Douglas Fairbanks

Born in Denver, Colorado in 1883, Douglas Fairbanks went on to become one of the most popular stars of the silent era. His splendid physique and exuberant personality were ideally suited to such films as Robin Hood, The Thief of Bagdad and The Black Pirate.

His youthful years were spent travelling and acting on stage in New York. In 1915 he was offered a contract with Triangle Pictures worth $1000 a week and moved to Hollywood. He was an immediate success, with his films making huge amounts for the studio.

At this time he was married to Anna Beth Scully, with whom he had a son, Douglas Jnr. Soon after moving west, however, he met 'America's Sweetheart' Mary Pickford and began an affair with her. Their desire to marry was hampered not just by the fact that they were both married and Catholics, but also by their fear that this would affect their popularity with the public. This fear proved to be unfounded. After their divorces, they married in 1920 and set up home in Beverly Hills, in a mansion named Pickfair, which soon became the hub of the Hollywood elite.

In 1919, along with Charlie Chaplin and the director D. W. Griffith, they formed United Artists. This was designed to give them more creative control over their films and their distribution. One observer of the time allegedly remarked that 'the inmates are taking over the asylum'.

By the end of the 1920s the marriage of Fairbanks and Pickford was in trouble. He was a teetotaller and she a heavy drinker, which caused him much distress. Neither could she share his love of the outdoors and constant travelling. With the advent of the talkies, he began to lose his enthusiasm for film-making and spent much of his time overseas.

It was in Britain that he made his last film, The Private Life of Don Juan, in 1934. Here he met Sylvia Hawkes, Lady Ashley who was to become his last wife. They married in 1936, shortly after his divorce from Mary Pickford.

Douglas Fairbanks died in 1939 after suffering a heart attack. He was 56.



What members say | Filmography

Douglas Fairbanks - what members say

Douglas Fairbanks - filmography

5 most recent films

Unknown Chaplin - 3.0 stars
The Taming Of The Shrew - 3.0 stars
The Iron Mask - 3.5 stars
The Black Pirate - 3.0 stars
The Thief of Bagdad - 3.0 stars

5 highest-rated films

Intolerance - 3.5 stars
The Thief of Bagdad - 3.0 stars
Unknown Chaplin - 3.0 stars
Robin Hood - 3.0 stars
The Black Pirate - 3.0 stars

5 lowest-rated films

The Taming Of The Shrew - 3.0 stars
The Iron Mask - 3.5 stars
The Mark of Zorro - 3.5 stars
The Three Musketeers - 3.5 stars
The Black Pirate - 3.0 stars

Most frequent co-stars

Marguerite De La Motte - 3 times - show films
Lillian Gish - 3 times - show films
Mae Marsh - 3 times - show films
Robert Harron - 3 times - show films
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. - 3 times - show films

Most frequent directors

Allan Dwan - 5 times - show films
Fred Niblo - 3 times - show films
D.W. Griffith - 3 times - show films
Raoul Walsh - 2 times - show films
David Gill - 1 times - show films