For years, Michael Douglas was one of Hollywood’s hottest actors. He starred in films like Basic Instinct, Wallstreet, Falling Down, and Fatal Attraction. However, he has slowed down his career significantly in the last several years. In 2010, he received a stage IV tongue cancer diagnosis that changed his life. Now, at age 80, Michael Douglas recently told Variety he probably won’t ever act again.
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“Stage 4 cancer is not a holiday, but there aren’t many choices, are there?” he said. “I went with the program, involving chemo and radiation, and was fortunate. The surgery would have meant not being able to talk and removing part of my jaw and that would have been limiting as an actor.”
Michael Douglas Hasn’t Taken Any New Roles In Several Years
He told Variety his choice to no longer act was very intentional.
“I have not worked since 2022 purposefully because I realized I had to stop,” he told Variety. “I had been working pretty hard for almost 60 years. And I did not want to be one of those people who dropped dead on the set. I have no real intentions of going back. I say I’m not retired because if something special came up, I’d go back, but otherwise, no.”
Michael Douglas married his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones in 2000. The pair welcomed two children Dylan, 24, and daughter Carys, 22. He also has a son, Cameron, 46.
Following his cancer diagnosis in 2010, Micheal Douglas told The Guardian that his life was more family than career-oriented.
“During my first marriage, my career was the most important thing in my life,” he said “I clearly know I made mistakes. There were absences. My eldest son, Cameron, is in the middle of a very, very difficult and tragic time. Cameron has made a couple of big mistakes in his life. He’s paid the price. On the other side of it, he’s sober. The kids really miss him, and he misses them. I’ve taken them to visit. Now that my own priorities are entirely different, I’m always encouraging people to wait to have a family – get yourself sorted career-wise first as much as you can.”
This story’s featured image is by Michal Cizek / AFP via Getty.
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