Anne Buydens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anne Buydens
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Buydens in 2000
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| Born |
Hannelore Marx
April 23, 1919 |
| Died | April 29, 2021 (aged 102) |
| Resting place | Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Other names | Anne Douglas |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1952–2013 |
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| Children |
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| Awards | Jefferson Award (2003) |
Anne Buydens was an amazing woman known for her kindness and for helping others. She was born Hannelore Marx on April 23, 1919, and lived until April 29, 2021. Anne was a philanthropist, which means she gave a lot of her time and money to good causes. She also worked as a film producer.
Anne was married to the famous actor Kirk Douglas from 1954 until he passed away in 2020. She received a special honor called the Jefferson Award for Public Service in 2003 for all her charitable work.
Contents
Anne Buydens: Her Early Life and Adventures
Anne Buydens was born Hannelore Marx in Hanover, which is now part of Germany. This was on April 23, 1919. Her father, Siegfried Marx, was a merchant who sold silk. Her mother, Paula Marx, was a socialite.
After her parents separated, Anne went to a boarding school in Switzerland. There, she became very good at languages, learning English, French, and Italian. Later, she studied in Brussels. When World War II started, she had to leave Brussels and go to Paris because of the bombings.
Since her German background caused problems, she became a Belgian citizen. She did this by marrying a Belgian man named Albert Buydens. They later divorced, but she kept his last name.
Working in the Film World
During World War II, the Nazis in Paris wanted all movies to have German subtitles. Anne's amazing language skills helped her get a job adding these subtitles for a French film company. This was a very important job at the time.
In 1948, she got a job producing a show for NBC called Paris Cavalcade of Fashion. She also worked as a location scout for the 1952 movie Moulin Rouge. This meant she helped find the perfect places to film scenes.
From 1953, Anne also helped organize celebrity parties at the famous Cannes Film Festival. This was a big event in the movie world.
Anne met Kirk Douglas in Paris in 1953. At that time, Kirk was divorced from his first wife, Diana Dill. He had two sons, Michael and Joel. Anne and Kirk worked together on a movie called Act of Love. He was an actor, and she was a publicist, helping to promote the film.
Kirk offered Anne a job as his personal publicist. At first, she said no, but she eventually agreed. Kirk later said she made it clear their relationship would be "strictly business."
Life with Kirk Douglas
Anne Buydens and Kirk Douglas got married in Las Vegas on May 29, 1954. They had two sons together: Peter, born in 1955, and Eric, born in 1958. Both of their sons also worked in the film industry. Sadly, Eric passed away in 2004.
Kirk Douglas often said that Anne saved his life in 1958. She strongly insisted that he should not travel on a private plane with director Mike Todd. The very next day, that plane crashed, and everyone on board died.
Anne became a citizen of the United States in 1959. In 2004, when she and Kirk celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, Anne converted to Judaism. This was a special way to renew their wedding vows.
In 2017, Anne and Kirk wrote a book together called Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood. This book shared letters they had exchanged over the years. Both Anne and Kirk lived to be over 100 years old. Kirk passed away in 2020 at the age of 103.
Saying Goodbye
Anne Buydens passed away on April 29, 2021. She was 102 years old. She died at her home in Beverly Hills, California, where she had lived for many years. Anne was buried at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. She rests next to her husband, Kirk, and their son, Eric.
Her Amazing Charity Work
Anne Buydens was a very generous person. After she recovered from breast cancer, she started a charity called "Research for Women's Cancers." She worked with six other women who had also survived cancer. This group raised millions of dollars to help fund a research center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
In 1964, Anne and Kirk started the Douglas Foundation. This foundation has given about $118 million to important places. These include the Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF). They also helped create Harry's Haven, a special unit for people with Alzheimer's disease at the MPTF Home in Woodland Hills. This unit was named after Kirk's father.
Anne and Kirk were also known for helping to rebuild playgrounds in the Los Angeles Unified School District. They would even attend the opening ceremonies in person! A center for women experiencing homelessness, called the Anne Douglas Center for Women, was named after her. This shows how much she cared about helping others.
Awards and Recognition
Anne Buydens was recognized for her great style. In 1970, she was added to the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame List.
For all her wonderful charity work as a private citizen, Anne received a Jefferson Award for Public Service in 2003. Anne and Kirk Douglas are the only married couple where both husband and wife have received this individual award. Kirk received his award in 1983.
See also
In Spanish: Anne Buydens para niños
