Diana Douglas was an actress best known for her roles in the films It Runs in the Family and The Indian Fighter opposite her ex-husband Kirk Douglas. She was married to the actor from 1943 until 1951, and was the mother of actor Michael Douglas.
Douglas appeared in the 2003 film It Runs in the Family as the matriarch of a dysfunctional New York family. The film also starred Michael Dougas and his son, Cameron Douglas. A much earlier credit, the 1955 film The Indian Fighter, also marked the first movie for Kirk’s production company, Bryna. Her other film roles included parts in The Whistle at Eaton Falls; Loving; Another Man, Another Chance; Cold Heaven; Planes, Trains & Automobiles and The Star Chamber. The latter starred Michael Douglas as an idealistic young judge who takes justice into his own hands.
Her work in television was extensive, and included appearances in such series as Naked City, Flipper, Ben Casey, Days of Our Lives, N.Y.P.D., The Streets of San Francisco (starring Karl Malden and Michael Douglas), The Cowboys (as recurring character Annie Andersen), Cannon, Barnaby Jones, The Waltons, Knots Landing, CHiPs, Lou Grant, Remington Steele, Cagney & Lacey, Dallas, Dynasty, The Paper Chase (as recurring character Professor Tyler, the love interest of John Houseman's character), The West Wing, Cold Case and ER.
Diana Douglas was an actress best known for her roles in the films It Runs in the Family and The Indian Fighter opposite her ex-husband Kirk Douglas. She was married to the actor from 1943 until 1951, and was the mother of actor Michael Douglas.
Douglas appeared in the 2003 film It Runs in the Family as the matriarch of a dysfunctional New York family. The film also starred Michael Dougas and his son, Cameron Douglas. A much earlier credit, the 1955 film The Indian Fighter, also marked the first movie for Kirk’s production company, Bryna. Her other film roles included parts in The Whistle at Eaton Falls; Loving; Another Man, Another Chance; Cold Heaven; Planes, Trains & Automobiles and The Star Chamber. The latter starred Michael Douglas as an idealistic young judge who takes justice into his own hands.
Her work in television was extensive, and included appearances in such series as Naked City, Flipper, Ben Casey, Days of Our Lives, N.Y.P.D., The Streets of San Francisco (starring Karl Malden and Michael Douglas), The Cowboys (as recurring character Annie Andersen), Cannon, Barnaby Jones, The Waltons, Knots Landing, CHiPs, Lou Grant, Remington Steele, Cagney & Lacey, Dallas, Dynasty, The Paper Chase (as recurring character Professor Tyler, the love interest of John Houseman's character), The West Wing, Cold Case and ER.
Douglas was born Diana Love Dill in Devonshire, Bermuda, where her father was the attorney general of the British territory, and her family roots dated to the 1640s. After moving to New York and studying acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (where she met Kirk), she left for California. There, she worked for Warner Bros., made her film debut in George Cukor’s Keeper of the Flame, and eventually moved back to New York. She modeled for some time and landed on the cover of Life magazine in 1943.
She also worked on Broadway, appearing in The Highest Tree, Hamlet and in Edward Albee’s Everything in the Garden. In 1999 she published a memoir, In the Wings.
Douglas died July 3, 2015, in Woodland Hills, California. She was 92.
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