Kirk Douglas Movie Quotes & Sayings

It's tough to make a movie about movies ... We're all too close to it. But 'The Bad and the Beautiful' was very good. — Kirk Douglas

I went to Hollywood to test for Martha Ivers and I thought I was going to play the part that Van Heflin played.But they wanted me to play the part of Barbara Stanwyck's husband, so I played that. Then when I finished the movie, I went back to Broadway and did another flop. — Kirk Douglas

I never had any desire to be a film actor. I never thought I was the good-looking movie type, which I assumed they wanted. — Kirk Douglas

I was living in a terrible time when people were being accused of being communists, and they attacked the movie industry, especially the writers. People couldn't work if they were on the blacklist. The studios banned them. It was the most onerous period in movie history. I don't think we have ever had a period so dark as that. — Kirk Douglas

I have been an actor for most of my life. When I started out, I didn't think about anything except what was good for me. Like many movie stars, I became all wrapped up in myself. — Kirk Douglas

I bought the book, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I paid to have it made into a play and I played in it for six months. I came back and I tried to make it into a movie, without success. — Kirk Douglas

Life is like a B-picture script. It is that corny. If I had my life story offered to me to film, I'd turn it down. — Kirk Douglas

I didn't start out to be a movie star. I started out to be an actor. — Kirk Douglas

All my life, I have taken inventory at intervals. For example, when I became a movie actor and suddenly I had to deal with fame, money and playing so many roles, I lost myself. I said, 'Who am I?' And I wrote my first book to deal with that, 'The Ragman's Son.' — Kirk Douglas