HOLLYWOOD - Legendary screen actor Kirk Douglas is slated to receive a Golden Bear award for his 55-year career at the Berlin Film Festival, Reuters reports.
``Kirk Douglas unmistakably embodies the quintessence of the pioneering spirit and typical American individualism,'' said Moritz De Hadeln, director of the event, which is considered one of Europe's most important film festivals after Cannes. ``His characters are tough and uneven, at times even difficult.''
Douglas, the father of actor Michael Douglas, has played everything from cowboys, gangsters, military officers to a Roman slave in “Spartacus.”
The 84-year-old actor will be honored at the 51st annual Berlinale festival, which takes place Feb. 7-18.
Douglas will be the 12th recipient of the award. Past honorees have included Jimmy Stewart (1982), Sir Alec Guinness (1988), Sophia Loren (1994), Alain Delon (1995), Catherine Deneuve (1998) and Jeanne Moreau (2000).