Kirk Douglas and his wife Anne Buydens fell in love at first sight and kept their tradition of writing letters for over 60 years.
Legendary American actor and filmmaker, Kirk Douglas, had fallen in love with Anne Buydens almost six decades ago. But the couple never ditched their tradition of writing love letters to each other till their last days together. Through tough times in their 65-year-long marriage, writing letters became a means to maintain communication and express their unspoken feelings for one another. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Anne was still married to her then-husband, Albert Buydens when she first met Kirk Douglas. Per the outlet, Anne was obligated to stay married to Albert because he had helped her escape the Nazi invasion of Germany. However, Buydens was initially reluctant to act on her feelings for Douglas.
36-year-old Douglas and 33-year-old Buydens first met in Paris in 1953 when the actor was looking for a bilingual assistant and he was introduced to Anne Buydens, who was the assistant to filmmaker John Huston. Back then Kirk Douglas was nelly divorced from his first wife, Diana, and was enamored with Italian actress Pier Angeli, as per the outlet.
The duo formed a strong friendship as they spent long working hours together and she started confiding in Douglas about her painful past. Their friendship turned into a romantic connection but Buydens was careful not to start dating a movie star right away as she had witnessed several women getting swallowed by the fame which comes along with such relationships. However, Douglas ended his engagement with Angeli on the Christmas Eve of 1953 and by the May of next year, Buydens and Douglas tied the knot.
In a book titled, Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood, published in 2017, the couple penned down a joint autobiography, reflecting on the letters they had written each other throughout their relationship. According to Country Living, the centenarian actor wrote one of the most memorable letters after the couple welcomed their first child. "Always remember darling, I need you...for you, I hope to do wonderful things. This is it—you and me and our family forever!", he penned down.
As per The Daily Mail, Kirk wrote in a 2017 letter to his wife, “If we live to be 100, there will still be so many unsaid things. As I have reached that milestone, I can attest that it’s still true.” The Academy Award-winning actor passed away on February 5, 2020, at the age of 103. His son, actor Michael Douglas wrote in memory of his father on Instagram, as per Closer. "At 103, you picked a good time to check out. I love you with all my heart," Michael captioned.
According to USA Today, Buydens passed away on April 29, 2021, a week after celebrating her 102 birthday and Michael Douglas commemorated this milestone by posting a generational picture of the Douglas family on Instagram and wishing her a happy birthday.
References:
https://www.closerweekly.com/posts/kirk-douglas-and-anne-buydens-jeff-kanew-recalls-their-love/
https://www.countryliving.com/life/entertainment/a42918/kirk-and-anne-douglas-marriage-infidelity/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Kevin Winter
