Kirk Douglas- 100 today, surely not, Hollywood legend reaches century.

Kirk Douglas- Hollywood legend is 100 today.

Kirk Douglas! 100 today! Surely not. You've got to be joking. Happy Birthday Kirk. Yes legendary Hollywood star Kirk Douglas hits the century today. I'll stop rubbing my eyes and just try to treasure the moment. It isn't every day that a Hollywood great gets to 100. So it's time to put my hands together and clap for as long as I possibly can. Many happy returns to Kirk. You're a remarkable man and the epitome of manliness.

 There's the equally as famous Olivia De Haviland, another Hollywood superstar and major celebrity who also hit that admirably venerable age. 100 hey. It hardly seems possible folks but it's true. Then there was the eternally cigar smoking George Burns, another Hollywood veteran who got to 100 but sadly passed away shortly afterwards. But hey come on 100 years of age on the planet Earth. It takes some doing. I'm just awe struck with admiration and can hardly believe the evidence of my eyes.

So what happened to our birthday party invitation Kirk? This is a forgivable oversight but we were all waiting for that big Hollywood bash Kirk. We'd packed our bags for Heathrow and were ready to board the plane. We'd bought the plane tickets and we couldn't wait to party the night away with Michael your son and a whole generation of actors and actresses who may have been told about your illustrious career but were just stunned by its longevity. Still maybe they'll save us something from what seems certain to be a glittering banquet. Perhaps a couple of pieces of chicken and legs of lamb will certainly not come amiss. Oh yes don't forget the champagne and those delectable cocktails.

If it's like some of the parties Hollywood is renowned for it could be one riotous night of booze and bacchanalia. The chandeliers will glisten powerfully from one Beverly Hills hotel to the next. And then the birthday boy will modestly appear in his best tuxedo suit and bow tie and the whole of Hollywood will applaud rapturously from the rooftops, cheering themselves hoarse. But what's all the fuss about? How often does the world get to celebrate the career and birthday of a man whose wondrous career has spanned sprawling decades, who lit up the silver screen with those huge and muscular performances,whose epic films will live in our memories for many a year to come?

So Kirk Douglas. How does it feel to be 100? You're not going to tell us are you? But I think I know. You feel like a teenager or do you just take every day at a time. You'll never tell us will you? We feel very honoured to have seen you on the silver screen, admiring from afar and recognising talent when we saw it.  Perhaps we'll never know though and it'll remain his secret but if any of his most recent photos are anything to judge by then maybe it's best we not know.

Admittedly the face now resembles a beautifully preserved cliffside and that's meant as a compliment. The eyes are now narrow slits and the cheeks sunken beyond redemption. Of course Kirk Douglas looks old because he is 100 but doesn't he look good for his age? What a performer, what an actor, what a face. None of will ever forget that face. Of course he looks haggard, of course he looks well and truly weatherbeaten and just a pale shadow of his former majesty. His face may be a withered caricature of the man whose masculinity dominated his movies. But Douglas had the lot.

In his unforgettable Spartacus, Douglas was rugged, handsome,muscular and dominant. He commanded our attention because he just bestrode any film like a Colossus. Douglas was a powerful figure, a man who wanted to remind the rest of the world that here was a man of authority and impressive pre-eminence. Douglas swept aside all comers and challengers to his undoubted supremacy in the Holllywood hierarchy with one magnificent display of brute strength.

Who will ever forget that lantern jaw, that toned and always tanned torso, muscles the size of boulders and the chin from heaven? Douglas was the archetypal hero and his screen presence may never be matched by any another Hollywood wannabe. Maybe nobody will do nearly as well as Kirk Douglas because very few will touch his instant charisma, that Midas touch, delicate as a feather, fine as silk.

In Lust for Life, Douglas played the role of gifted and tormented artist Vincent Van Gough to absolute perfection. His attention to detail and sheer integrity lifted Douglas to the heights of the Hollywood Hall of Fame. And yet perhaps we've come to expect that hallmark of quality, that indisputable on screen genius because Kirk Douglas will always be one of the great Hollywood stars, an all conquering giant.

So what do you say? Mr Kirk Douglas. Does it feel good to be 100? Or does it feel like any other birthday? You can imagine the atmosphere in downtown Hollywood. They'll be gathering around Hollywood Boulevard like star struck teenagers, printing more names on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, yelling out USA USA! and then bellowing out their bouquets of praise. The A- List of Hollywood celebrities will be swanning and swaggering around with white teeth and forever glamorous poses.

 They will then look at that splendid 100 year old gentleman and just gasp at one of Hollywood's greatest, one of Hollywood's finest. I'd love to blow out one of those candles on your birthday cake Kirk but I think I speak on behalf of the world. What an incredible life. At Lord's cricket ground they normally recognise centuries with a thunderous standing ovation. When his head touches the pillow for a well earned night of sleep, we may smile knowingly and just sigh with enormous respect. Kirk Douglas. A genuine Hollywood superstar. We salute you sir.