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Diana Douglas dead: Actress and mother of Michael Douglas dies age 92

The actress was the first wife of Kirk Douglas and the mother of Michael Douglas

Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith
Sunday 05 July 2015 14:14 BST
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Kirk Douglas poses with his ex-wife Diana Douglas, their son Michael Douglas, and Michael's son Cameron Douglas
Kirk Douglas poses with his ex-wife Diana Douglas, their son Michael Douglas, and Michael's son Cameron Douglas (AP)

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Diana Douglas, the first wife of Kirk Douglas and the mother of Michael Douglas, has died aged 92.

Douglas died of cancer at a motion picture industry retirement home in Los Angeles, according to an obituary from Michael Douglas’s production company, Further Films.

Douglas appeared in a number of films and TV shows, from the Steve Martin film Planes, Trains and Automobiles to TV shows Dallas, ER, The West Wing and Days Of Our Lives.

Kirk Douglas and his former wife, Diana Douglas, go over their lines for a scene in 'The Indian Fighter'
Kirk Douglas and his former wife, Diana Douglas, go over their lines for a scene in 'The Indian Fighter' (AP)
Michael Douglas taking a turn as producer, poses with the cast of "The Best of Friends," which included his mother, Diana Douglas, center.
Michael Douglas taking a turn as producer, poses with the cast of "The Best of Friends," which included his mother, Diana Douglas, center. (AP)

She is survived by her third husband, Donald Webster. The couple had been married for 15 years.

Born Diana Love Dill in Bermuda, the actress moved to New York to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where she met Kirk Douglas.

In May 1943, she appeared on the cover of Life magazine as a model, which her future husband saw.

“Kirk Douglas, by then serving in the Navy during World War II, saw her on the cover and told his shipmates he would marry her,” the obituary read.

The couple were married in November that year and had two sons, Michael and Joel, before divorcing in 1951.

Douglas married her second husband, actor Bill Darrid, in 1956. The couple were together until his death in 1992.

Kirk and Diana Douglas celebrate the completing 'The Sign of the Ram' in Los Angeles, 1948
Kirk and Diana Douglas celebrate the completing 'The Sign of the Ram' in Los Angeles, 1948
Kirk and Diana Douglas pose with their second son, Joel, in 1947
Kirk and Diana Douglas pose with their second son, Joel, in 1947 (AP)

Douglas remained on good terms with her first husband and starred alongside him in a number of films. Her last film, It Runs In The Family, released in 2003, starred Kirk and her son Michael, and her grandson Cameron.

Additional reporting by PA

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