Douglas Fairbanks Sr. Quick Info
Height 5 ft 9 in
Weight 67 kg
Date of Birth May 23, 1883
Zodiac Sign Gemini
Date of Death December 12, 1939

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. was an American actor, stage artist, screenwriter, director, and producer who is considered one of the greatest artists of the 1910s and 1920s and is best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films. Moreover, he co-founded United Artists as well as The Motion Picture Academy.

Born Name

Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman

Nick Names

Doug, The King of Hollywood

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in late 1910s
Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in the late 1910s (Harris & Ewing / United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs Division / Public Domain)

Age

He was born on May 23, 1883.

Died

On December 12, 1939, Douglas Fairbanks Sr. died at 56 after suffering a heart attack in Santa Monica, California, United States.

Sun Sign

Gemini

Born Place

Denver, Colorado, United States

Residence

During his last years, he resided at 705 Ocean Front (later Pacific Coast Highway) in Santa Monica, California, United States.

Nationality

American

American

Education

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. got enrolled at Denver East High School but was expelled for cutting the wires on the school piano. He also claimed to have attended Colorado School of Mines and Harvard University.

Occupation

Actor, Stage Artist, Screenwriter, Director, Producer

Family

  • Father – Hezekiah Charles Ullman
  • Mother – Ella Adelaide (née Marsh)
  • Siblings – Robert Payne Ullman (Older Brother), John Fairbanks Jr. (Older Maternal Half-Brother), Norris Wilcox (Older Maternal Half-Brother)
  • Others – Lazarus Ullman (Paternal Grandfather), Lydia Abrams (Paternal Grandmother)

Build

Slim

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. as seen in 'Robin Hood' (1922)
Douglas Fairbanks Sr. as seen in ‘Robin Hood’ (1922) (United Artists, Cinematographers Arthur Edeson & Charles Richardson / douglasfairbanks.org / Public Domain)

Height

5 ft 9 in or 175 cm

Weight

67 kg or 147.5 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. had dated –

  1. Marguerite De La Motte
  2. Clara Bow
  3. Renée Adorée
  4. Billie Dove
  5. Margery Wilson
  6. Dorothy West
  7. Virginia Rappe
  8. Tallulah Bankhead
  9. Anna Beth Sully (1907-1918)​ – Fairbanks got married to Anna Beth Sully on July 11, 1907, in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. She was the daughter of wealthy industrialist Daniel J. Sully. Douglas and Anna had a son named Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) who went on to become a noted actor. In 1915, the family shifted to Los Angeles. Following his romance with Mary Pickford, Anna was granted a divorce from Fairbanks in late 1918 and the judgment was finalized early the following year.
  10. Marjorie Daw (1917-1918)
  11. Mary Pickford – He met Canadian actor and producer Mary Pickford at a party in 1916 and they soon started dating while he was still married to Sully. They joined Fairbanks’s friend Charlie Chaplin and toured the U.S. together to promote Liberty Bond sales for the World War I effort. After his divorce from Sully, Douglas Fairbanks finally gave Pickford an ultimatum as she was still married to actor Owen Moore. On March 2, 1920, Pickford divorced Owen Moore and soon after married Fairbanks on March 28, 1920, in what was described as the “marriage of the century”. The public was enthralled with the idea of “Everybody’s Hero” marrying “America’s Sweetheart” and the couple was referred to as the King and Queen of Hollywood as well as were regarded as “Hollywood royalty”. However, the marriage ended after Fairbanks began dating Sylvia, Lady Ashley in the early 1930s. Douglas and Pickford separated in 1933 and divorced on January 10, 1936.
  12. Barbara La Marr (1920)
  13. Mary Astor (1924)
  14. Lupe Velez (1927)
  15. Sylvia, Lady Ashley – Douglas Fairbanks started a romantic relationship with Sylvia, Lady Ashley (an English model, actor, and socialite) in the early 1930s and they eventually got married in Paris in March 1936. They remained together until his death on December 12, 1939.

Race / Ethnicity

White

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. was of Ashkenazi Jewish descent on his father’s side and had English ancestry on his mother’s side.

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

  • Performed most of his stunts himself
  • Small feet
Douglas Fairbanks Sr. as seen in 'The Private Life of Don Juan' (1934)
Douglas Fairbanks Sr. as seen in ‘The Private Life of Don Juan’ (1934) (Studio / Dr. Macro / Public Domain)

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. Facts

  1. His paternal grandparents immigrated to the United States in 1830 from Baden, Germany.
  2. His mother gave him the family name “Fairbanks” after her first husband John Fairbanks.
  3. Along with D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, and Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks Sr. co-founded United Artists in 1919.
  4. He hosted the 1st Academy Awards in 1929.
  5. Reportedly, Douglas Fairbanks Sr.’s last words were: “I’ve never felt better.”

Featured Image by Harris & Ewing / United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs Division / Public Domain

Source: https://healthyceleb.com

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