Michael Douglas Movies: From 'Fatal Attraction' to 'Ant-Man'

As Michael Douglas movies prove, stardom runs in his family, beginning with his late father, Kirk Douglas, who was already a well-known commodity in showbiz by the time he was ready to launch his career.

 Born on September 25, 1944, in New Brunswick, NJ, Michael followed in the footsteps of his thrice-Oscar-nominated dad with an uncredited role as a Jeep driver in historical drama Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), before debuting in his first film, with Vietnam-era drama Hail, Hero! in 1969 and working continuously since then.

 His prize closet is loaded with silver-screen accolades, including Oscars for Best Actor for Wall Street in 1988 and a 1976 Best Picture award for producing One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the AFI Life Achievement Award and the Cecil B. DeMille Award.

 Wed to Catherine Zeta-Jones since 2000, the couple not only share two but the same September 25 birthday as well. 

 “I’m a little believer in all this astrological stuff,” he told OK! in 2007. “As fellow Libras, I see a lot of similarities in ourselves. I think there’s always a bond. We have an incredibly huge group of people we know – I’d say close to 30 – people that were born on September 25. We’ve traced it down to our aggressive parents between Christmas and New Year's. They must’ve been pretty active folks.”

Of Catherine, he continues, “We have a similar sense of humor, similar sense of work ethic, similar sense of strong family ties.”

He was previously married to Diandra Luker, 1977-2000, who is the mother of son Cameron Douglas, born in 1978.

 He fought throat cancer in 2010, beating it in 2011.

 Up next, Michael will be seen in family drama Blood Knot and historical TV mini-series Reagan and Gorbachev.

 Take a look at his top 10 box office hits.

 10. Ant-Man (2015), Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018) and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

In the 2015 sci-fi comedy Ant-Man, Douglas plays Dr. Hank Pym, who is the mentor of cat burglar Scott Lang (Paul Rudd). Together the pair team up to help save the world. For its PG-13-rated sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp, Pym offers Ant-Man (Rudd) and daughter Hope Van Dyne as The Wasp (Evangeline Lily) the opportunity to do battle alongside The Wasp (also played by Lily), with 2023’s Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania having all of them trapped in and trying to escape from the Quantum Realm.

 9. Traffic (2000)

In this R-rated crime thriller, The various facets of the illegal drug industry are explored in this R-rated crime thriller. Douglas plays Ohio judge and new drug czar Robert Wakefield, whose daughter, Caroline  (Erika Christensen) has fallen into drug addiction. Wife Zeta-Jones is Helena, the socialite wife of a wealthy undercover drug executive, who is unsure how her husband earns his money.

8. Falling Down (1993)

Douglas is a divorced family man on a soul-searching walk across Los Angeles, wreaking havoc along the way by flying into rages about the mundane tasks of life. “What is fascinating about the Douglas character, as written and played, is the core of sadness in his soul,” Roger Ebert wrote. “Yes, by the time we meet him, he has gone over the edge. But there is no exhilaration in his rampage, no release. He seems weary and confused, and in his actions, he unconsciously follows scripts that he may have learned from the movies, or on the news, where other frustrated misfits vent their rage on innocent bystanders.”

7. Solitary Man (2009)

Ladies’ man Ben (Douglas) is a former used car salesman whose love life turns sour because of his bad romantic and financial decisions. “The best scenes in Solitary Man find Douglas at his most charming, dispensing nuggets of wisdom to whomever will listen,” NPR reported. “His may not be an altogether honorable life, but it's a life in full."

6. Wonder Boys (2000)

In this R-rated comedic drama, a “never better” Douglas plays pot-addled English professor Grady Tripp, who is dealing with personal and professional trials and tribulations.

5.  A Chorus Line (1985)

Eleven years after the play hit the stage, Michael played choreographer Zach in this movie version of the musical about the lives of theater denizens on Broadway. He is casting a musical and needs to whittle down the 16 hopefuls into eight performers.

4. Basic Instinct (1992)

Douglas is anguished Detective Nick Curran, who investigates the murder of a rock star. Could it have been committed by the singer’s on-again, off-again novelist girlfriend Catherine (Sharon Stone), who has written a tome in which the rock star is murdered in the same fashion?

3. Romancing The Stone (1984)

In this PG-rated Golden-Globe-winning action-adventure comedy, Douglas is an exotic bird smuggler who falls in love with romance novelist Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) in South America as they team up to save her kidnapped sister, Elaine (Mary Ellen Trainor). 

MUST-READ: Romancing the Stone is Turning 40! Read 10 Little-Known Facts About the 80s Adventure

2. Wall Street (1987)

Douglas inhabits the role of slick money man Gordon Gekko, who teaches tricks of the trade to young Bud (Charlie Sheen), who in turn hails from a poor family. It worked out: Douglas won an Oscar for his personification of 1980s greed. 

1. Fatal Attraction (1987)

Married family man and lawyer Dan (Douglas) falls for an intriguing blonde (Glenn Close) he meets at a holiday party in this R-rated psychological thriller. She makes him regret it.

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