Anne Buydens Explained

Birth Name:Hannelore Marx
Birth Date:23 April 1919
Birth Place:Hanover, German Reich
Death Place:Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Resting Place:Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Other Names:Anne Douglas
Years Active:1952–2013
Awards:Jefferson Award (2003)

Anne Buydens (born Hannelore Marx;[1] April 23, 1919 – April 29, 2021) was an American philanthropist and film producer. She was the wife of actor Kirk Douglas from 1954 until his death in 2020. She received a Jefferson Award for Public Service in 2003.

Early life

Buydens was born Hannelore Marx in Hanover, Weimar Republic (now Germany), on April 23, 1919,[2] the daughter of Siegfried Marx,[3] a textile merchant who imported silk for making parachutes, and Paula Marx,[4] a socialite. After her parents were divorced, she was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland, where she learned English, French and Italian. She later studied in Brussels but fled the bombed city for Paris during World War II. As her German identity was a problem, she became a Belgian citizen by marrying a Belgian, Albert Buydens, whom she later divorced.[5]

Career

When the Nazis in Paris insisted that films be shown with German subtitles, her language skills allowed her to find a job adding subtitles for a French film distributor. In 1948, she was hired to produce an NBC program, Paris Cavalcade of Fashion. She also worked as a location scout on the 1952 production of Moulin Rouge for John Huston. From 1953, she scheduled celebrity parties at the Cannes Film Festival.

When Buydens met Kirk Douglas in Paris in 1953,[6] he was divorced from his first wife, Diana Dill, with whom he had two sons, Michael and Joel.[7] They worked on the film Act of Love, directed by Anatole Litvak, he as an actor and she as a publicist.[8] He offered her a job as his publicist, which she first refused, but eventually accepted, described by him later: "She finally agreed to work with me on a trial basis, making it clear our relationship would be strictly business".

Personal life

Buydens and Douglas married in Las Vegas on May 29, 1954. The couple had two sons: Peter (born 1955) and Eric (1958–2004), who both went into the film business.[9] Douglas credited Buydens with saving his life in 1958 when she had insisted that he not travel via private plane with director Mike Todd; the plane crashed the next day, killing all four people aboard.

Buydens became a United States citizen in 1959. She converted to Judaism when she renewed her wedding vows with Douglas on their 50th wedding anniversary in 2004.[10] [11]

In 2017, they co-wrote a memoir, Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood, including letters they had exchanged. She and her husband both became centenarians; he died aged 103 on February 5, 2020.

Death

Buydens died on April 29, 2021, aged 102, at their longtime Beverly Hills home. She was interred at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery next to her husband and their son Eric.[12]

In a statement released by the family, her stepson Michael Douglas paid tribute:

Philanthropy

One of Buydens' first forays into philanthropy came on the heels of recovering from breast cancer: With six fellow survivors, Buydens established the "Research for Women's Cancers" charity, which raised millions of dollars to help finance a research facility at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.[13]

The two started the Douglas Foundation in 1964, which has since donated roughly 118 million USD to institutions such as the Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF).[14] They were also behind the establishment of Harry's Haven, an Alzheimer's disease unit named after Douglas's father at the MPTF Home in Woodland Hills.[15]

The couple was known for their efforts to rebuild playgrounds in the Los Angeles Unified School District, attending opening ceremonies in person.[16] In recognition of her compassion toward homeless women, the Anne Douglas Center for Women was named after her.[17]

Awards

Buydens was inducted into the International Best-Dressed Hall of Fame List in 1970.[18] [19]

In recognition of her philanthropic deeds as a private citizen, Buydens received a Jefferson Award for Public Service in 2003.[20] Buydens and Douglas are the only married couple to have each received an individual Jefferson Award; Douglas was awarded in 1983.

