The Drew Forum presents: Michael Douglas

Michael Douglas is a rare Hollywood powerhouse who has achieved pinnacle success as both an elite actor and an independent, Oscar-winning producer. Douglas’s early career firmly established his dual-threat capability to lead in front of the camera and drive culture from behind it. In 1975, he broke into independent feature production with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a masterpiece that won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and grossed over $180 million. He followed this landmark success by producing and starring in the politically influential nuclear thriller The China Syndrome in 1979. By the 1980s, Douglas was actively defining the cinematic landscape. He doubled as actor and producer for the massive romantic- adventure hit Romancing the Stone  before starring in two of 1987’s biggest cultural milestones: the psychological phenomenon Fatal Attraction and Oliver Stone’s Wall Street. His definitive portrayal of ruthless corporate raider Gordon Gekko in the latter earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor. This momentum carried through the 1990s and early 2000s, cementing his versatility with genre- defining hits like Basic Instinct, David Fincher’s The Game, and the multi-Academy Award-winning crime-drama Traffic.

Adapting effortlessly to the modern media landscape, Douglas has continued to dominate premium television and major cinematic universes in recent years. He brought his legendary screen presence to global blockbuster territory by portraying Dr. Hank Pym across Marvel’s highly successful Ant-Man trilogy and Avengers: Endgame. Concurrently, his work in prestige television has garnered immense critical acclaim. He earned an Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Award for his transformative role as Liberace in HBO’s Behind the Candelabra , and later starred in Netflix’s hit comedy series The Kominsky Method, capturing a Golden Globe and multiple Emmy nominations across its three- season run. In 2024, Douglas took on the historical title role of Benjamin Franklin in the Apple TV+ limited series Franklin, continuing his lifelong tradition of anchoring high-profile, impactful storytelling.

Beyond his cinematic achievements, Douglas’ legacy is defined by historic accolades and dedicated philanthropy. Appointed a United Nations Messenger of Peace by Kofi Annan, he has spent decades advocating for nuclear non-proliferation and the control of small arms. His profound impact on the arts has been recognized with the industry’s highest honors, including the AFI Life Achievement Award, the Producers Guild Award, and the New York Film Society’s Charlie Chaplin Award. Internationally, he was named a “Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres” in France and holds the distinction of being the only American ever awarded two French César Awards for Career Achievement.

Deeply committed to supporting his peers, Douglas hosted the Michael Douglas and Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament for over a decade, raising more than $13 million for the Motion Picture and Television Fund, proudly proclaiming, “We are an industry that takes care of their own.”

In his memoir, One Helluva Ride , Douglas brings readers on a journey from his childhood to the present, offering an unfilitered view into growing up in his father’s shadow, the twelve films that defined his career, his personal struggles with infidelity, substance abuse, and cancer, and the storybook marriage to Catherine Zeta-Jones that changed his life.

Michael Douglas is a living legend who, in sharing his journey, offers lessons for building a better career, a better life, and a better world.

Ben Mankiewicz is the primetime host of Turner Classic Movies. When he made his TCM debut more than 20 years ago in September 2003, he became only the second host hired in the network’s history. During his career at TCM, he has introduced thousands of movies on the air. Additionally, he’s become one of the best interviewers in the business, leading thoughtful and entertaining long-form conversations with more than two hundred of the industry’s top talents, including Steven Spielberg, Mel Brooks, Bruce Springsteen, Sophia Loren, Martin Scorsese, Harrison Ford, Warren Beatty, Spike Lee, Robert Redford, Pam Grier, Quentin Tarantino, Faye Dunaway, Lou Gossett, Jr., and Michael Douglas. Oh, and Tom Hanks.