Biography for
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Height: 6' 1"
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Spouse
'Vera Shelton' (30 May 1991 - 7 May 2000) (his death)
'Mary Lee Epling Hartford' (1939 - 1988) (her death); 3 daughters
Joan Crawford (1929 - 1933) (divorced)
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Trivia
Son of Douglas Fairbanks.
Interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in same crypt with father, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.
His death was reported on the front page of the Times in London and Buckingham Palace expressed its condolences on his
demise
Created an honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1949
Cousin of Lucile Fairbanks.
Nephew of Robert Fairbanks.
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Personal quotes
"The trouble with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. is that he likes everything he sees - and he sees
everything." - Clemence Dane
I was only saying to the Queen the other day how I hate name dropping...
Biography from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:
Actor. (b. Dec. 9, 1909, New York City.)
Although he never quite reached the pinnacle of screen success and industry importance that his famous father attained, Doug Jr. did all right for himself, carving his own niche in movie history. The product of his
father's first marriage, young Doug was an overweight, overly sensitive child who, as he later admitted, had serious selfesteem problems before losing weight and following in the family footsteps, beginning with a
starring role in Stephen Steps Out (1923). Tall and slender, with an easily recognizable family resemblance but a decidedly more serious mien, he appeared in many silent films-including Stella Dallas, Wild Horse Mesa
(both 1925), Broken Hearts of Hollywood (1926), Is Zat So? (1927), A Woman of Affairs and The Barker (both 1928)-often cast as a spoiled, reckless youth. Doug Jr. got little encouragement from his famous father; indeed,
their relationship during this period was little more than cordial.
Gradually, Fairbanks earned respect for his efforts. He impressed moviegoers as the brash reporter in Frank Capra's The Power of the Press
(1928) and as the leading man in Joan Crawford's last silent film, Our Modern Maidens (1929). Doug Jr. got the girl both on- and off-screen; he and Crawford were married shortly after the completion of filming.
The early talkie years found Doug Jr. at Warner Bros.-First National, at first in such trifles as Forward Pass (1929) and Loose Ankles (1930), but soon in highly dramatic roles in The Dawn Patrol, Outward Bound, Little
Caesar (all 1930), and Chances (1931) that finally took him out of the "callow youth" classification. Although he was never wholly convincing as a tough guy, Fairbanks played one in many hard-boiled Warners
melodramas, some of which-Union Depot, Love Is a Racket (both 1932), and The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933)-numbered among his best films of the 1930s. In fact, the more one sees of his work from this period (in films like
1932's It's Tough to Be Famous and 1933's The Narrow Corner the more obvious it becomes that Fairbanks was a real unsung talent. He left Warners in 1934 to freelance, making several pictures in England (the best of
which were 1934's Catherine the Great and 1937's Jump for Glory) before scoring a triumph as likable blackguard Rupert of Hentzau in David O. Selznick's elaborate remake of The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), starring Ronald
Colman. It was Fairbanks' first full-blooded swashbuckling role, and he reminded moviegoers of his famous father, clad in black clothes, sporting a dapper little mustache, and wielding a saber with panache. (He and his
father drew close around this time, and even talked of making a film together before Senior's death in 1939.)
Doug Jr. made several delightful if unimportant romantic comedies-including The Joy of Living, Having
Wonderful Time, The Rage of Paris and Young in Heart (all 1938)-before returning to robust adventure films with Gunga Din (1939, as the daring Sergeant Ballantine in this rousing classic), The Sun Never Sets (also 1939,
once again helping save the British Empire), Safari, Green Hell (both 1940), and The Corsican Brothers (1941, another swashbuckler, this time playing twins). He also produced and starred in Ben Hecht's bizarre black
comedy, Angels Over Broadway (1940).
During World War 2 Fairbanks served with distinction as a lieutenant commander with the U.S. Navy. When he returned to movie work in 1947, it was in the title role of Sinbad
the Sailor (1947), an eye-filling Arabian Nights adventure that saw him adopting some of his late father's larger-than-life gestures and man nerisms. He appeared opposite Betty Grable in That Lady in Ermine (1948), and
then produced and cowrote two costume vehicles for himself: The Exile (1948) and The Fighting O'Flynn (1949) before starring in a taut, contemporary thriller, State Secret (1950), in England. Fairbanks, a lifelong
Anglophile who numbered members of the royal family among his friends, moved to Britain in the early 1950s. His subsequent screen work was both spotty and undistinguished (although he personally fared better than did
the films themselves): Three's Company, The Triangle, The Genie (all 1953), Destination Milan, The Last Moment (both 1954), Red and Blue (1967). He also produced several films, including Another Man's Poison (1952) and
Chase a Crooked Shadow (1958), and hosted, produced, and often appeared in the anthology TV series "Douglas Fairbanks Presents" (1952-57). Returning to the U.S., he toured in a number of stage plays, made TV
guest appearances, and appeared with several other Hollywood "legends"Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, and John Houseman-in Ghost Story (1981), his last feature film to date. His talent has never been fully
appreciated. His first volume of autobiography, "The Salad Days," was published in 1988; the second, "A Hell of a War," in 1993.
