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Bermuda-linked actor Michael Douglas announces tell-all book

Michael Douglas appears at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards (File photograph)

A retired Oscar-winning actor with Bermuda ties now plans to release a tell-all memoir of his personal and professional life.

Michael Douglas announced the book through the firm Grand Central Publishing and promised an unfiltered look into his times in and out of the limelight.

He said: “After being asked for many years, I’ve finally decided it’s time to tell my story on my own terms. Not the highlight reel, not the version shaped by headlines or box office numbers, but the real one.

“I’ve lived a life that unfolded in public while being deeply private at the same time and there’s a difference.

“This is about where I came from, what I fought against and what I chose for myself.

“Fame can blur the truth — this is my attempt to bring it back into focus.”

The 81-year-old, who has Bermudian status from his mother’s side, will publish his book on October 6.

The as-yet untitled memoir will be made available in hardcover, e-book and audiobooks.

Actor Catherine Zeta-Jones with her husband and fellow actor Michael Douglas (File photograph)

Mr Douglas was born in 1944 to actors Kirk Douglas and Diana Dill after the pair met at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

He has starred in a host of iconic films, including Fatal Attraction, The China Syndrome, Basic Instinct and The Game.

He won an Academy Award for his role as Gordon Gekko in the film Wall Street and for his production of the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Mr Douglas is also a prominent activist. He is vocal on nuclear disarmament and gun control and was appointed as a Messenger of Peace in 1998 by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

His struggles with tongue cancer, as well as alcoholism and drug addiction, have been publicised.

He announced his retirement from acting last July.

Mr Douglas’s maternal uncle was Sir Bayard Dill, a prominent Bermudian politician and founding member of the Conyers Dill and Pearman law firm.

His grandfather was Thomas Melville Dill, a Colonial Parliament Member for Devonshire and a former Attorney-General.

He is related to the Right Reverend Nicholas Dill, the Anglican Bishop of Bermuda, as the Bishop’s father, Nicholas Bayard Dill Jr, is his cousin.

He and his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, also owned Longford Estate in Warwick before putting the six-bedroom house up for sale in January 2025.

Colin Dickerman, senior vice-president and editor-in-chief at GCP, said: “Growing up in the shadow of a Hollywood legend, navigating a risk-taking career that has spanned six decades and included films that defined our culture, privately fighting health and family battles while in the glare of the spotlight — Douglas’s life is a towering achievement in perseverance.

“That he has chosen to tell his story with such honesty and intimacy is a gift to his fans as well as everyone who wants a front-row seat to Hollywood’s most turbulent and thrilling years.”

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Published February 14, 2026 at 7:42 am (Updated February 14, 2026 at 8:15 am)

Bermuda-linked actor Michael Douglas announces tell-all book

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