Douglas Fairbanks Jr.(1909-2000)
- Actor
- Producer
- Production Manager
Although he appeared in approximately 100 movies or TV shows, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. never really
intended to take up acting as a career. However, the environment he was
born into and the circumstances naturally led him to be a thespian.
Noblesse oblige.
He was born Douglas Elton Fairbanks, Jr. in New York City, New York, to Anna Beth (Sully), daughter of a very wealthy cotton mogul, and actor Douglas Fairbanks (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman), then not yet established as the swashbuckling idol he would become. Fairbanks, Jr. had German Jewish (from his paternal grandfather), English, and Scottish ancestry.
He proved a gifted boy early in life. To the end of his life he remained a
multi-talented, hyperactive man, not content to appear in the 100 films
mentioned above. Handsome, distinguished and extremely bright, he
excelled at sports (much like his father), notably during his stay at
the Military Academy in 1919 (his role in
Claude Autant-Lara's "L'athlète
incomplete" illustrated these abilities). He also excelled
academically, and attended the Lycéee Janson de Sailly in Paris, where
he had followed his divorced mother. Very early in his life he
developed a taste for the arts as well and became a painter and
sculptor. Not content to limiting himself to just one field, he became
involved in business, in fields as varied as mining, hotel management,
owning a chain of bowling alleys and a firm that manufactured popcorn.
During World War II he headed London's Douglas Voluntary Hospital (an
establishment taking care of war refugees), was President
Franklin D. Roosevelt's
special envoy for the Special Mission to South America in 1940 before
becoming a lieutenant in the Navy (he was promoted to the rank of
captain in 1954) and taking part in the Allies' landing in Sicily and
Elba in 1943. A fervent Anglophile, was knighted in 1949 and often
entertained Queen Elizabeth II and
Prince Philip in his London mansion, "The
Boltons".
His film career began at the age of 13 when he was signed by Paramount
Pictures. He debuted in
Stephen Steps Out (1923) but
the film flopped and his career stagnated despite a critically
acclaimed role in
Stella Dallas (1925). Things really
picked up when he married Lucille Le Sueur, a young starlet who was
soon to become better known as
Joan Crawford. The young couple
became the toast of the town (one "Screen Snapshots" episode echoes
this sudden glory) and good parts and success followed, such as the
hapless partner of
Edward G. Robinson in
Little Caesar (1931) a favorably
reviewed turn as the villain in
The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)
or more debonair characters in slapstick comedies or adventure yarns.
The 1930s were a fruitful period for Fairbanks, his most memorable role
probably being that of the British soldier in
Gunga Din (1939); although it was
somewhat of a "swashbuckling" role, Fairbanks made a point of never
imitating his father. After the World War II, his star waned and,
despite a moving part in
Ghost Story (1981), he did not appear
in a major movie. Now a legend himself, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. left this
world with the satisfaction of having lived up to the Fairbanks name at
the end of a life nobody could call "wasted".
intended to take up acting as a career. However, the environment he was
born into and the circumstances naturally led him to be a thespian.
Noblesse oblige.
He was born Douglas Elton Fairbanks, Jr. in New York City, New York, to Anna Beth (Sully), daughter of a very wealthy cotton mogul, and actor Douglas Fairbanks (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman), then not yet established as the swashbuckling idol he would become. Fairbanks, Jr. had German Jewish (from his paternal grandfather), English, and Scottish ancestry.
He proved a gifted boy early in life. To the end of his life he remained a
multi-talented, hyperactive man, not content to appear in the 100 films
mentioned above. Handsome, distinguished and extremely bright, he
excelled at sports (much like his father), notably during his stay at
the Military Academy in 1919 (his role in
Claude Autant-Lara's "L'athlète
incomplete" illustrated these abilities). He also excelled
academically, and attended the Lycéee Janson de Sailly in Paris, where
he had followed his divorced mother. Very early in his life he
developed a taste for the arts as well and became a painter and
sculptor. Not content to limiting himself to just one field, he became
involved in business, in fields as varied as mining, hotel management,
owning a chain of bowling alleys and a firm that manufactured popcorn.
During World War II he headed London's Douglas Voluntary Hospital (an
establishment taking care of war refugees), was President
Franklin D. Roosevelt's
special envoy for the Special Mission to South America in 1940 before
becoming a lieutenant in the Navy (he was promoted to the rank of
captain in 1954) and taking part in the Allies' landing in Sicily and
Elba in 1943. A fervent Anglophile, was knighted in 1949 and often
entertained Queen Elizabeth II and
Prince Philip in his London mansion, "The
Boltons".
His film career began at the age of 13 when he was signed by Paramount
Pictures. He debuted in
Stephen Steps Out (1923) but
the film flopped and his career stagnated despite a critically
acclaimed role in
Stella Dallas (1925). Things really
picked up when he married Lucille Le Sueur, a young starlet who was
soon to become better known as
Joan Crawford. The young couple
became the toast of the town (one "Screen Snapshots" episode echoes
this sudden glory) and good parts and success followed, such as the
hapless partner of
Edward G. Robinson in
Little Caesar (1931) a favorably
reviewed turn as the villain in
The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)
or more debonair characters in slapstick comedies or adventure yarns.
The 1930s were a fruitful period for Fairbanks, his most memorable role
probably being that of the British soldier in
Gunga Din (1939); although it was
somewhat of a "swashbuckling" role, Fairbanks made a point of never
imitating his father. After the World War II, his star waned and,
despite a moving part in
Ghost Story (1981), he did not appear
in a major movie. Now a legend himself, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. left this
world with the satisfaction of having lived up to the Fairbanks name at
the end of a life nobody could call "wasted".