Kirk Douglas’s touching gift to daughter-in-law Catherine Zeta-Jones

Kirk Douglas left his and his late wife Anne’s estate – including their impressive art collection, Oscar statuettes and film memorabilia – to son Michael Douglas and other members of their family.

The Hollywood legend known for leading roles in Spartacus, Lust for Life and Paths of Glory died aged 103 in February 2020. His widow Anne, Michael Douglas’s stepmother, died the following year aged 102.

According to TMZ, the trust executed by Kirk and Anne set out which family members would inherit parts of their considerable estate.

Kirk Douglas had four children – Michael, Eric, Joel and Peter Douglas. His grandchildren were apparently also named as beneficiaries in his will. Eric died in 2004 of an accidental overdose, aged 46.

Michael, who has starred in films including Wall Street, Romancing the Stone, Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct, reportedly received several artworks including 19 lithographs by the artist Marc Chagall, titled The Bible series.

Meanwhile, Joel is said to have been given the honorary Oscar that Kirk was given by Steven Spielberg in 1996 for his half-century’s work in the film industry.

Michael’s wife of 25 years, Welsh actor Catherine Zeta-Jones, reportedly received “The Friendship Bench” made by the late sculptor John Kennedy.

Born in 1931, the late artist is known for his graceful bronze figures that can be found in a number of parks and campuses around the world. His sculpture Spirit of Audrey, dedicated to Hollywood film star Audrey Hepburn, is located at the Unicef headquarters in New York City.

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Kirk Douglas was one of Kennedy’s most notable collectors, along with German-Swiss socialite and art collector Gunter Sachs, Swiss industrialist Baron Thyssen, and philanthropist couple Jim and Jackie Lee Houston.

The Independent has contacted Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones’s representatives for comment.

Other items handed out to various grandchildren reportedly included Kirk’s Medal of Freedom, awarded to him in 1981 by President Carter, his 1983 Jefferson Award, and jewelry that belonged to Anne.

Shortly after Kirk’s death, it was reported that Kirk left the majority of his $61m fortune to be distributed by the Douglas Foundation – the charitable organisation he and Anne founded in 1964 with the goal of “helping those who cannot help themselves”.

Announcing his father’s passing, Michael acknowledged his status to the public as “a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for us all to aspire to”.

He continued: “But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchildren their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband.”

“Kirk’s life was well lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet.”

Earlier this year, Michael Douglas announced that he was preparing to release a memoir in 2026.

“After being asked for many years, I’ve finally decided it’s time to tell my story on my own terms,” the actor said in a statement in February

“Not the highlight reel, not the version shaped by headlines or box office numbers, but the real one. I’ve lived a life that unfolded in public while being deeply private at the same time, and there’s a difference.

“This is about where I came from, what I fought against, and what I chose for myself. Fame can blur the truth; this is my attempt to bring it back into focus.”