Michael Douglas

The son of movie legend Kirk Douglas and British actress Diana Dill, Michael Douglas became a Hollywood sensation when he produced Milos Forman's adaptation of Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a 1975 box-office phenomenon that won five Oscars, including Best Picture. In the years to follow, Douglas cultivated a multifaceted, formidable acting persona--often edgy, rebellious, and a little dark--starring in hits such as Wall Street (for which he one the Academy Award for Best Actor), Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, Disclosure, Romancing the Stone, and The War of the Roses. He remained at the forefront of Hollywood as one of the highest paid and most sought after actors in the decades to follow, and became front-page gossip in 2000 when he married Welsh actress Catherine

Zeta-Jones, twenty-five years his junior. In 2010 Douglas shocked and saddened the world when he announced that he was suffering from throat cancer at an advanced stage IV. He admitted that the illness and aggressive treatment had caused him to lose thirty-two pounds in weight.

Exploring his incredible career, tumultuous personal life, and legendary family, including his turbulent yet influential relationship with father, Kirk Douglas, one of the most intriguing father-son sagas in Hollywood's history, Eliot captures Michael Douglas's lows and remarkable highs. In this fascinating, lively, and entertaining account, Eliot breaks new boundaries in the understanding of the life and work of this Hollywood icon.