Michael Douglas on the ‘Disadvantages’ of Being Kirk Douglas’ Son: ‘Create Your Own Identity’

Michael Douglas is the son of Hollywood royalty, but he admitted that it came with some “disadvantages” early on.

Michael, 79, was born to actor Kirk Douglas and actress Diana Dill in 1944. The Academy Award winner admitted that people usually recognized him as Kirk’s son when he was first starting out in show business.

“I think the disadvantage is I remember earlier on as an actor where you’re trying to create your own identity and they’re all saying, ‘Oh, that looks just like your father. Oh my God, you sound, you look just like your father.’ ‘Well, thank you very much,’” he reflected during an episode of SiriusXM’s “The Jess Cagle Show with Julia Cunningham” on Wednesday, April 17.

Even though Michael admitted that he experienced some drawbacks, he also explained that being Kirk’s son had its advantages.

“I think the advantage is that you were able to see your father as a movie star, his friends, Burt Lancaster, Gregory Peck, others, Tony Curtis, all of them coming, Frank Sinatra, and you see them with their own foibles,” the Wall Street actor shared. “You see them as regular people who had issues just like everybody else and it took a lot of that pizzazz out of the thing, and I think helped you conduct your own life in a more practice easier way. You weren’t affected by all the stuff like a lot of people who never come in before, so that was a advantage.”

Kirk died in February 2020 at age 103. In addition to Michael, Kirk also shared son Joel with Diana. After their marriage ended in 1951, the Champion actor married his second wife, Anne Buydens, in 1954. They welcomed kids Peter and Eric during their marriage, which lasted until Kirk’s death.

As for Michael, he’s been married to Catherine Zeta-Jones since 2000. They share kids Dylan and Carys, as well as Michael’s eldest son, Cameron, from his marriage to Diandra Luker. Michael has always taken inspiration from his father when it comes to parenting and his career.

“I just admire him so much for what he’s accomplished,” the Behind the Candelabra actor said of his famous father during an appearance on The View on Tuesday, April 16. “He was an extraordinary man, just extraordinary, [with] incredible stamina.”