Kirk Douglas Turns 100: The Legendary Actor Recalls Kubrick and the Blacklist

As an actor, his classic films include "Champion," "The Bad and the Beautiful," "Lust for Life," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," "Gunfight at the OK Corral" and "Seven Days in May." He also starred in several he produced, such as "Paths of Glory," "Spartacus," and the 1962 western "Lonely Are the Brave." Douglas has said his proudest accomplishment in Hollywood was to help break the blacklist by giving onscreen credit to writer Dalton Trumbo on the 1960 "Spartacus." Douglas had formed Bryna Prods. in 1955, named after his mother. For the company's second film, "Paths of Glory," he hired Kubrick as director. 

The relationship began with a fight after Kubrick made major script rewrites without telling Douglas, who forced him to film the original version. Despite their frequent clashes, Douglas three years later wanted Kubrick to direct the Bryna-Universal film "Spartacus." "Difficult? He invented the word. But he was talented. So, we had lots of fights, but I always appreciated his talent. I always said he was a bastard, but he was a talented, talented guy," Douglas says.