After nearly six decades in Hollywood, Michael Douglas, 80, has revealed he’s stepping back from acting, saying he doesn’t want to “drop dead on the set.” Douglas won his first Oscar at 31 as producer of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1976) before becoming one of the defining leading men of the ’80s and ’90s. From the ruthless Gordon Gekko in Wall Street—which earned him his second Oscar—to steamy thrillers like Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct, he redefined the modern male antihero.
More recently, younger audiences have known him as Dr. Hank Pym in Marvel’s Ant-Man films. He also earned praise for his Netflix comedy The Kominsky Method and last appeared as Benjamin Franklin in Apple TV+’s 2024 miniseries Franklin. Speaking at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Douglas said he purposefully hasn’t worked since 2022. “I realized I had to stop.
I’d 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.” Still, he insists he’s not “retired,” leaving the door open for something “special.” Douglas also reflected on personal challenges, including surviving stage 4 cancer, which he said was “not a holiday.”
Instead, he now enjoys more time at home, proudly supporting his wife, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. The Golden Globe winner will appear in at least one more film, Looking Through Water, alongside his son Cameron. Beyond that, Douglas seems content to let his remarkable legacy speak for itself.