"Spartacus" star Kirk Douglas and the rest of his celebrity-studded family are pleading for clemency when a New York judge sentences his wayward grandson, Cameron Douglas, for drug dealing next week.
Kirk Douglas, the 93-year-old patriarch of the Hollywood acting dynasty, wrote to Judge Richard Berman that his dying wish was to see Cameron Douglas, 31, succeed as an actor.
"I am convinced that Cameron could be a fine actor and a person that cares for others. I hope I can see that happen before I die. I love Cameron," he wrote in a letter made public by the federal court in Manhattan.
Cameron Douglas faces at least 10 years in prison under normal guidelines after pleading guilty earlier this year to dealing crystal meth, or methamphetamine.
Father Michael Douglas, stepmother Catherine Zeta-Jones and NBA basketball executive Pat Riley were among others who wrote to Berman, saying that Cameron Douglas was a drug addict who deserved rehabilitation, not punishment.
His lawyers are asking Berman to hand down a sentence of just 47 months.
The letter from Michael Douglas, star of "Fatal Attraction" and "Basic Instinct," was not made public.
In her letter, actress Zeta-Jones, who won an Oscar for her role in the movie musical "Chicago," said Cameron Douglas was a loving sibling to his step brother and sister and that he "tried to combat" the "disease" of drug addiction.
Cameron Douglas was caught dealing large quantities of crystal meth and arrested in July 2009 at New York's luxurious Gansevoort Hotel.
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