Michael Douglas, 76, Sees 1-Month-Old Grandson Ryder T. Douglas For The First Time

Jan 20, 2021 by apost team

Actor Michael Douglas, 76, took to Instagram to post a photo of meeting his 1-month-old grandson Ryder for the first time on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. Douglas wasn’t able to see his grandson prior to Tuesday due to COVID-19 restrictions. Ryder, who was born in mid-December, is Cameron Douglas and Viviane Thibes' second child together.

“First time I’ve seen my month old grandson, Ryder! 😃 ❤️” Michael Douglas wrote alongside a black and white photo of himself holding and feeding the 1-month-old child.

Cameron Douglas, 42, announced Ryder’s arrival on Instagram back on Dec. 22, 2020, posting a family photo of himself, partner Viviane Thibes, 3-year-old daughter Lua Izzy and newborn Ryder at home. “Touch down planet earth 🌎 Welcome my Son...Ryder T. Douglas 🦋,” the actor captioned the photo.

Family members, friends and fans left enthusiastic and congratulatory comments on the December post, which has since accumulated more than 10,000 likes.

“So happy for Vivian and you. Don’t think Lua is sure about this yet! What a holiday present,” Michael Douglas commented from his official account.

Born on Sept. 25, 1944, Michael Douglas — who has three children including Cameron Douglas — was born in New Brunswick, N.J. to Hollywood actors Diana and Kirk Douglas. His parents got divorced when he was 6 years old, and Douglas only saw his father during the holidays.

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As a child, Michael Douglas went to the Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts, and later on attended the Choate School, an elite private academy. Like his father, he developed an interest in show business at a very young age. He spent a lot of time with his father Kirk Douglas on film sets over the summers, and even as a teenager, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become an actor. Michael Douglas requested his dad to find him some suitable acting roles.

Being a protective father, Kirk Douglas didn't want either of his sons to get entangled in the world of show business and the film industry, but Michael Douglas had made up his mind. As a young man, he turned down an offer to study at Yale University and instead moved to California to enroll at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

"I grew up on the East Coast and was going to go to an Ivy League School, but at the last minute I decided to be a hippy," Michael Douglas said. "It was the protest movements on the war, peace movements were going on at our university. It was a fantastic time."

While in California, he continued to persuade his father Kirk Douglas of that one opportunity that could open the doors of Hollywood for him. Finally, he bagged his first acting assignment in 1966.

Michael Douglas made a debut in the role of an uncredited driver in “Cast a Giant Shadow,” where he shared the screen with his father.

"I was fortunate to grow up and watch how my father behaved – how Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster and Frank Sinatra were at the house all the time," Michael Douglas said on The Talks. "You see stars with their insecurities and how they conduct themselves, so I think that's kept me level."

After he obtained his Bachelor's degree in 1968, Douglas moved to New York City to pursue his childhood dream of becoming an actor. Douglas received his training at the American Place Theatre and the Neighborhood Playhouse. During this period he landed some roles as a lead actor and also performed in off-Broadway productions.

Even before his first feature film, Michael Douglas played a small role in the television series “The F.B.I.” His work impressed the producer Quinn Martin who offered Michael Douglas his breakthrough role in the new cop series “The Streets of San Francisco.” The program first aired in 1972 on prime time, and became one of ABC’s highest-rated series, earning Michael Douglas three Emmy Award Nominations for his performance. He was also the director for two episodes in the series, giving him insight into his future stint in showbiz.

In 1975, Michael Douglas went on to produce the classic “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,” a movie that is considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. The film won five Academy Awards, including the Best Picture Award for Michael Douglas himself. By then Michael Douglas was one the most sought after producers and directors. His next production “The China Syndrome,” where he starred opposite Jane Fonda, won even more Academy Award nominations and was lauded as one of the best films of the year by the National Board of Review.

