Douglas Fairbanks Sr.: The King of Hollywood
Douglas Fairbanks Sr. (May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor and filmmaker. He was the first actor to play the masked vigilante Zorro and became one of the biggest stars of the silent era, earning the title “The King of Hollywood.”
Early Life and Education
Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman was born in Denver, Colorado, to Hezekiah Charles Ullman and Ella Adelaide Marsh Ullman. He had two half-brothers, John Fairbanks Jr. and Norris Wilcox, and a full brother, Robert Payne Ullman. When Douglas was five years old, his father abandoned the family. His mother raised Douglas and Robert, giving them the family name Fairbanks after her first husband.
Fairbanks began performing in amateur theatre on the Denver stage at an early age, including summer stock at the Elitch Theatre and productions run by Margaret Fealy’s acting school. He attended Denver East High School but was expelled for cutting the strings on the school piano. In the spring of 1899, at age 15, he left school and joined the acting troupe of Frederick Warde for a cross-country tour beginning that September.
Career and Achievements
After two years with Warde’s troupe, Fairbanks moved to New York and found his first Broadway role in Her Lord and Master, which premiered in February 1902. Between acting jobs, he worked in a hardware store and as a clerk in a Wall Street office. His Broadway work included the popular A Gentleman from Mississippi in 1908–09. On July 11, 1907, he married Anna Bethany Sully, daughter of wealthy industrialist Daniel J. Sully, in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. They had one son, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., who also became a noted actor.
The family moved to Los Angeles in 1915, where Fairbanks signed with Triangle Pictures and began working under D. W. Griffith’s supervision. His film debut, The Lamb, showcased the athletic abilities that would define his career. Though Griffith did not appreciate his athleticism, Anita Loos and John Emerson recognized its appeal and wrote and directed many of his early romantic comedies. In 1916, Fairbanks established his own company, the Douglas Fairbanks Film Corporation, and soon moved to Paramount.
Fairbanks met Mary Pickford at a party in 1916, and the couple began an affair. In 1917, they joined Charlie Chaplin in selling war bonds by train across the United States as Four Minute Men. By 1918, Fairbanks had become Hollywood’s most popular actor and, within three years of arriving in Los Angeles, was the third-highest paid in the industry. That same year, he published Laugh and Live, a self-help book promoting positive thinking and self-confidence.
To protect their independence from studio control, Fairbanks, Pickford, Chaplin, and D. W. Griffith co-founded United Artists in 1919, giving themselves complete artistic control and access to profits. Fairbanks divorced Anna Bethany Sully in late 1918, with the judgment finalized early in 1919. Pickford obtained a rapid divorce from actor Owen Moore in Minden, Nevada, on March 2, 1920, and married Fairbanks on March 28, 1920. The couple became regarded as “Hollywood royalty,” with public enthusiasm for their union running high despite objections from Nevada lawmakers.
Transitioning from comedic roles, Fairbanks found major success in adventure films beginning with The Mark of Zorro in 1920. He followed this with Robin Hood (1922) and The Thief of Bagdad (1924). His career declined sharply with the advent of talking pictures in the late 1920s. His final film was The Private Life of Don Juan (1934), after which he retired from acting but remained marginally involved in the film industry and United Artists.
Notable Events and Milestones
Fairbanks was a founding member of the Motion Picture Academy and hosted the 1st Academy Awards in 1929. The Mark of Zorro (1920) marked his successful transition from comedy to adventure films and established him as a major star in a new genre. His athleticism and swashbuckling roles became his signature, distinguishing him from other silent film actors of the era.
Awards and Honors
Fairbanks was recognized as a founding member of both United Artists (1919) and the Motion Picture Academy. He hosted the 1st Academy Awards ceremony in 1929. He was also initiated as a Freemason at Beverly Hills Lodge No. 528.
Additional Resources
Douglas Fairbanks Sr. remains a central figure in silent cinema history. More detailed information about his life, filmography, and legacy is available through Wikipedia and other biographical archives dedicated to early Hollywood history.
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