Douglas joined forces with Jane Fonda's IPC Films to co-produce THE CHINA SYNDROME (1979) which benefited greatly from the fortuitous timing of the near meltdown crisis at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. Douglas starred with Fonda and Jack Lemmon, the latter pair earning Oscar® nominations. Until ROMANCING THE STONE (1984), Douglas was more highly regarded as a producer than an actor. His portrayal of Jack Colton, the amiably smug adventurer, expanded on the latent sleaze factor in Indiana Jones. Essentially a feminist take on RAIDERS and its ilk, the film profitably teamed him with Kathleen Turner and Danny De Vito for a rollicking, fast-paced comedy adventure. This trio also collaborated on the inevitable sequel, JEWEL OF THE NILE (1985) and, most impressively, De Vito's black comedy of divorce, WAR OF THE ROSES (1989).
One characteristic that distinguishes Douglas from most other stars of his generation is the overt sleaziness of his screen persona. He exudes a smarminess and arrogance that serve as a critique of his characters, though at the same time his Everyman quality has served as a centerpiece for vehicles in which he is victimized by the lead female characters. These qualities effectively underlined the hypocrisy and the helplessness of his protagonist in FATAL ATTRACTION (1987), revealed the basic pettiness and mean-spiritedness of the husband in THE WAR OF THE ROSES, and proved spellbinding in his Oscar-winning portrayal of corporate raider Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone's WALL STREET (1987).
In 1988, Douglas formed Stonebridge Entertainment Inc. which produced Joel Schumacher's FLATLINERS (1990) and Richard Donner's RADIO FLYER (1992), and attempted to revive the failed Victorine Studios in Nice, France. His recent acting jobs have been in mainstream Hollywood fare, appearing in two back-to-back hits: Paul Verhoeven's controversial but uninspired thriller, BASIC INSTINCT (1992), and FALLING DOWN (1993), Joel Schumacher's tame stab at edgy social commentary. Douglas' next outing was as the producer of MADE IN AMERICA (1993), a successful comic pairing of Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson. He was threatened by a woman once again as the star of DISCLOSURE (1994) opposite Demi Moore. Based on Michael Crichton's bestselling novel, the film tells the story of a male executive sexually harassed by his female boss. He romanced Annette Bening as THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT (1995). In the late 1990s, Douglas starred with Val Kilmer in THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS (1996), with Sean Penn in THE GAME (1997) and with Gwenyth Paltrow in A PERFECT MURDER (1998).
The new century found him starring as Grady Tripp in Curtis Hanson's WONDER BOYS (2000), as drug czar Robert Hudson Wakefield in Steven Soderbergh's TRAFFIC (2000), as Nathan Conrad in DON'T SAY A WORD (2001), with his dad and Bernadette Peters in A FEW GOOD YEARS (2002), and with Albert Brooks in TILL DEATH DO US PART (2003). Subsequent film acting credits include THE IN-LAWS (also 2003), THE SENTINEL (also producer) and YOU, ME AND DUPREE (both 2006), KING OF CALIFORNIA (2007), and RACING THE MONSOON (2008, also co-producer).
His much-publicized romance with actress Catherine Zeta-Jones culminated in their marriage in November of 2000. Their son, Dylan Michael Douglas, was born three months before their wedding.
Best Picture 1975: ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST - Producer (w. Saul Zaentz)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 1987: WALL STREET
2 nominations, 2 Awards