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Robin Hood. D’Artagnan. Zorro. Annnnnnnnd The Son of Zorro. What do all of these characters have in common?? Today’s actor brought them all to life on the screen. And while he is best remembered for playing the dashing, thrilling, daring roles of silent films, Douglas Fairbanks was much more than a daredevil hero. ...Although he was one of those, too...
1883 – 1939
IMDb: Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman was born in Colorado in 1883 to parents with...a complicated past to say the least! Douglas’ mother (Ella) had been married twice previously, and his father (Charles) had been her attorney. Charles, an alcoholic, ended up abandoning his family when Douglas was 5 years old, presumably because he’d heard that Ella was cheating on him. Whether she was or wasn’t – that’s up for debate. Ella decided to use the name of her first husband (Fairbanks - who had died from tuberculosis), for herself and her children from that point on.
As a child, Douglas started acting on stage to bring more income to his single-parent family, similar to his future wife, Mary Pickford. Douglas was known to be quite a handful as a teen, once cutting the school piano strings and getting himself expelled from East Denver High School. He later claimed to have attended Harvard University and Colorado School of Mines – but this was untrue. Oh, Douglas... By age 15, Douglas had dropped out of school and took a job with a cross-country traveling acting troupe.
Young Douglas (age 19)
By the time he was 17, Douglas had landed in New York, acting in a Broadway play. Several more acting jobs followed, and he also found part-time work in a hardware store for the downtime between plays. In 1907, Douglas married a young woman named Anna Beth Sully. Their son, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (who would become a very successful actor himself someday) was born in 1909, and by 1915, the Fairbanks family was headed to Los Angeles! At the dawn of a new industry that was quickly gaining popularity, Douglas signed a contract with a company called Triangle Pictures, under the supervision of everyone’s favorite racist – D.W. Griffith.
Just as D.W. did not appreciate Mary Pickford’s charm, he also did not appreciate Douglas’ athleticism. The athleticism that would soon become his “calling card”? The athleticism that makes even modern audiences marvel?? Yes, THAT athleticism. D.W. wasn’t impressed. The fool. Anyways, in 1916, Douglas formed his own company; the Douglas Fairbanks Film Corporation, and...at a fateful party that same year, met the woman whom he would later become Hollywood’s first “power couple” with....the (equally unhappily married) Mary Pickford. Reportedly, the two tried to hide their feelings for each other (which never goes well), and then, once involved, tried to hide their affair (which also never goes well). Some things never change, do they??
Douglas, lifting up Charlie Chaplin during their WW1 war bond-selling tour (1918)
In 1919, Douglas, Mary, D.W. and Charlie Chaplin formed a new company called “United Artists”. The goal of this company was to give artists creative control over their films, as opposed to the major studios who frequently limited their directors’ and actors’ authority – all while taking a large share of the profits! This way, the artists could have more control and more profits – a win-win!
Also in 1919, Ella finalized her divorce to Douglas, which meant he had only one woman in mind to take her place – Mary, of course! He wanted her to finally divorce her own husband so the two of them could be together publicly. After Douglas issued an ultimatum to his beloved, she went through with her divorce and the two got married. The still-new film industry was more than a bit concerned about the public’s reaction to two of their biggest stars doing something so scandalous (!) but interestingly enough; the public was generally thrilled with the idea of “Everybody’s Hero” marrying “America’s Sweetheart”. The news of their romance extended across the globe, and when the newlyweds honeymooned in Europe, crowds of people in London and Paris mobbed them with warm congratulations.
Mr. & Mrs. (finally)
Douglas’ career continued to boom throughout the 1920’s, with some of his most popular films being made during that decade. In 1927, in the first ceremony of its kind, both Douglas and Mary put their footprints and handprints into wet cement at the fabulous Sid Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. The same year, Douglas was appointed president of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. Life was looking mighty good! But you know what they say: what goes up...
In 1929, Douglas made his final silent film, “The Iron Mask” (a sequel to “The Three Musketeers”). He included a spoken prologue in his own voice – proof that he could transition to sound films with ease. However – the limitations that early sound equipment imposed were discouraging to Douglas, and his first “talkie” that same year (“The Taming of the Shrew” co-starring his wife Mary) wasn’t successful. His career declined rapidly, and he made his last film appearance in 1934. Adding more drama, his marriage fell apart in 1933 when he cheated with another woman on his wife - whom he’d cheated with many years before! You know what they say: karma’s a...
With son Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Douglas stayed involved with United Artists for quite some time, but never to the extent of his early days. His health had been declining due to decades of chain-smoking, and in 1939, Douglas suffered a heart attack and passed away at his home in Santa Monica – at the age of 56. Ironically, his last words were reported as being “I’ve never felt better.”
In addition to being a founder of the Motion Picture Academy, Douglas and Mary also started the Motion Picture Fund, a charity to help those in the entertainment industry during hard times. Both of these organizations still exist today, which is a great legacy to leave behind! I leave you with this fabulous closing scene from “The Iron Mask”, which seems fitting to the end of Douglas’ life...
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