NetflixMovies
Melvyn Douglas

Melvyn Douglas

30 movies on Netflix

Biography

Melvyn Douglas was an American actor whose work on stage and in film stretched from the late 1920s into the early 1980s. Born in Macon, Georgia, he trained in Shakespearean repertory and stock companies before his Broadway lead in Tonight or Never. In Hollywood he became a suave leading man, starring opposite Greta Garbo in Ninotchka (1939) and Two-Faced Woman (1941) and appearing with Joan Crawford in A Woman's Face (1941). He shared top billing in The Old Dark House (1932) alongside Boris Karloff and Charles Laughton, and later took fatherly parts, winning Academy Awards for Hud (1963) and Being There (1979) and a nomination for I Never Sang for My Father (1970). He also won a Tony for The Best Man and an Emmy for Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night. His final complete screen role was in Ghost Story (1981).

80years old at death

  • Born Macon
  • Died New York City
  • Star sign: AriesThe sign runs March 21 to April 19
  • Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg (birth name)

Movie Career

Films
30
Career span
49 years1932 to 1981

Genres

Photos

  • Melvyn Douglas, photo 1 of 3
  • Melvyn Douglas, photo 2 of 3
  • Melvyn Douglas, photo 3 of 3

Share

Did you know?!

  1. Behind the award

    Douglas said in one of his last interviews that he would not go to the 52nd Academy Awards ceremony. He could not bear competing against Justin Henry, a child actor, for Kramer vs. Kramer.

  2. Early training

    While still in his teens, Douglas honed his acting craft through Shakespearean repertory and stock companies based in Sioux City, Iowa, Evansville, Indiana, Madison, Wisconsin, and Detroit, Michigan.

  3. A change of course

    Between 1952 and 1961, Douglas did not appear in any films, and he focused his work on the stage and on television instead.

Melvyn Douglas movies on Netflix

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

Top of the page, the section list
  1. Being There1979 Comedy, Dramaas Benjamin Rand

    IMDb rating 7.983K votes

  2. Hud1963 Dramaas Homer Bannon

    IMDb rating 7.826K votes

  3. The Changeling1980as Senator Carmichael

    IMDb rating 7.145K votes

  4. Ninotchka1939as Leon

    IMDb rating 7.825K votes

  5. The Old Dark House1932as Penderel

    IMDb rating 7.015K votes

  6. Ghost Story1981as John Jaffrey

    IMDb rating 6.311K votes

  7. Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House1948as Bill Cole

    IMDb rating 7.214K votes

  8. The Candidate1972as John J. McKay

    IMDb rating 7.014K votes

Most often with

Ernst Lubitsch directed three of these films, George Cukor two. Two actors appear in three of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

Top of the page, the section list

Films together

Box office

What Melvyn Douglas's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

Top of the page, the section list

Combined worldwide box office

$70.0 million

10 of the 30 films have a worldwide figure.

Of the 30 films: 10 worldwide figure; 4 us gross only; 16 figure not found.

  • 10Worldwide figure
  • 4US gross only
  • 16Figure not found

Highest grossing

The eight biggest films earned 97% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

  1. 1
    Being There1979as Benjamin Rand
    $30M43.1% of the total
  2. 2
    The Changeling1980as Senator Carmichael
    $12M17.1% of the total
  3. 3
    Hud1963as Homer Bannon
    $10M14.3% of the total
  4. 4
    The Sea of Grass1947as Brice Chamberlain
    $4.7M6.7% of the total
  5. 5
    Twilight's Last Gleaming1977as Zachariah Guthrie
    $4.5M6.4% of the total
  6. 6
    The Candidate1972as John J. McKay
    $2.5M3.6% of the total
  7. 7
    Ninotchka1939as Leon
    $2.3M3.3% of the total
  8. 8
    A Woman's Face1941as Dr. Gustaf Segert
    $1.9M2.7% of the total
The Shining Hour (1938), $1.4 millionAnnie Oakley (1935), $620,000

$2.0 millionfrom the other 2 films with a worldwide figure, 3% of the total

Awards

Five awards and honors from 1960 to 1980, four of them major.

Top of the page, the section list
Melvyn Douglas's awards and nominations, grouped by award
YearAwardFilmResult
Academy Awards
1980Best Supporting ActorBeing ThereWon
1964Best Supporting ActorHudWon
Emmy Awards
1968Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a MovieCBS PlayhouseWon
Tony Awards
1960Best Actor in a PlayWon
Other honors
Star on Hollywood Walk of FameHonored

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

Top of the page, the section list