Actress Diana Douglas Passes At 92
Diana Douglas Webster, first wife of actor Kirk Douglas, and mother of actor Michael Douglas, passed away Friday at the of 92.
Douglas had an extraordinary career as an actress in film, television, and Broadway that spanned more than half of a century.
The Bermuda native met actor Kirk Douglas at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, where they both studied. She landed a contract with Warner Bros., and left New York for Los Angeles, where she appeared in her first motion picture Keeper of the Flame, alongside movie legends Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn.
Diana Douglas went on to appear in more than 50 films, including The Sign of the Ram, House of Strangers, Storm Over Tibet, and Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Her last move was a family affair. She appeared alongside ex-husband Kirk Douglas and grandson Cameron Douglas in It Runs in the Family, a movie produced by her sons Michael Douglas and Joel Douglas.
Diana Douglas also had an extensive career on the small screen, appearing in shows like The Cowboys, The Paper Chase, The Waltons, Cagney & Lacey, The West Wing, and ER.
She was also a model with the Powers Agency, once appearing on the cover of LIFE magazine, and appeared in a number of Broadway productions, including Hamlet.
She divorced Kirk Douglas in 1951.
“We had brought to marriage such different concepts of what it constituted, what was expected due,” said Douglas, according to the New York Times.
Diana Douglas went on to marry Bill Darrid, a Broadway producer in 1956. They were married until his death in 1992. She then married Donald A. Webster 15 years ago.
She wrote her memoir In the Wings: A Memoir at the request of her son Michael. She recalled many stories of her Hollywood years, including her experience dating Errol Flynn. She also delivered her personal philosophy — “Be courageous, be compassionate, and for God’s sake, have fun!” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Diana Douglas died from cancer Friday at The Motion Picture and Television Home in Woodland Hills. A memorial service is planned, but a date has yet to be announced.
Diana Douglas is survived by her ex-husband, Kirk Douglas, their sons, Michael Douglas and Joel Douglas, her daughter-in-law Catherine Zeta-Jones, grandson Cameron Douglas, and many nieces and nephews.
[Image courtesy of Scott Gries/Getty Images]
