Courtesy of Corbis-Bettmann

Kirk Douglas b. 1916

Born Issur Danielovitch to Russian immigrants, actor and film producer Kirk Douglas became a major box-office star in the 1950s and 1960s. Known for his cleft chin, his raspy voice, and the "tough guy" characters he played, Douglas' roles included a cowboy in the western Along the Great Divide (1951), Vincent Van Gogh in Lust for Life (1956), and a military man in Is Paris Burning? (1966). From Douglas's own production company came two of the best films of his career: Paths of Glory (1957) and Spartacus (1960).