Kirk Douglas: Spartacus Presents 2011 Best Supporting Actress Oscar

Actor Kirk Douglas presented Melissa Leo with her Best Supporting Actress Oscar on February 27th at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards. The 94-year-old actor has a speech impediment from a stroke he suffered in 1996, but he was clearly having the time of his life. He flirted with the award show’s co-host Anne Hathaway, saying “”Where were you when I was making pictures?”

He was, of course, really kidding because in his autobiography, The Ragman’s Son, Kirk related some of his amorous encounters with the likes of Gene Tierney, Patricia Neal, Rita Hayworth and even a scary date with Joan Crawford. Lauren Bacall recalls her mad crush on Kirk (that never went anywhere) in her autobiography, By Myself and Then Some.

Kirk Douglas also made fun of Hugh Jackman for laughing, asking why Australians always laugh, and pointed out Colin Firth, saying Firth wasn’t laughing because he’s British. Then he proceeded to stall announcing the winner saying “you know” a few times when he was supposed to say the name, much to the amusement of the audience. By this time Colin Firth was laughing, and he picked up on that as he told Melissa Leo that she looks better than she did in “The Fighter.” Melissa Leo cracked “You’re not so bad yourself. What are you doing later?”

Mr. Douglas said he would never forget the evening, but it held a sad note for us, because we knew they would show actor Tony Curtis in the In Memoriam segment. How cool would it have been if Tony was still here and could have been co-presenter?

Here are Tony and Kirk in the “I’m Spartacus” scene from the 1960 film “Spartacus.”

There were so many stars in “Spartacus” who are no longer with us:

Laurence Olivier, 9 years older than Kirk, has been gone 22 years.
Jean Simmons, who played Kirk’s wife, Varinia in Spartacus, was 13 years younger than Kirk. She passed away on January 22, 2010, but was not included in the In Memoriam list at the 2011 Oscars because she was included in the 2010 In Memoriam (but they showed a picture of Jennifer Jones by mistake).
Charles Laughton, 1934 Best Actor Oscar winner, was 17 years older than Kirk. He’s been gone since 1962.
Peter Ustinov, 2 time Oscar winner as Best Supporting Actor Oscar, one for “Spartacus” was 5 years younger than Kirk. He’s been gone 7 years.
Nina Foch, 8 years Kirk’s junior, passed away in 2004.
John Ireland, born the same year as Kirk, has been gone 19 years.

Only Czech actor, Herbert Lom, who is 93 years old and played Tigranes Levantes in “Spartacus” and 79-year-old actor, John Gavin, who played Julius Caesar, are still here. Hope they got to watch Kirk get his Oscar moment. Kirk was nominated for three academy awards for best actor during his career, but never won.

Update: Herbert Lom passed away on September 27, 2012