Birth name
Douglas Elton Ulman Fairbanks
Date of birth (location)
9 December 1909,
New York, New York, USA
Date of death (details)
7 May 2000,
New York, New York, USA. (natural causes)
Trivia
Son of Douglas Fairbanks.
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Filmography as: Actor, Producer, Writer, Miscellaneous crew, Notable TV guest appearances
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Actor - filmography
(1990s) (1980s) (1970s) (1960s) (1950s) (1940s) (1930s) (1920s) (1910s)
Dritte Reich - in Farbe, Das (1998) (TV) (archive footage) .... Himself
Cary Grant: A Celebration of a Leading Man (1988) (TV)
Strong Medicine (1986) (TV) .... Eli Camperdown
... aka Arthur Hailey's 'Strong Medicine' (1986) (TV)
George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey (1984) .... Himself
Laurence Olivier: A Life (1982) (TV) .... Interviewee
Ghost Story (1981) .... Edward Charles Wanderley
"Hollywood" (1980) (mini) TV Series
Hostage Tower, The (1980) (TV) .... Malcolm Philpott
Circus of the Stars #4 (1979) (TV) .... Ringmaster
Crooked Hearts, The (1972) (TV) .... Rex Willoughby
Funniest Man in the World, The (1967) .... Narrator
Canterville Ghost, The (1966) (TV) .... Mr. Otis
Chase a Crooked Shadow (1957) (uncredited) .... Himself (epilogue)
Destination Milan (1954)
Last Moment, The (1954) .... George Griffin
Red Dress, The (1954) .... Narrator
Thought to Kill (1954) .... Narrator
Three's Company (1954) .... Narrator/Anthony ("The Scream" story)
"Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Presents" (1953) TV Series .... Host (1953-57)
Genie, The (1952)
Mr. Drake's Duck (1951) .... Donald Drake
State Secret (1950) .... Dr. John Marlowe
... aka Great Manhunt, The (1950) (USA)
Fighting O'Flynn, The (1949) .... The O'Flynn
... aka O'Flynn, The (1949) (USA)
That Lady in Ermine (1948) .... Col. Ladislas Karolyi Teglas
Sinbad the Sailor (1947) .... Sinbad
Exile, The (1947) .... Charles Stuart
Corsican Brothers, The (1941) .... Lucien Franchi/Mario Franchi
Safari (1940) .... Jim Logan
Angels Over Broadway (1940) .... Bill O'Brien
Green Hell (1940) .... Keith Brandon
Sun Never Sets, The (1939) .... John Randolph
Rulers of the Sea (1939) .... David "Davie" Gillespie
Gunga Din (1939) .... Sergeant Ballantine
Joy of Living (1938) .... Daniel Brewster
Young in Heart, The (1938) .... Richard Carleton
Having Wonderful Time (1938) .... Chick Kirkland
... aka Having a Wonderful Time (1938)
Rage of Paris, The (1938) .... Jim Trevor
Jump for Glory (1937) .... Ricky Morgan
... aka When Thief Meets Thief (1937) (USA)
Prisoner of Zenda, The (1937) .... Rupert of Hentzau
Accused (1936) .... Tony Seymour
Amateur Gentleman, The (1936) .... Barnabas Barty
Man of the Moment (1935) .... Tony
Mimi (1935) .... Rodolphe
Success at Any Price (1934) .... Joseph "Joe" Martin
Catherine the Great (1934) .... Grand Duke Peter
... aka Rise of Catherine the Great, The (1934)
Captured! (1933) .... Digby
Narrow Corner, The (1933) .... Fred Blake
Morning Glory (1933) .... Joseph 'Joe' Sheridan
Life of Jimmy Dolan, The (1933) .... Jimmy Dolan
... aka Kid's Last Fight, The (1933) (UK)
Parachute Jumper (1933) .... William 'Bill' Keller
Athlète incomplet, L' (1932)
It's Tough to Be Famous (1932) .... Scotty McClenahan
Scarlet Dawn (1932) .... Nikita Krasnoff
Love Is a Racket (1932) .... Jimmy Russell
... aka Such Things Happen (1932) (UK)
Union Depot (1932) .... Charles 'Chick' Miller
... aka Gentleman for a Day (1932) (UK)
Chances (1931) .... Jack Ingleside
... aka Changes (1931) (UK)
I Like Your Nerve (1931) .... Larry O'Brien
