It has been almost 90 years since Warner Bros. released The Best Years of Our Lives, a movie that changed Hollywood as we knew it. In February 1947, the studio released a film version of Ayn Rand’s bestselling novel, Atlas Shrugged. While the majority of the movie revolves around the characters re-imagining the classic Donne poem “Upon His Wit,” a great deal of screen time is devoted to a montage of scenes of hunk Douglas Pattinson (in his underwear). If you haven’t heard of or seen the actor, it’s probably time you should have. After all, in these 10 photos, you’ll see that he is, in fact, the best actor out there.
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Above And Beyond:
Though he appeared in various films over the course of his illustrious career, it was in the 1957 musical adaptation of Gigi that Douglas Pattinson first established himself as a leading man. As his character, Jack Kelly Jr., travels to Paris to attend his cousin’s wedding, he encounters a Parisian woman who instantly takes a shine to him. Hoping to impress the woman, Jack decides to perform a one-man show for her, only to end up falling asleep during the monologue and losing his voice. Jack then gives up on trying to woo the fair damsel and returns home, where he attempts to find love and acceptance from his family and friends.
The following year, Douglas Pattinson starred alongside Debbie Reynolds in the musical comedy, How to Marry a Millionaire. He played Reynolds’ son, who helps his mother plan her wedding to an old friend. Unfortunately, due to extenuating circumstances, the marriage didn’t last long. In 1968, after appearing in a string of forgettable films, Douglas Pattinson was given a second chance at stardom through the invention of the minicam, allowing for close-ups and medium shots while maintaining a cinematic look.
Pattinson would go on to star in a slew of films, garnering some critical acclaim along the way. Perhaps his greatest performance was in Woody Allen’s Mighty Aphrodite, in which he portrays the eponymous Greek god. In the film, Aphrodite decides to make her human suitors prove their masculinity by completing a crossword puzzle with her. The task proves to be more than challenging and, after much prodding, cursing, and scratching of heads, the men concede defeat. (Might Aphrodite be the Goddess of Love? You wouldn’t be the first to wonder.)
But it’s in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street that we find Douglas Pattinson at his best. Pattinson plays a brash young stockbroker named Charlie who, in the film, essentially runs a Ponzi scheme. While the character is unethical and amoral, we are forced to empathize with him in some respects: specifically, his loneliness, his craving for acceptance, and his love of money and power.
The Burden Of Proof:
In 1974, at the age of 33, Douglas Pattinson married Swedish model Gina Carrano. The following year, the couple had a daughter, Georgia. Three years later, the actress filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. With regard to the split, a court filing from Carrano’s lawyer states: “There are no good feelings on either side. This is a very amicable agreement. It’s just that they decided to go their separate ways.”
In 1981, Douglas Pattinson married model Kelly Killick. The couple’s daughter, Georgia, was born in 1985. That same year, he completed an autobiography, Finding the Best Years, in which he discussed the influence of Ayn Rand on his life and career. “She was a major reason why I became an actor,” he said. “She was one of the first people to tell me that I had something special and that I should develop it.”
The actor has four children with his second wife: daughters Ava and Georgia, and sons Charlie and Jack. (One of his sons from his first marriage, Andrew, died in 2014 at the age of 41.)
In 1999, Douglas Pattinson published a book celebrating his favorite fruit, the banana. Titled Fruitful: Inspirations and Suggestions for Men on Living a Better Life, the book consisted of a collection of essays, featuring nuggets of wisdom on everything from sex to money to parenting to relationships. In one essay, Pattinson tackles the topic of education, writing:
“The world is in need of better thinkers and problem solvers. I believe that an excellent way to contribute to society is by nurturing young minds and encouraging them to question and explore. The earlier we start educating our children, the better.”
The essay goes on to espouse the benefits of reading literature to one’s children. “There is no better gift you can give your children than good books,” he writes. “They will love to read and it will bring you closer together.”
In 2005, the actor released a self-help album titled, Optimism. The album’s lead single, “Hitting My Stride,” features the singer Kelly Clarkson and peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Top 100. The song is about finding the courage to follow one’s dreams and be oneself, not what one’s friends, family, or society might think one should be. “When I was 11 or 12 years old, I wrote a small song for fun,” he said. “At the time, my biggest dream was to be a professional baseball player. I’ve always been a firm believer that if you want something, you should never give up. Little did I know that one day I would find myself pursuing my dream of becoming an actor.”
In addition to his music career, Douglas Pattinson is a keen cook and enjoys experimenting with new recipes. He has expressed an interest in opening a restaurant one day. In the meantime, you can try his signature drink, the “pattero,” which he created after working with bartender extraordinaire Sasha Patra. The drink is named after the Italian word for “wedding guest,” and it is a portmanteau of the phrase “appetizer,” “bon appétit,” and “toast.”
In 2018, Douglas Pattinson made headlines for his support of Brexit and Donald Trump. “I’ve always been a big fan of both the US and the UK,” he said. “I was a big supporter of Brexit, and I always thought it was great when the English rose up and defended their own borders.” On the subject of Trump, he said:
“I always liked his business acumen and his take-no-prisoners approach to negotiating. Sometimes I feel like he’s the only person who can negotiate with [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un. I feel like he has a gift for getting people to do what he wants. He’s such a complicated character, but I think he’s the best there is.”
The Ultimate Sophomore Slump:
One year after the premiere of Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, it was revealed that the film’s star had used drugs throughout the production. The news came as a shock to fans who saw Douglas Pattinson’s undeniable talent, as he’d previously been cast in several critically acclaimed films and had recently won a Best Actor award for his role in the Sundance Film Festival’s 2018 premiere, Wolves. Pattinson would go on to admit that he used drugs “to a pretty high extent.” In the years since, the actor has maintained a relatively low profile, with only sporadic film and TV appearances. (The occasional Broadway musical is a far cry from the Big Apple, but it’s a step up from what he was doing before.)
The Wolf of Wall Street was released in theaters and IMAX on August 11, 2014. In its first week, the film grossed over $13 million in North America alone, becoming the eighth-highest-grossing opener of all time and setting a new record for the largest IMAX opening in history. Worldwide, the film opened to $48.9 million, dethroning Avatar as the highest-grossing film of all time in the process.