Michael Douglas on His Dad’s Health Ahead of His 100th Birthday: ‘He is Rocking’

Story by People
Written by Mike Miller

Kirk Douglas turns 100 next month, and he isn’t slowing down — literally.

“He’s doing absolutely great,” Kirk’s son Michael Douglas said on ITV’s The Jonathan Ross Show in an episode airing Saturday at 9:50PM in Britain. “He’s got a walker with wheels … He tends to fly, he’s at about a 45 degree angle at all times and moving great.”

The legendary actor’s centennial birthday is Dec. 9, and his oldest son is taking charge of the festivities. “I said, ‘Let’s maybe have an afternoon lunch,’ but then he doesn’t like to watch people eat so we said, ‘Let’s do a tea.’ So we’re down to a tea and we’re just trying to get the details worked out but it’s turning out to be a major function.”

As for a toast, Douglas said, “I’ll probably wish him 101 … He is rocking, I can easily see him going on.” The actor revealed that his dad is working on his 11th book. “He’s a great literary writer. It’s a lost art. He’s got a long history of letters he and his wife [wrote to each other]. My stepmother Anne, she’s been my stepmother for 65 years. I’ve noticed they’re working on a book together so he’s quite content, quite satisfied, he’s just an extraordinary guy.”

Always proud of his father, Douglas took a moment to reflect on what he called Kirk’s “incredible rags to riches story.”