Slippery Pearls, The (1931) .... Himself
... aka Stolen Jools, The (1931)
Aviateur, L' (1931)
Little Accident (1930) .... Norman Overbeck
Little Caesar (1930) .... Joe Massara
Outward Bound (1930) .... Henry
One Night at Susie's (1930) .... Dick
Way of All Men, The (1930) .... Billy Bear
... aka Sin Flood, The (1930) (UK)
Dawn Patrol, The (1930) .... Douglas Scott
... aka Flight Commander (1930) (USA: TV title)
Loose Ankles (1930) .... Gil Hayden
Party Girl (1930) .... Jay Rountree
... aka Dangerous Business (1930)
Hollywood Snapshots #11 (1929) .... Himself
Show of Shows, The (1929) .... Guest
Forward Pass, The (1929) .... Marty Reid
Careless Age, The (1929) .... Wyn
Fast Life (1929) .... Douglas Stratton
Our Modern Maidens (1929) .... Gil Jordan
Jazz Age, The (1929) .... Steve Maxwell
Barker, The (1928) .... Chris Miller
Woman of Affairs, A (1928) .... Geoffrey Merrick
Power of the Press, The (1928) .... Clem Rogers
Toilers, The (1928) .... Steve
Modern Mothers (1928) .... David Starke
Dead Man's Curve (1928) .... Vernon Keith
Texas Steer, A (1927) .... Farleigh Bright
Is Zat So? (1927) .... G. Clifton Blackburn
Women Love Diamonds (1927) .... Jerry Croker-Kelley
Man Bait (1926) .... Jeff Sanford
Padlocked (1926) .... Sonny Galloway
Broken Hearts of Hollywood (1926) .... Hal Terwilliger
American Venus, The (1926) .... Triton
Stella Dallas (1925) .... Richard Grosvenor
Wild Horse Mesa (1925) .... Chess Weymer
Air Mail, The (1925) .... Sandy
Stephen Steps Out (1923) .... Stephen Harlow Jr.
Three Musketeers, The (1921) (uncredited) .... Boy
American Aristocracy (1916) (uncredited) .... Newsboy
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Filmography as: Actor, Producer, Writer, Miscellaneous crew, Notable TV guest appearances
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Producer - filmography
(1950s) (1940s) (1930s)
Chase a Crooked Shadow (1957)
Last Moment, The (1954) (executive)
Red Dress, The (1954)
Thought to Kill (1954) (executive)
Three's Company (1954) (executive)
Genie, The (1952)
Another Man's Poison (1952)
Fighting O'Flynn, The (1949)
... aka O'Flynn, The (1949) (USA)
Exile, The (1947)
Angels Over Broadway (1940) (associate)
Jump for Glory (1937)
... aka When Thief Meets Thief (1937) (USA)
Accused (1936)
Amateur Gentleman, The (1936)
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Filmography as: Actor, Producer, Writer, Miscellaneous crew, Notable TV guest appearances
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Writer - filmography
(1940s) (1930s)
Fighting O'Flynn, The (1949)
... aka O'Flynn, The (1949) (USA)
Exile, The (1947)
Scarlet Dawn (1932) (uncredited)
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Filmography as: Actor, Producer, Writer, Miscellaneous crew, Notable TV guest appearances
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Miscellaneous crew - filmography
"Hollywood" (1980) (mini) TV Series (film source)
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Filmography as: Actor, Producer, Writer, Miscellaneous crew, Notable TV guest appearances
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Notable TV guest appearances
"B.L. Stryker" (1989) in episode: "Auntie Sue" (episode # 1.4) 4/17/1989
"Front Page Challenge" (1957) playing "Guest" 1970
"United States Steel Hour, The" (1953) in episode: "Troubled Heart, The" 2/6/1963
"Route 66" (1960) in episode: "Kiss The Maiden All Forlorn" (episode # 2.26) 4/13/1962
"United States Steel Hour, The" (1953) in episode: "Nightmare at Bleak Hill" 2/7/1962
"Your Show of Shows" (1950) 11/11/1950 |
