Biography of Michael Douglas

A winner of two Academy Awards, as a producer and actor, Michael Douglas also has formidable experience in the world of television. He has also won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. His movies have been box office hits and garnered a cult following, the world over.

Childhood

The son of superstar Kirk Douglas and actress Diana Dill, Michael was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He was raised by his mother Diana as his parents were divorced at a young age. Michael studied at the Allen-Stevenson School and later graduated from Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Although his father Kirk wasn't too happy about Michael's plans to take up acting as a career, eventually he accepted his son's decision.

Early Years

Although Michael could have opted for studying at the prestigious Yale University, he chose to complete his graduation in Arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1968. The TV series The Streets Of San Fransisco, which ran from 1972 to 1976 gave Michael a chance to display his acting prowess. He shared screen space with veteran actor Karl Malden, who was a father figure to him. After the phenomenal success of this TV series, he produced a movie called One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which showcased Jack Nicholson's supremacy as an actor. This masterpiece won five Oscars, of which Michael won the "Best Picture" award. After the success of this movie, he made several appearances in movies which failed to attract audiences. Although his acting career stagnated for a brief period, he believed in his own potential and continued to work hard.

Popularity

Although his success as an actor had dwindled over the years, the 1984 blockbuster Romancing The Stone, in which he starred opposite Kathleen Turner changed his fortune. The on-screen chemistry between the two was widely appreciated by audiences the world over. The phenomenal success of this movie led to the making of its sequel, The Jewel of the Nile, which was also a box office hit. The movie Fatal Attraction, a thriller which came out in 1987, cemented his place as one of the leading actors in Hollywood. In the same year, his performance in the movie Wall Street won him an Oscar in the Best Actor category.

He teamed up with his former co-star Kathleen Turner for the movie The War of the Roses. This dark comedy was well-received by the fans of this on-screen couple. He got a chance to work with the critically acclaimed director Ridley Scott in the movie Black Rain, a crime thriller about cops. In 1992, he was paired opposite the sensuous Sharon Stone in the hugely successful Basic Instinct. In 1994, he played the role of a person being harassed sexually by his female boss, in the movie Disclosure, which starred the gorgeous Demi Moore. His diverse roles made him one of the most popular actors among directors.

Marriage

Michael Douglas, who tied the knot with Diandra Luker on March 20, 1977, was married to her for twenty three years. They had a son Cameron from their marriage. Soon after his divorce, in 2000, he fell in love with "porcelain skin" actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, who was twenty five years younger than him. They tied the knot on November 18, 2000. Their children, Dylan Michael and Carys Zeta are a constant source of inspiration for Michael.

Michael Douglas is actively involved with the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, and is also among the Board of Directors of the Ploughshares Fund. He takes keen interest in politics and supports the principles of the Democratic Party. These being apart from the immense contribution he has made to the film industry.

Screenwriting Books

You cannot deny the fact that screenwriting is an art that cannot be mastered by anyone and everyone. Don't get disheartened, though. It indeed is a craft, but if you are a passionate storyteller who wants the stories to make it big amongst people, then nothing can stop you. All you need is a little guidance to reach the sky. Coming back to earth, you might be a person with many ideas and a great storyline. However, we must accept the fact that it ain't enough to make a successful career in Hollywood. When you are looking to make a career as a screenwriter, it is imperative to understand whether your ideas realistically have the potential to transform into a screenplay and whether it can make it on the big screen. Screenplay, remember, is where your story gets a life! If you think you have it in you then you must begin with learning about the basics of screenwriting. Familiarize yourself with screenwriting techniques, formats and jargon. One easy way to do that is reading good screenwriting books.

Importance of Reading the Best Screenwriting Books

This article will give you a list of some of the best screenwriting books written by highly successful screenwriting gurus who have terrific knowledge about, and an intense effect on, the industry. Reading such top screenwriting books by top notch influential experts will definitely act as creative inspiration, further reflecting in your work. As a screenwriter, one has to have intensive knowledge about the industry, box office successes, and market preferences, besides having a knack of storytelling. Hence, reading screenwriting books will also help you understand the business aspects of this art form. Although success of films and movies are mostly based on the box-office success and movie reviews, for a screen writer, it is the producer and audience who play an important role to make their screenplay a success. Only if the producer is convinced with the screenplay, will he/ she agree to make a movie, and of course the audience, as they are the ones who judge your film. Now, I'm no producer, so I'll leave for you a list of some of the best screenwriting books that explain the business perspective, but, I'd like to give you a brief on the audience perspective, me being one of them.

Audience Perspective to Screenwriting

There is no doubt that you'd want people to watch your film/ movie and fall in love with your story/script but, expecting that they will accept any random script by you is not merely over confidence, but it also clearly shows that you are not passionate about your work. Having said that, you cannot satisfy each class of audience. Films are something that lets you escape from your monotonous life, gives you another life rather. There are many of us, including established and aspiring screenwriters, who wish to watch films to which we can either relate our lives to or find rescue and solace in a character or a movie that is completely different to ours. We think, we wish we could get to live the life we see on-screen. What does all that mean then? It means that movies have a great impact on the audience. They are the ones making your movie/story a success and hence, cannot be ignored. I assume, to get the a positive audience reaction, observation and analysis is the key. As in, you must know your audience and be well aware of their expectations. For example, if you are writing a screenplay for an action movie, you must analyze what draws them to watch action movies, do they only like to watch weird and crazy stunts or are they the kind who look for an intellectual story line teamed up with some decent stunts and action. The best place to observe the audience is movie theaters, where you can notice the audience's reactions and expressions. No, please don't stare at people, that is absurd! You can reckon it with their reactions like laughs/ cries/ sighs/ etc. You can communicate with people of different intellects with different tastes of movies, while some like comedy movies, the others might be in love with horror movies. That was my personal take but, you'll find many others in the list of screenwriting books given below.

Best Screenwriting Books

Here is a list of some of the best written screenwriting books, written by the best in the industry and is handy for an aspiring screenwriter looking for inspiration, techniques, formats and elements and essentials of screenwriting.

• Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field
• The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier
• Writing Screenplays That Sell by Michael Hauge
• Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman
• Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert Mckee
• The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller by John Truby
• The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler
• The Whole Picture: A Screenwriters Handbook by Richard Walter
• Making a Good Screenplay Great by Linda Seger
• Screenwriting is Storytelling: Creating an A-List Screenplay That Sells! by Kate Wright

Those were some of the best written books on screenwriting which you must try to read as they will tremendously help you to establish yourself in the cut-throat industry. These screenwriting books will enhance your writing skills and make you write better screenplays. Go on read 'em! All the best!