Most centenarians become famous upon reaching their 100th birthday. Not many are already famous. The most renowned show business figures to achieve this milestone are probably Bob Hope and George Burns. Today, Kirk Douglas joins the ranks of the centenarians among us.

Douglas remains an active figure in Hollywood. Last year he published a positive statement about the film, Trumbo, starring Bryan Cranston. He said he had one problem with the film, which depicts Hollywood history during the era of the Blacklist and shows Douglas’ heroic actions making certain that the blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo was given credit for writing Spatacus. His problem with Trumbo? “I don’t understand why I wasn’t cast as ‘Kirk Douglas.'”

He still publishes new columns for The Huffington Post a few times a year. In September, he wrote about the Presidential election: “All of us still yearn to remain free. It is what we stand for as a country. I have always been deeply proud to be an American. In the time I have left, I pray that will never change. In our democracy, the decision to remain free is ours to make.”

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John Milton was born on this date in 1608. Charles “Old Hoss” Radbourn was born on this date in 1853. Grace Hopper was born in 1906 on this date. Speaker Tip O’Neill was born on this date in 1912. Redd Foxx was born on this date in 1922. Dick Van Patten was born on this date in 1928.

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Buck Henry is 86. Dame Judi Dench is 82. Beau Bridges is 75. Dick Butkus is 74. Senator Tom Daschle is 69. Joan Armatrading is 66. Michael Dorn is 64. John Malkovich is 63. Donny Osmond is 59. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is 50. Simon Helberg is 36.

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