Douglas Fairbanks

Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman, known professionally as Douglas Fairbanks Sr., was born on May 23, 1883, in Denver, Colorado, and died on December 12, 1939, at the age of 56. He was an American actor and filmmaker who became one of the most prominent figures of the silent film era, earning the informal title "The King of Hollywood." His parents were Hezekiah Charles Ullman and Ella Adelaide Ullman. He had two half-brothers, John Fairbanks Jr. and Norris Wilcox, and a full brother, Robert Payne Ullman. When Fairbanks was five years old, his father abandoned the family, and he and his brother Robert were raised by their mother, who gave them the surname Fairbanks from her first husband.

Fairbanks began his performing life in Denver, appearing in amateur theatre productions, summer stock at the Elitch Theatre, and programs organized by Margaret Fealy, who operated an acting school for young people in the city. He attended Denver East High School, from which he was expelled for cutting the strings on the school piano. He left school in the spring of 1899 at the age of 15 and joined the acting troupe of Frederick Warde, embarking on a cross-country tour beginning in September of that year. Over two seasons with Warde, he served both as an actor and, in his second year, as assistant stage manager.

After his time with Warde, Fairbanks relocated to New York and secured his first Broadway role in Her Lord and Master, which premiered in February 1902. Between acting engagements he supported himself by working in a hardware store and as a clerk in a Wall Street office. His Broadway career extended from 1902 to 1914 and included starring roles in Hawthorne of the U.S.A. and The Cub, as well as appearances in The Show Shop, He Comes Up Smiling, The New Henrietta, and the popular A Gentleman from Mississippi, which ran during the 1908–09 season.

On July 11, 1907, Fairbanks married Anna Bethany Sully, daughter of industrialist Daniel J. Sully, in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. The couple had one son, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., who also became a noted actor. The family relocated to Los Angeles in 1915, the same year Fairbanks made his film debut after signing a contract with Triangle Pictures and beginning work under the supervision of D. W. Griffith. His first film, The Lamb, introduced audiences to the athletic physicality that would define his screen persona. Griffith did not appreciate this quality, but filmmakers Anita Loos and John Emerson recognized it and wrote and directed many of his early romantic comedies. In 1916, Fairbanks established his own production company, the Douglas Fairbanks Film Corporation, and subsequently worked with Paramount. That same year he met actress Mary Pickford at a party, and the two began a relationship.

By 1918, Fairbanks had become Hollywood's most popular actor, reaching the rank of third-highest paid within three years of his arrival in the industry. In 1917, he published a self-help book titled Laugh and Live, which promoted positive thinking and self-confidence. That same year, he joined Pickford and Charlie Chaplin in selling war bonds by train across the United States, delivering speeches as Four Minute Men. Concerned about the major studios' attempts to control distribution and limit their independence, Fairbanks, Pickford, Chaplin, and D. W. Griffith co-founded United Artists in 1919, giving themselves complete artistic control over their films and the profits from them.

Sully was granted a divorce from Fairbanks in late 1918, finalized early the following year. Pickford, who was then married to actor Owen Moore, obtained a divorce in the Nevada town of Minden on March 2, 1920, and she and Fairbanks married on March 28, 1920. The couple became internationally celebrated, greeted by large crowds in London and Paris during their European honeymoon, and were widely regarded as Hollywood royalty. They became known for entertaining at their Beverly Hills estate, Pickfair.

Fairbanks's transition into adventure films began with The Mark of Zorro in 1920, in which he became the first actor to portray the masked vigilante Zorro on screen. The film was a major success and elevated him to superstar status. He followed it with a series of large-scale costume productions, including The Three Musketeers in 1921, Robin Hood in 1922, The Thief of Bagdad in 1924, The Black Pirate in 1926, and The Gaucho in 1927. In 1921, he joined Pickford, Chaplin, and others in organizing the Motion Picture Fund to assist industry workers in financial need.

On April 30, 1927, Fairbanks and Pickford were among the first to place their hand and footprints in wet cement at the newly opened Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. That same year, Fairbanks was elected the first President of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences and hosted the first Academy Awards ceremony at the Roosevelt Hotel in 1929. He was also a Freemason, having been initiated at Beverly Hills Lodge No. 528.

His career declined with the arrival of sound films in the late 1920s. His final film was The Private Life of Don Juan in 1934, after which he retired from acting while remaining marginally involved in the film industry and United Artists. Fairbanks died on December 12, 1939, at the age of 56.