The mother of the legendary American actor and producer Kirk Douglas (and thus the grandmother of the equally famous actor Michael Douglas), Bryna Danielovich (Demsky), came from the village of Ceausi in the Mogilev Governorate of the Tsarist Empire.
In her youth, she was engaged to Herschel, who, after their engagement, left for America. A year later, he sent her money for a ship ticket (until 1924, visas weren’t required; almost anyone who arrived on American shores was welcomed).
She gave him seven children—six girls and one boy, the long-awaited Issur (Izzy) Demsky.
But their marriage was unhappy. Herschel was a cold and distant man who never called his wife by name, addressing her only with a contemptuous “Hey, you!”
Back in Russia, he had been a horse trader. In America, he worked as a rag picker and collector, but whatever little he earned, he wasted on alcohol with his friends. He was known throughout the neighborhood as a bully and troublemaker.
He showed no concern for caring for the children. Times were so hard that Bryna would send her kids to the Jewish butcher, asking if he could spare bones he no longer needed. She would boil soup from them, providing the family with something to eat for several days.
“When it was a good day, we’d eat omelets made with water. When it was a bad day, we wouldn’t eat at all,” Kirk Douglas later recalled.
Though she couldn’t read or write, Bryna managed to raise her seven children and lived to see her only son become a world-famous star.
Kirk Douglas named his first film company after his mother: “Bryna Productions.”
In 1958, when the legendary film The Vikings was released, Kirk took his mother by the arm to Times Square. Among the bright advertisements was a poster announcing the new film.
On it, her name appeared:
“Bryna Presents The Vikings.”
Bryna burst into tears—perhaps for the first time in her life. Tears of happiness.
Fifty years later, in 1958, Bryna passed away at 74. Her loving son was by her side until the end. Her last words were:
“Izie, son, don’t be afraid, this happens to everyone.”