(May 23, 1883-December 12, 1939)
Although he is best known for his flashy performances in early films, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was also an extremely successful stage actor. Fairbanks began acting while growing up in Denver, and, at age sixteen, decided to go to New York to take a shot at stage acting there. Fairbanks made his first stage appearance in New York in The Duke's Jester in 1900. 1 By the age of twenty-two Fairbanks would make his Broadway debut in A Case of Frenzied Finance. 2 Fairbanks continued to make a name for himself by performing on Broadway in The New Henrietta in 1913 and He Comes Up Smiling and The Show Shop, both in 1914. 3 After becoming successful on the stage, Fairbanks headed west to Hollywood to try his hand at acting on the silver screen.
Fairbanks went on to act in numerous films that were very popular, including Robin Hood (1922), Thief of Baghdad (1924), The Taming of the Shrew, with his wife Mary Pickford (1929), and Mr. Robinson Crusoe (1932). 4 His work in silent comedies has been compared to that of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. 5 Eventually he was able to open his own production company over which he had creative control. 6 Fairbanks also worked toward making a contribution to the way in which films were made in Hollywood. In 1919, along with Pickford, his friend Charlie Chaplin, and D.W. Griffith, Fairbanks created the United Artists Corporation, which gave its members autonomy to an extent hitherto unknown over the mechanics of studio performance and distribution. 7 One year later he would marry Pickford, which made them the Hollywood "it" couple until their divorce in 1936. In fact, their home in Beverly Hills was dubbed Pickfair, and became the most prestigious address in the entire state. 8
Fairbanks was also a writer; he authored five books that were published during his lifetime, as well as screenplays that were filmed and articles for newspapers. 9 On December 12, 1939, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. died of a heart attack. Although his star had faded by that point, he was working on a script that was left unfinished when he passed away. 10
1. Herndon, 43.
2. Herndon, 49.
3. Tibbets and Welsh, 19.
4. Tibbets and Welsh, 213-215.
5. "Biography."
6. "Biography."
7. Tibbets and Welsh, 176.
8. "Biography."
9. "Biography."
10. "Biography."
Resources
"Biography." The Douglas Fairbanks Museum. http://douglasfairbanks.org/bio.htm 10 October 2007.
This online resource is excellent, with multiple images and plenty of biographical information.
Carey, Gary. Doug and Mary: A Biography of Douglas Fairbank & Mary Pickford. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1977.
A good resource on the marriage between Fairbanks and Pickford, as well as biographical information on both of them before they met.
"Douglas Fairbanks, Sr." Silent Ladies & Gents. http://silentgents.com/PFair.html 11 October 2007.
"Douglas Fairbanks." IMDB. http://imdb.com/name/nm0001196/ 11 October 2007.
Herndon, Booton. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks: The Most Popular Couple the World Has Ever Known. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1977.
Another good resource on Fairbanks and Pickford, and it also offers some information on them both before they married each other.
"The Douglas Fairbanks Museum." http://douglasfairbanks.org/ 11 October 2007.
Tibbets, John C., and James M. Welsh. His Majesty the American: The Cinema of Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. South Brunswick: A.S. Barnes and Company, 1977.
An homage to Fairbanks, this large book includes many images and plenty of information on Fairbanks, his stage and screen careers and extensive information on his films