Michael Douglas reveals heartbreaking exit from acting

After nearly 60 years in Hollywood, the legendary Michael Douglas, 80, recently shocked fans by announcing that he has “to stop” acting before he drops “dead on the set.”

Before establishing himself as a charismatic, often ruthless on-screen presence in the 1980s and ’90s, Michael Douglas – 31 at the time – won his first Academy Award in 1976 as a producer for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Over his career, the 80-year-old Douglas – the son of the legendary Kirk Douglas – has redefined the image of the complex male lead with roles like the morally ambiguous Gordon Gekko in Wall Street, which earned him his second Oscar, to steamy psychological thrillers like Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct.

Marvel’s ‘Ant-Man’
Though Douglas has tackled a wide range of roles throughout his almost 60-year career, younger audiences likely know him best as Dr. Hank Pym in Marvel’s Ant-Man franchise. He last appeared in 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – but don’t expect a return to the MCU anytime soon.

“I had the experience, and I was excited to do it. I’d never done a green screen picture before,” Douglas told Deadline in an interview marking the 50th anniversary of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – the film that his father handed him the rights to produce. “I did the The Kominsky Method because I wanted to work with Chuck Lorre and try some comedy.”

Discussing his career and the challenges of balancing life as both a performer and producer, Douglas admitted that the nonstop demands took a toll.

“I’m enjoying my hiatus and enjoying my life. It was overwhelming running the production company and acting at the same time,” he said, referring to Further Films that he founded in 1997. The independent production company has backed projects like Don’t Say a Word, One Night at McCool’s, and Ratched – a 2020 TV series based on Nurse Mildred Ratched from the Cuckoo’s Nest.