Michael Douglas doesn't like growing old

Actor Michael Douglas says that there is "nothing" he likes about growing older, but admits he is a more "patient" father to his younger children.

The 70-year-old star, who has 36-year-old son Cameron with ex-wife Diandra Luker and 14-year-old son Dylan and 11-year-old daughter Carys with spouse Catherine Zeta Jones, says he is getting crankier with age, but believes he has finally figured out what is really important in life, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"There is nothing I like about getting older, absolutely nothing. I guess the one thing is that when you're younger you care what other people think. You waste a lot of energy trying to make a good impression on strangers. When you're older, you focus all that energy on the people closest to you, your family.

"I have more time today than I had when I was a dad the first time around. Back then, my career always came first. Today that's different. And I have a lot more patience," he said.

Douglas insists he has no regrets about anything that has happened in his life.

"It's important to make mistakes as long as you grow from them."

The "Wall Street" actor says fighting tongue cancer in 2010 has given him a new perspective on life.

"I'm very pragmatic about this stuff. I just wanted to deal with the problem at hand. I feel lucky to be around still. When you come out the other side, you feel really alive, with all this new energy. You make up for lost time," he said.