As Michael Douglas’ acting career progressed, he met Diandra Morella Luker, the young daughter of an Australian diplomat. The two married in 1977 when Michael Douglas was 32 and Luker was 19. Just one year later, Cameron Douglas was born. Although Michael Douglas and Luker’s relationship lasted nearly two decades, the couple got a divorce in 1995, which led to a $45 million divorce settlement.

A few years later, Michael Douglas found love again, dating Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones in 1999.

She caught his eye when he watched a screening of her then-upcoming movie “The Mask of Zorro.” 

"I'm watching this movie, and I go, 'Wow, who is this girl? She's incredible,'" Michael Douglas said.

"I had been told Michael Douglas wanted to meet me," Zeta-Jones said in a 2001 television interview with Larry King. "I was a little nervous because I didn't quite know what he wanted to meet me about."

Michael Douglas knew that he'd just found his soulmate. But what he said next could have ended in a complete disaster. "I said to her after about half an hour, 'You know, I'm going to be the father of your children,'" Michael Douglas recalled on The Jonathan Ross Show, as quoted by E! News. "It sounded good, and she said, 'You know, I've heard a lot about you and I've seen a lot about you, and I think it's time I say goodnight.'"

The couple dated for about nine months and then started thinking about their future together. 

"He certainly didn't want me as an ex-girlfriend on his list, and I certainly didn't want 'Michael Douglas' as an ex-boyfriend on my list," she said. "We looked at each other one day and said, 'We're having a lot of fun together.'"

Michael Douglas and Zeta-Jones have a 25-year age difference, which meant that their relationship was soon all over the media. But they didn't seem to care about what the world said; their love for each other was strong. On Dec. 31, 1999, Michael Douglas proposed to Zeta-Jones at his home in Aspen, Colo.

"Both of us were sick as dogs because we had [the] flu," Michael Douglas recalled in 2016. Later the same year, they got married.

"I don't take any of this for granted," Zeta-Jones told People during their wedding. "When I look at Michael, I run around like a little girl. I can't believe I came into his life and he came into mine."

Just a few months after the couple got engaged, rumors of them expecting a baby were in the air.

In August 2000, the pair welcomed their first child, Dylan Douglas. Dylan was Catherine Zeta-Jones's first child, and Douglas's second. His first son was Cameron Douglas who was born in 1978 to his then-wife Diana Luker.

In 2003, Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas were blessed with their second child – daughter Carys Zeta-Douglas. Their marriage, like any other, has also been through a lot of obstacles, but in the end, they have beat the odds and remain part of a growing family.

In 2010, Michael Douglas even spoke to the importance of family, telling The Guardian that he regrets not paying more attention to his son during his first marriage.

"During my first marriage, my career was the most important thing in my life," Michael Douglas told The Guardian. "I clearly know I made mistakes. There were absences. My eldest son, Cameron, is in the middle of a very, very difficult and tragic time. Cameron has made a couple of big mistakes in his life. He's paid the price. On the other side of it, he's sober. The kids really miss him, and he misses them. I've taken them to visit. Now that my own priorities are entirely different, I'm always encouraging people to wait to have a family – get yourself sorted career-wise first as much as you can."

If the Instagram post on January 19th is any indication, it seems that Michael Douglas finally has his priorities in line — family.

Cameron Douglas and Thibes’ Ryder is the family’s most recent member, though the longtime couple also had a daughter in December 2017. Back in 2019, Cameron Douglas opened up about family life and his past struggles with addiction in an exclusive interview with People. At the time, Cameron Douglas had only been out of prison for three years, and yet he said that his daughter had given him a new outlook on life.

“Having my daughter gives me a whole new perspective on life,” Cameron Douglas, then 40, told People in October 2019. “My daughter is a source of inspiration.”

“Hopefully she will see her father has accomplished a lot and is doing good things and maybe she’ll be proud of my journey,” he added.

Although Cameron Douglas has his hands full with his growing family, he’s set to star in Michelle Danner’s forthcoming thriller “The Runner,” which is slated to come out sometime in 2021.

Congratulations, Michael Douglas! Let us know what you think about the photo, and be sure to pass the good news on to other Douglas fans.