Eric Anthony Douglas (June 21, 1958 – July 6, 2004) was an American actor and stand-up comedian. Douglas was the youngest son of actor Kirk Douglas and his second wife Anne Buydens. His half brother was actor and producer Michael Douglas.
Douglas pursued a career in show business but did not attain the same level of success as his father and siblings. His career was typically overshadowed by his numerous run-ins with the law and problems with alcohol and drugs. In 2004, he died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 46.
Early life
Born in Los Angeles, California, Douglas was the youngest son of actor Kirk Douglas and German American mother Anne Buydens. He was the younger brother of Peter Douglas, and his older half-brothers were Michael and Joel Douglas.
Douglas studied at Pitzer College, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and the London Academy of Dramatic Art.
Career
Acting
Douglas made his screen debut in 1971 in A Gunfight, starring his father and Johnny Cash. In 1982, Douglas appeared in the NBC television film Remembrance of Love, also starring his father. Douglas portrayed a younger version of his father’s character in flashback scenes. He appeared in several films in the 1980s including The Flamingo Kid (1985), Tomboy (1985), The Golden Child (1986), and Honor Bound (1988). In the late 1980s, Douglas performed off-Broadway at the Village Gate Theater with the critically acclaimed improvisational comedy troupe Noo Yawk Tawk . He also appeared in a production of Dale Wasserman’s Shakespeare and The Indians at the Music Theatre Conference for the Eugene O’ Neill Theatre Center in 1981. Also in the production was folk performer Bobby Bridger, but the production never made it to Broadway.
In 1991, Douglas appeared with his father (in the senior Douglas’ Emmy-nominated performance) in “Yellow”, the Season 3 finale of the television series Tales from the Crypt. The father and son acting duo portrayed father and son characters with Eric a young officer in World War I brought up on charges of cowardice by his commanding general who is also his cold-hearted father.
Eric Douglas
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