Products are selected by our editors, we may earn commission from links on this page.
When a Hollywood legend dies, you might guess his money goes to his children. Kirk Douglas had other plans. His son Michael Douglas, 82, is now worth hundreds of millions on his own. And this month, Michael is back in the news with a new book and talk about what he will leave behind. But to understand that, you have to start with what his famous father did with his fortune.
Michael Douglas put out his memoir, One Helluva Ride, on Oct. 6. He describes it as a raw look at his life, from living in his father’s shadow to beating stage four cancer. Estimates of his wealth range from about $300 million to $400 million, because his money is private. That is a lot of money, but it is only part of the Douglas story.
Around the book’s release, a tabloid reported that an unnamed source says Michael plans to put his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, in charge of his fortune. That claim is not confirmed. No named person or document backs it up, and Douglas has not spoken about it in the reports we reviewed. What we can check is the past. And the past points to his father’s estate, which told a very different story.
Kirk Douglas Reportedly Left About $50 Million to Charity, Not to His Famous Son
Kirk Douglas died on Feb. 5, 2020, at age 103. He left behind a fortune reported to be between $61 million and $80 million. Most of it, about $50 million, was left to a charity called the Douglas Foundation. He and his wife, Anne, started it in 1964. The figures come from news reports, such as The Mirror and Page Six. Outlets differ on the total.
The charity’s money was meant for places Kirk cared about. Reports list St. Lawrence University, Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Michael was reportedly not named as a beneficiary. At that time, he was already worth about $300 million. It is also unclear where about $10 million more went. Michael and his brothers, Joel and Peter, survived him.
Kirk’s choice makes more sense when you know his story. He was born Issur Danielovitch, the child of poor immigrants who could not read. He grew up with very little. He later wrote about that hard start in a 1988 book called The Ragman’s Son. A boy who grew up poor may see money differently. That helps explain what came next.
Kirk and Anne Douglas’s Foundation Has Given Away Roughly $118 Million, by One Count
Giving was a big part of the Douglas family story. Kirk and his wife, Anne, started the Douglas Foundation in 1964. By one count, it has given about $118 million to schools, theaters, and care centers over the years. Its goal is to help people who cannot otherwise help themselves. The money has helped support places like the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, which helps young artists grow.
A law firm’s write-up says Anne Douglas remembers Kirk telling her in 2015 that he wanted to give it all away. When Kirk died, Michael called him a “renowned philanthropist” who worked to help the public. Michael publicly praised his father’s giving. He also said Kirk’s film legacy will last for generations. In the reports we found, he did not criticize the will.
So Kirk’s story is clear: he chose to give most of his money away. Michael’s story is still being written. The tabloid claim says he is thinking about his own plans, and the family’s history makes that question worth asking. But a rumor is not an answer. Only Michael, or his family, can say what he truly plans to do with the wealth he has built.
A Source Says Michael Wants Catherine Zeta-Jones to Guard His Fortune and the Family Name, but It Is Unconfirmed
Here is what the unnamed source claims. Michael wants his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, 57, to take charge of his fortune. The source also says she would guard the Douglas family name and the films Michael and Kirk made. They have been married since November 2000 and have two children. Michael also has a son from his first marriage. None of this has been confirmed by Michael, Catherine, or the family, in the reports we found.
A story like this needs careful reading. The same quote shows up on several sites, but that does not make it stronger. It is one source, repeated. The tabloid also said the couple has been married “nearly three decades,” which is off by a few years. Small mistakes like that are a reason to wait for proof before treating any detail as fact.
In the Douglas family, the biggest inheritance may not be money at all. Kirk sent most of his fortune to a charity that supports schools, theaters, and a hospital, and he left a name that stands for movies and giving. Michael is now writing his own next chapter, in a book and perhaps in plans we cannot see. Until he speaks, the best clue we have is his father’s choice.