Notes and References

  1. http://interactive.ancestrylibrary.com/3998/40735_1220706418_0173-00968/2549400?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestrylibrary.com%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fgst%3d-6&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults Birth name per naturalization petition (1959)
  2. https://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/04/23/douglass-wife/ "The Centennial Couple – Kirk Douglas is 102 and his Wife Anne Just Turned 100!"
  3. Book: Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood. 11 June 2021. 9780762462186. Douglas. Kirk. Douglas. Anne. Movies. Turner Classic. May 2, 2017. Running Press.
  4. Book: Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood. 978-0-7624-6218-6. Douglas. Kirk. Douglas. Anne. Movies. Turner Classic. May 2, 2017. Running Press .
  5. Web site: Anne Buydens, the widow of Kirk Douglas, died: she had just turned 102 years old . italy24news.com . April 30, 2021 . May 1, 2021 . 25 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220125102825/https://www.italy24news.com/entertainment/news/3213.html . dead .
  6. News: Witwe von Kirk Douglas Anne Douglas im Alter von 102 Jahren gestorben . . April 30, 2021 . de . May 1, 2021.
  7. News: Kirk Douglas obituary: Ragman's son who became a Hollywood superstar / Actor known for celebrated films like Spartacus and Paths of Glory died aged 103 . Irish Times . February 6, 2020 . May 1, 2021 . November 28, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201128232236/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/kirk-douglas-obituary-ragman-s-son-who-became-a-hollywood-superstar-1.4163742 . live .
  8. News: Anne Douglas, widow of late actor Kirk Douglas, passes away at 102 . . April 30, 2021 . May 1, 2021 . May 2, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210502094257/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/english/hollywood/news/anne-douglas-widow-of-late-actor-kirk-douglas-passes-away-at-102/articleshow/82320542.cms . live .
  9. Web site: Douglas. Family. Douglas History. May 10, 2011. March 3, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181156/http://douglashistory.co.uk/history/annedouglas.htm. live.
  10. Web site: Hollywood gladiator Kirk Douglas has his eyes set on a third barmitzvah | The Jewish Chronicle. Thejc.com. September 20, 2012. July 19, 2016. October 2, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121002075725/http://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/interviews/82813/hollywood-gladiator-kirk-douglas-has-his-eyes-set-a-third-barmitzvah. live.
  11. News: Nate. Bloom. Nate Bloom. Jews in the News: Kirk Douglas, Natalie Portman and Max Cassella. Jewish Community Centers and Federation of Tampa. December 5, 2016. December 23, 2017. December 23, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171223220016/https://www.jewishtampa.com/jews-in-the-news/jews-in-the-news-kirk-douglas-natalie-portman-and-max-cassella. live.
  12. News: Barnes . Mike . Anne Douglas, Philanthropist and Widow of Kirk Douglas, Dies at 102 . April 29, 2021 . April 29, 2021 . . May 2, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210502094143/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/anne-douglas-dead-producer-widow-kirk-douglas-102 . live .
  13. Web site: Who is Kirk Douglas' philanthropist wife, Anne Buydens?. https://archive.today/20210502015922/https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/read-this/who-is-kirk-douglas-philanthropist-wife-anne-buydens-1387172. dead. www.yorkshirepost.co.uk. May 2, 2021. May 2, 2021.
  14. Web site: Hollywood Royalty Kirk Douglas on What He Cares About the Most. https://archive.today/20210502022300/https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/a6093/michael-douglas-family/. dead. Brooks. Barnes. December 8, 2016. Town & Country. May 2, 2021. May 2, 2021.
  15. Web site: Kirk Douglas at 100, still in love with soulmate Anne. https://archive.today/20210502020404/https://www.timesofisrael.com/kirk-douglas-at-100-still-in-love-with-soulmate-anne/. dead. Frankie. Taggart. www.timesofisrael.com. May 2, 2021. May 2, 2021.
  16. News: Anne Douglas Dies: Kirk Douglas' Widow & Longtime Philanthropist Was 102 . Deadline . Erik . Pederson . April 29, 2021 . April 30, 2021 . May 2, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210502094142/https://deadline.com/2021/04/anne-douglas-dead-kirk-douglas-wife-1234747287/ . live .
  17. Web site: Anne Douglas Center for Women . losangelesmission.org . May 1, 2021 . February 25, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210225212340/https://losangelesmission.org/anne-douglas-center-for-women/ . live .
  18. Web site: World's Best Dressed Women. Vanity Fair. The International Hall of Fame: Women. 1970. July 26, 2012. Staff. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130712215415/http://www.vanityfair.com/style/the-international-best-dressed-list/hall-of-fame-women. July 12, 2013.
  19. Book: Ultimate Style – The Best of the Best Dressed List. 116. 2-84323-513-8. 2004. Zilkha. Bettina. Assouline .
  20. Web site: Multiplying Good Remembers Kirk Douglas . February 12, 2020 . May 2, 2021 . https://archive.today/20210501182701/https://www.multiplyinggood.org/blog/in-memoriam-kirk-douglas . 1 May 2021 . dead.

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