Foto: Alexander Binder (1888-1929)

1883 - 1939

He made his stage debut on Broadway with "Her Lord and Master" in 1902 and five years later he left the world of theater in order to get married with a daughter of an industrialist. From this marriage comes the actor Douglas Fairbanks jr.. When his father-in-law lost his fortune at the stock exchange, Douglas Fairbanks returned to the theater.

He went to Hollywood in 1915 and worked for D.W. Griffith. His first three movies were directed by Christy Cabanne - "The Lamb" (15), "Martyrs of the Alamo" (15) and "Double Trouble" (15). Already one year later he founded his own production company and had first successes with "The Half-Breed" (16), "Manhattan Madness" (16), "The Matrimaniac" (16), "The Americano" (16), "Down to Earth" (17) and "A Modern Musketeer" (17).

During a Liberty Bond Tour in 1917 he met actress Mary Pickford. He fall in love with her and they got married in 1920. They also founded together with Charles Chaplin and D.W. Griffith the United Artists company.

Doublas Fairbanks became a superstar of cinema in the 20's who had a huge fan community as a  romantic hero and who impressed the audience with artistic abilities. Most of his stunts he practised in person.
To his well-known silent movies belong "The Mark of Zorro" (20), "The Three Musketeers" (21), "Robin Hood" (22), "The Thief of Bagdad" (24), "The Black Pirate" (26), "The Gaucho" (29) and "The Iron Mask" (29).

The sound film did no longer offer him work. After the movies "Reaching for the Moon" (30), "Mr. Robinson Crusoe" (32) and "The Private Live of Don Juan" (34) he retired and became a private person. Unfortunately he had only five more years to live before a heart attacked ended his life.

Douglas Fairbanks belonged to the 36 foundation members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1928 and he became the first president. He got posthumous an Honowary Award in 1940.

Douglas Fairbanks was not only an actor, but also produced a lot of his movies and he wrote scripts with his pseudonym Elton Thomas. He directed two movies - "Arizona" (18) and "Around the World in 80 Minutes" (31).
 

Other movies with Douglas Fairbanks: 
His Picture in the Papers (16) The Habit of Happiness (16) The Good Bad Man (16) Reggie Mixes In (16) The Mystery of the Leaping Fish (16) Flirting with Fate (16) American Aristocracy (16) In Again, Out Again (17) Wild and Woolly (17) The Man From Painted Post (17) Reaching for the Moon (17) Headin's South (18) Mr. Fix-It (18) Say! Young Fellow (18) Bound in Morocco (18) He Comes Up Smiling (18) Arizona (18) The Knickerbocker Buckaroo (19) His Majesty, the American (19) When the Clouds Roll by (19) The Mollycoddle (20) The Nut (21) Don Q Son of Zorro (25) The Taming of the Shrew (29) Around the World in 80 Minutes (31) 

Producer:
In Again, Out Again (17) Down to Earth (17) Reaching for the Moon (17) A Modern Musketeer (17) Headin' South (18) Mr. Fix-It (18) Say! Young Fellow (18) Bound in Morocco (18) He Comes Up Smiling (18) Arizona (18) The Knickerbocker Buckaroo (19) His Majesty, the American (19) When the Clouds Roll by (19) The Nut (21) The Three Musketeers (21) Robin Hood (22) The Thief of Bagdad (24) Don Q Son of Zorro (25) The Black Pirate (26) The Gaucho (27) The Iron Mask (29) Mr. Robinson Crusoe (32) Crime Over London (36) 

Writer:
The Good Bad Man (16) Down to Earth (17) The Man From Painted Post (17) Bound in Morocco (18) Arizona (18) The Knickerbocker Buckaroo (19) His Majesty, the American (19) When the Clouds Roll by (19) The Nut (21) The Three Musketeers (21) Robin Hood (22) The Thief of Bagdad (24) The Black Pirate (26) The Gaucho (27) The Iron Mask (29) Mr. Robinson Crusoe (32)