The death of a Hollywood legend last week has brought to light a sensational and long-suppressed court action against Prime Minister Scott Morrison while revealing his previously unknown past life as a porn actor.

US Federal Court documents provided to me show the late Oscar-winning actor Kirk Douglas had fought a long and bitter legal battle against Mr Morrison for more than 30 years.

They show Kirk Douglas, who died last week aged 103, had been pursuing Mr Morrison for damages after the now-PM spent several years in the late 1980s starring in a string of Sydney-made porno films using the screen name Smirk Douglas (main picture).

The Hollywood actor initiated the legal action seeking to block the use of the variant on his own screen name after several of the films starring Mr Morrison were released in the USA.

They included movies with racy and suggestive titles such as If You Have a Go, You’ll Get a Go, Where the Bloody Hell Are You, and I’ll Yearn for You although all copies of the films are understood to have now been destroyed.

But a statement released by Kirk Douglas’s agent following news of the star’s death said his passing meant the end of all legal actions initiated during his lifetime and went on to list the actions that included the one against Mr Morrison.

Mr Morrison took up acting in porn films in his younger days prior to finding religion  as a better way to make money and settling down with his now wife Jen.

Photos from the period (pictured) show Mr Morrison had a dimpled chin similar to Kirk Douglas’s which the US screen star cited in his ongoing legal suit as grounds for  seeking damages for unauthorised imitation of his image.

I am told he had the dimple surgically removed before entering politics.

When contacted, Mr Morrison said through a spokesperson that he had no comment to make but said his thoughts and prayers were with Kirk Douglas’s family.