Kirk Douglas, Hollywood Icon and Spartacus Star, Dies at 103

A legend during the Golden Age of Hollywood, Kirk Douglas, best known for performances in films like Spartacus, was also a golden-hearted philanthropist. He continued his charitable giving even after his death on February 5th, donating the majority of his $61 million fortune to charity.

“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” wrote his son Michael, who did not receive any of his father’s inheritance. “To the world he was … a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to”.

According to reports, charitable recipients included St. Lawrence University to help fund the Kirk Douglas Scholarship for underprivileged students, primarily those who grew up in poverty, like Kirk did himself back during the Great Depression of the 1920s and 30s.
“Kirk Douglas has been transcendently generous to St. Lawrence University and remained committed to his alma mater and our students throughout the decades,” said the school’s president.

Contributions also went to Westwood’s Sinai Temple, Culver City’s Kirk Douglas Theater, and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, which had also previously received large donations from the Oscar-winning actor including $2.3 million to purchase new equipment for the pediatrics division.

Douglas also made a significant difference in the lives of aging entertainers like himself—except those who need assistance in their golden years. In 2015, on his 99th birthday he gave $15 million to build the Kirk Douglas Care Pavilion to help care for up to 80 Alzheimer’s patients from the entertainment industry.