Anne Buydens (born Hannelore Marx; April 23, 1919 – April 29, 2021) was a German-born American philanthropist, producer, and occasional actress.

She was a member of the International Best Dressed List from 1970 to 2021. She passed away peacefully on April 29, 2021, at the age of 102. She was the wife of actor Kirk Douglas, to whom she had been married for 65 years at the time of his death in 2020.

Personal life

Born Hannelore Marx born in Hanover, Germany on April 23, 1919, she was in her adolescence when her family immigrated to Belgium, where she became a Belgian citizen. Buydens continued her education there and in Switzerland before moving to Paris.

Prior to meeting actor Kirk Douglas, she was married to Albert Buydens, from Belgium. 

She married 38-year-old actor Kirk Douglas on 29 May 1954. The couple had two sons, Peter (born November 23, 1955) and Eric (June 21, 1958 – July 6, 2004). 

She became a United States citizen in 1959. Buydens converted to Judaism when she renewed her wedding vows with Douglas in 2004. She and her husband both became centenarians.

Buydens died on April 29, 2021, six days after her 102nd birthday, at the longtime Beverly Hills home she shared with Douglas.

Philanthropy

One of Buydens' first forays into philanthropy came on the heels of recovering from breast cancer: With six fellow survivors, Buydens established "Research for Women's Cancers", which raised millions of dollars to help finance a research facility at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Both Kirk Douglas and Buydens were behind the establishment of "Harry's Haven", an Alzheimer's disease unit at the Motion Picture & Television Fund Home in Woodland Hills, which is named after Kirk Douglas's father. The couple was known for their efforts to rebuild playgrounds in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

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Anne Buydens (born Hannelore Marx, 23 April 1919) is an American philanthropist, producer, and occasional actress.

She has been a member of the International Best Dressed List since 1970. She is the widow of actor Kirk Douglas, having been married to him from 1954 to his death in 2020.

Early life

Buydens was born in Hanover, Germany. She was in her adolescence when her family emigrated to Belgium, where she became a Belgian citizen. Buydens continued her education there and in Switzerland before moving to Paris, where her fluent knowledge of several languages kept her busy subtitling films.

Personal life

Buydens married actor Kirk Douglas on 29 May 1954. She had two sons with him: Peter (born 23 November 1955, Los Angeles), and Eric (21 June 1958 – 6 July 2004). Buydens converted to Judaism when she renewed her wedding vows with Douglas in 2004. She became a United States citizen in 1959. 

She celebrated her one-hundredth birthday in 2019.