saturated in my own shame and penitence”.
In the letter Cameron Douglas asked the judge for “the opportunity to build myself and gain the tools I need to shape my future”.
“I feel so strongly, for the first time in my life, that I am truly ripe for positive reform and real achievement.”
In prison Cameron Douglas has been working as a weekend orderly in a housing unit earning $1.65 per month. He is not eligible to be released until 2018.
Democrat fundraiser Michael Douglas is reported to be in discussions to play the famously conservative Republican U.S. President Ronald Regan.
Michael Douglas is being considered for the lead role in the Cold War drama, Reykjavik, which takes place over a few days in 1986, when Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met for peace talks in the Icelandic capital.
The film, which takes place against the backdrop of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, will be produced by Ridley Scott and have Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire director Mike Newell behind the camera.
Michael Douglas is being considered for the lead role in the Cold War drama, Reykjavik, which takes place over a few days in 1986, when Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met for peace talks in the Icelandic capital
The $10 million political drama, which is scheduled to begin shooting in March in Germany, is still looking for a Mikhail Gorbachev.
It has been a busy year for Michael Douglas, 67, who was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2010 and underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
Michael Douglas is currently wrapping up shooting on Behind the Candelabra, the Steven Soderbergh-directed movie based on the life of Liberace.
He stars as the flamboyant entertainer in the HBO film which also features Matt Damon, who plays his gay lover Scott Thorson,Rob Lowe, Dan Aykroyd and Debbie Reynolds.
Michael Douglas will also be starring in Last Vegas, a Hangover-style caper for the senior set, which costars Robert De Diro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline.
His wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, meanwhile will return to the big screen next year in Red 2, a sequel to the surprise-hit 2010 comic-book adaptation about a group of former black ops agents who reassemble when one of them becomes the target of an assassination plot.
Matt Damon’s latest role will see him playing Liberace’s gay lover Scott Thorson in an HBO TV movie of the pianist’s life.
Matt Damon stars alongside Michael Douglas, 67, in the title role, and the pair were spotted getting into character on the set of the project, entitled Behind the Candelabra, in Palm Springs on Monday.
Michael Douglas, 67, looked the spitting image of Liberace on the set, sporting a brown wig, lilac shirt and beige trousers as he headed to his trailer in between takes.
The actor’s brown wig was slicked back into a Seventies style which left the veteran actor bearing a striking resemblance to the musician.
Matt Damon and Michael Douglas get into character as gay lovers on set of new Liberace biopic
Scott Thorson was 17 when he first met Liberace in 1976.
Liberace had promised Scott Thorson, who was raised in foster homes, that he would adopt and care for him and eventually the performer incorporated his live-in lover into his lavish Las Vegas stage performances.
The Ave Maria singer was famed for being the world’s highest-paid entertainer at one point, and enjoyed his fortune with an extravagant lifestyle.
But the romance ended due to the pianist’s sexual promiscuity and Scott Thorson’s drug addiction, which led him to contract Hepatitis C.
In 1982, Scott Thorson filed a $113 million lawsuit against Liberace, with the palimony suit being the more famous part. But in 1986, the pair reportedly settled out of court for $95,000, two cars, and two pet dogs.
Scott Thorson reconciled with Liberace on his death bed, and a year later published the book Behind the Candelabra: My Life With Liberace on which the film is based.
Also joining the cast are Dan Aykroyd as Liberace’s long-time manager who disapproved of his relationship with Thorson, Rob Lowe as the plastic surgeon tasked with making Scott Thorson’s face resemble Liberace’s, and Debbie Reynolds will play Liberace’s mother Frances, according to Total Film.
Catherine Zeta Jones showed off her long legs, yesterday, as she stepped out for a rare public appearance with Michael Douglas at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York.
Catherine Zeta Jones, 42, was in New York to watch Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performance, and was dressed to impress.
The actress dazzled the crowds in a short, dark blue lace dress which she teamed with a pair of gold colored heels.
Catherine Zeta Jones showed off her legs in the revealing outfit as she joined her husband Michael Douglas at the VIP entrance to the concert.
Michael Douglas, 67, also looked good in a black suit, which had red lining, and a matching shirt and shoes.
The silver-haired actor appeared to be in good health and he even stopped to pose for a few pictures.
Catherine Zeta Jones showed off her long legs, yesterday, as she stepped out for a rare public appearance with Michael Douglas at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York
Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas were not the only stars at the gig as heavyweight names Tom Hanks, Bette Midler, and Michael J. Fox were among the other celebrities in attendance.
The event was the E Street Band’s debut concert at the venue, and it was sponsored by SiriusXM.
The night marked the 10-year anniversary of satellite radio and the show also raised funds for WhyHunger, a New York City anti-poverty group.
It was also the first public performance by the band without late saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who died in June 2011.
After beating throat cancer, last year, Michael Douglas has started to make his way back to work.
Earlier this month it was announced that Michael Douglas had agreed to appear in an FBI commercial against financial crime.
He warns that Wall Street was fiction but that the problem of insider trading is real and cannot be allowed to continue.
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