Michael Douglas was born into Hollywood royalty, the son of the legendary actor Kirk Douglas. And now at 76-years-old, he can look back on his own sterling career that has netted him two Academy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards.
Married twice, Douglas has three kids, 42-year-old Cameron, 20-year-old Dylan, and 17-year-old Carys.
Cameron, his only child with his first wife Diandra Luker has had a rough ride, spending time in prison on drug-related charges.
Douglas' children with his second wife Catherine Zeta-Jones appear to have had a better time of it. Political activist Dylan Douglas was, prior to lockdown, attending Brown University. And 17-year-old Carys? She's a budding fashionista and considering a career in medicine.
So, let's have a look at Michael Douglas' three children and see what they have been up to.
Cameron Douglas - Born 1978
When he was a kid, Cameron watched his father Michael's party-hard, sometimes drug-fuelled, cheating lifestyle. It brought an end to his marriage to Cameron's mom Diandra Luker. In 1992, rumors of Michael's affair with his Basic Instincts co-star Sharon Stone was the talk of Hollywood. It got so bad that Diandra sent Michael off to sex-addict therapy.
Michael Douglas' love of pot back then is well known. It's rumored that love of the weed brought him and his still-best buddy, Danny DeVito, together in the 1960s.
Cameron started using drugs himself when he was only 13-years-old. He even took to dealing drugs as a way of funding his habit. In 2009 he was busted for possession of a half-pound of methamphetamine, charged with dealing, and sentenced to five years in prison.
Michael Douglas put his hand up and admitted that he had set a bad example for Cameron, that he had been a "bad father". Prison, he said, would give Cameron a chance to get clean. Only thing was, he didn't. While inside he was caught with drugs he had bought from another inmate and had another 4 1/2 years added to his sentence.
After serving seven years, he was released from prison in 2016.
And he appears to have turned his life around. He is pursuing an acting career and has two children with long-time love Viviane Thibes.
And Cameron has written a frank, honest memoir about his life and his struggle with drugs called Long Way Home. In it, he details his dysfunctional childhood and his father's party-hard, cheating ways. Michael says he supports Cameron's decision to write the book, even though he says it makes for painful reading.
More important to Cameron than just about anything else, he and his dad are beginning to finally build a good, solid relationship. He has nothing but praise for the support he has received from Michael and step-mom Catherine Zeta-Jones during his long struggle with drug addiction. His much beloved, now deceased, grandpa Kirk ("Pappy") even visited him in prison.
Of the visit, he said: "I'm so impressed by Pappy, and touched. He's ninety-three, and he's come all the way from California to see me." Kirk asked him if he was getting into fights with other inmates. Cameron sheepishly admitted he was. Kirk asked him if he won more than he lost. And when Cameron said he did, Kirk beamed and said "That's my boy".
Dylan Douglas - Born 2000
Dylan Douglas is 20-years-old and, prior to lockdown, was a student at Brown University. His dad Michael and mom Catherine decided to move to Bermuda after he was born. Why? Well, they wanted to protect him from the pressures of having rich and famous parents. Eventually, the family moved back to New York so Dylan could attend a special-needs school to help him deal with his dyslexia.
And young Dylan is something of a political activist, co-founding Make Room Now, a Political Action Committee ("PAC"). Make Room Now raises money privately in order to support candidates that they believe in. They recently supported the successful candidacies of Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in the Georgia Senate run-offs.
Carys Douglas - Born 2003
Born in 2003, Carys Douglas is 17-years-old. While still in high school, she is considering a career in medicine. She swears that while the family was living in Bermuda, she had no idea her dad was a famous actor.
She has said: “I thought my dad was a pancake maker. I didn’t know he was an actor. Honestly.” It was only when the family moved back to New York that she realized he was rich and famous.
While in lockdown, Carys and Dylan have become very close. And Michael has said that the lockdown brought the family closer together.
And Carys has followed in her famous mom's footsteps and done a bit of modeling.
Last year, Thanksgiving was a special time, bringing the whole family together for a festive feast.
And then two days before Christmas, the family had more to celebrate when Cameron Douglas and his partner Viviane Thibes welcomed their second child, a son they named Ryder.
After Cameron's drug problems and imprisonment, the family seems to have come together and won through. Michael Douglas is one very proud dad and granddad these days.
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