Kirk Douglas is an American institution. Actor, producer, director and author, Douglas made his big, lasting mark as the former, appearing in over 90 motion pictures during his illustrious Hollywood career. Born Issur Danielovitch in Amsterdam, New York, on Dec. 9, 1916, Kirk Douglas made his film debut as Walter ONeill in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) opposite Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott. From there it was on to bigger and better things, with Douglas eventually establishing himself as one of Hollywoods greatest stars. Here are 10 of Kirk Douglass greatest films and the classic memorabilia they generated for todays fans and collectors. Champion (1949). Directed by Mark Robson, Champion remains one of the finest boxing movies ever made. The athletic Kirk Douglas (a former star wrestler at St. Lawrence University) plays Midge Kelly, a young, ambitious boxer who rises to the top of the fight game. I can beat em, the fat bellies with their stinking cigars, a dying Douglas famously bellows following his final bout in the ring. Champion delivered Kirk Douglas his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. As befitting such a bravura performance, look to the movies superb insert poster (14-by-36 inches), which features the come-on tagline, Every woman goes for a Champion. One example in very fine+ condition sold at auction for $126.50. Detective Story (1951). Kirk Douglas stars as the jaded, hardboiled Jim McLeod, a police detective at New Yorks 21st Precinct. William Wyler expertly directed, with Eleanor Parker and William Bendix along for the harrowing ride into the subterranean depths of law and order. The films colorful French Grande poster (47-by-62.5 inches) offers outstanding graphics, with Kirk Douglas and Eleanor Parker expertly captured by illustrator Roger Soubie in their agonizing struggle to save their marriage. One example in fine/very fine condition brought a top bid of $191.20 at auction. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). Based on the Jules Verne classic and brought to the silver screen by Walt Disney Productions, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea features Kirk Douglas as sailor Ned Land, who with fellow overboard survivors Professor Aronnax (Paul Lukas) and Conseil (Peter Lorre) encounter the mysterious Captain Nemo (James Mason) on the high seas. A big draw for science fiction collectors, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea offers a wealth of outstanding memorabilia. The British Quad poster (30-by-40 inches) is one such draw, with one example in very fine+ condition selling for $956 at auction. Paths of Glory (1957). Set in the slaughter that was World War I, Kirk Douglas plays French Army officer Colonel Dax, who is ordered to lead a suicidal charge into no mans land on a foreboding piece of real estate known as the Anthill. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, Paths of Glory also features Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou and George Macready. The pictures standard one-sheet poster (27-by-41 inches) is a visually powerful one, featuring Kirk Douglas leading his men into battle along with the blurb, It Explodes In The No-Mans Land No Picture Ever Dared Cross Before! One slightly restored example on linen in very fine+ condition brought $406.30 at auction. The Vikings (1958). One of the more rousing films of his career, The Vikings stars Kirk Douglas as Einar, a coarse, battling, red-blooded Norseman who locks horns with his half-brother Eric (Tony Curtis) over the love of the captured Christian Princess Morgana (Janet Leigh). A set of eight theater lobby cards from The Vikings features various scenes from the movie, including the climactic sword fight between Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis. One set in fine+ condition sold for $93.21 at auction. Spartacus (1960). Kirk Douglas has the title role as the Thracian slave and gladiator who leads a revolt against the mighty Roman Empire in the year 73 B.C. Once again the athletic Douglas is at his best, including one outstanding scene where he and fellow gladiator Draba (Woody Strode) fight to the death in the Roman Coliseum. In yet another famous scene, a Roman general announces that all recaptured slaves will be spared crucifixion if the slave called Spartacus is identified. A shackled Spartacus then stands, and before he can identify himself, Antoninus (Tony Curtis) rises also and shouts Im Spartacus!, only to be followed by a crescendo of other vanquished slaves who echo the same line in a show of loyalty to their leader. Unable to distinguish who the real Spartacus is, the Romans proceed with the mass crucifixion of the slave army. As befitting a $12 million historical epic, Spartacus produced a wealth of outstanding promotional material. One of the finest posters produced is the international one-sheet (26.5-by-39 inches), which features the famous Kirk Douglas/Woody Strode gladiator scene. One example on linen in fine/very fine condition brought $776.75 at auction. Seven Days in May (1964). Directed by John Frankenheimer, Seven Days in May is a teeth-rattling political thriller whereby Air Force General James Mattoon Scott (Burt Lancaster) and his allies conspire to overthrow the U.S. government. Uncovering the plot is Marine Colonel Martin Jiggs Casey (Kirk Douglas), who alerts the embattled President Jordan Lyman (Fredric March). The movies standard one-sheet poster (27-by-41 inches) is still affordable. Its a real doozy, prominently paraphrasing the famous Kirk Douglas line: Im suggesting, Mr. President, theres a military plot to take over the Government of these United States next Sunday. One example in fine/very fine condition sold at auction for $21. In Harms Way (1965). Kirk Douglas (a former naval officer during World War II who saw action in the South Pacific) teams up with big John Wayne in this sprawling war drama set in the aftermath of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. Douglas plays a troubled, unsavory navy officer name Paul Eddington, a former naval aviator who later meets a fiery death while on an unauthorized reconnaissance mission searching for the Japanese fleet. The films big three sheet poster (41-by-81 inches) is a collector favorite. One example in fine condition brought a top bid of $64.53 at auction. The War Wagon (1967). Kirk Douglas and Duke Wayne reunited in 1967 to make the western adventure The War Wagon. Douglas plays hired gun Lomax, a former adversary who is recruited by rancher and ex-convict Taw Jackson (John Wayne) to steal a shipment of gold owned by corrupt businessman Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot). The standard one sheet poster (27-by-41 inches) more than fits the collectors bill. Prominently featuring both the Duke and Douglas plus a wild attack on the heavily fortified war wagon The War Wagon Rolls And The Screen Explodes! blares the tagline. One example in very fine condition rolled to a top bid of $119.50 at auction. The Final Countdown (1980). In this science fiction thriller, Kirk Douglas plays Captain Matt Yelland, the skipper of the super carrier U.S.S. Nimitz. Through a freak electromagnetic storm, the Nimitz and its crew are hurled back in time to Dec. 6, 1941 the day before the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. Also on hand for the ride back into time-space are Martin Sheen, Katharine Ross, James Farentino, Ron ONeal and Charles Durning. The films insert poster (14-by-36 inches) is a big favorite with time travel movie collectors and Kirk Douglas fans. This Is The U.S.S. NimitzWhere The Hell Are We? reads the tagline as the carrier is pictured engulfed in a nightmarish storm. One example in rolled very fine condition sold at auction for $65.73. Auction results and images are courtesy of Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas.