Douglas Fairbanks

Born: 1883-05-22

Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. (May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro. An astute businessman, Fairbanks was a founding member of United Artists. Fairbanks was also a founding member of The Motion Picture Academy and hosted the first Oscars Ceremony in 1929. With his marriage to Mary Pickford in 1920, the couple became Hollywood royalty with Fairbanks constantly referred to as "The King of Hollywood", a nickname later passed on to actor Clark Gable.


Placeholder

Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages

as Man on White Horse (uncredited)
Released: 1916-09-04

The story of a poor young woman, separated by prejudice from her husband and baby, is interwoven...

Movie page

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

as Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
Released: 1925-12-25

Erstwhile childhood friends, Judah Ben-Hur and Messala meet again as adults, this time with...

Movie page

The Thief of Bagdad

as The Thief of Bagdad
Released: 1924-03-18

A recalcitrant thief vies with a duplicitous Mongol ruler for the hand of a beautiful princess.

Movie page

The Image Book

as (film archive footage)
Released: 2018-10-11

In Le Livre d’Image, Jean-Luc Godard recycles existing images (films, documentaries, paintings,...

Movie page

The Mark of Zorro

as Don Diego Vega / Señor Zorro
Released: 1920-12-05

Don Diego Vega pretends to be an indolent fop as a cover for his true identity, the masked...

Movie page

Don Q Son of Zorro

as Don Cesar de Vega / Zorro
Released: 1925-06-15

Don Cesar De Vega crosses swords with a vicious member of the Queen's Guard, and steals the...

Movie page

Show People

as Self (uncredited)
Released: 1928-11-20

Hollywood hopeful Peggy Pepper arrives at a major studio, from Georgia, to become a great...

Movie page

Robin Hood

as Robin Hood
Released: 1922-10-18

Amid big-budget medieval pageantry, King Richard goes on the Crusades leaving his brother Prince...

Movie page

The Big Parade of Comedy

as Actor Arriving at MGM (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: 1964-09-02

Film clips highlight the funniest scenes and brightest comic stars in MGM's history.

Movie page

The Three Musketeers

as D'Artagnan
Released: 1921-08-28

The young Gascon D'Artagnan arrives in Paris, his heart set on joining the king's Musketeers. He...

Movie page

The Tramp and the Dictator

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: 2002-02-14

A look at the parallel lives of Charlie Chaplin and Adolf Hitler and how they crossed with the...

Movie page

Cinecittà Babilonia: Sex, Drugs and Black Shirts

as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Released: 2017-06-14

The story of Italian cinema under Fascism, a sophisticated film industry built around the...

Movie page

The Black Pirate

as The Duke of Arnoldo / The Black Pirate
Released: 1926-03-08

A nobleman vows to avenge the death of his father by the hands of pirates. To this end, he...

Movie page

Anthony Quinn: An Original

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1990-09-10

Born in Mexico, Anthony Quinn became the family's main provider when his father died in an...

Movie page

Character Studies

as Himself (uncredited)
Released: 1927-11-20

Carter DeHaven announces that he will perform a series of "impressions." For each we see him...

Movie page

Glorious Technicolor

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: 1998-12-07

The history of color photography in motion pictures, in particular the Technicolor company's work.

Movie page

Wilson

as Douglas Fairbanks - at WWI Rally (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: 1944-08-01

The political career of Woodrow Wilson is chronicled, beginning with his decision to leave his...

Movie page

The Gaucho

as The Gaucho
Released: 1927-11-21

A girl is saved by a miracle after she falls from a cliff in the Argentine Andes, and is blessed...

Movie page

Propaganda: Engineering Consent

as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Released: 2018-05-29

How can the masses be controlled? Apparently, the American publicist Edward L. Bernays...

Movie page

The Iron Mask

as D'Artagnan
Released: 1929-02-21

King Louis XIII of France is thrilled to have born to him a son - an heir to the throne. But...

Movie page

The Private Life of Don Juan

as Don Juan
Released: 1934-01-01

What do women want? Don Juan is aging. He's arrived secretly in Seville after a 20 year absence....

Movie page

The Nut

as Charlie Jackson
Released: 1921-03-06

Eccentric inventor Charlie Jackson tries to interest wealthy investors in his girlfriend's plan...

Movie page

The Mollycoddle

as Richard Marshall III / Richard Marshall IV / Richard Marshal V
Released: 1920-06-13

An American who has lived much of his life outside the country returns to Arizona for the first...

Movie page

The Good Bad Man

as Passin' Through
Released: 1916-04-21

An outlaw calling himself Passin' Through halts his "evil" ways long enough to help out some...

Movie page

Days of Thrills and Laughter

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1961-03-21

An appreciative, uncritical look at silent film comedies and thrillers from early in the century...

Movie page

Reaching for the Moon

as Larry Day
Released: 1930-12-29

Wall Street wizard, Larry Day, new to the ways of love, is coached by his valet. He follows...

Movie page

The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1961-05-24

A documentary of Hollywood's first great Latin Lover, the contradictions in his personal life,...

Movie page

Cary Grant: A Celebration of a Leading Man

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1988-06-05

A retrospective of the life and career of actor Cary Grant, including clips from his films and...

Movie page

Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2007-05-23

Before the G, PG and R ratings system there was the Production Code, and before that there was,...

Movie page

Wild and Woolly

as Jeff Hillington
Released: 1917-06-24

A rich Easterner who has always wanted to live in "the Wild West" plans to move to a Western...

Movie page

The Half-Breed

as Lo Dorman
Released: 1916-07-30

In an attempt to brand himself as a serious actor, the smiling swashbuckler Douglas Fairbanks...

Movie page

Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1940-07-31

This 1940 presentation features highlights of earlier (1928 onward) Oscar ceremonies including...

Movie page

A Modern Musketeer

as Ned Thacker / D'Artagnan
Released: 1917-12-30

A young man grows restless living in a small Kansas town, dreaming of the adventures of the...

Movie page

The House That Shadows Built

as (archive footage)
Released: 1931-07-08

The House That Shadows Built (1931) is a short feature, roughly 48 minutes long, from Paramount...

Movie page

The Matrimaniac

as Jimmie Conroy
Released: 1916-12-16

A young couple attempts to elope, with the bride's irate father in hot pursuit. The train stops...

Movie page

Hollywood

as Douglas Fairbanks
Released: 1923-08-19

Angela comes to Hollywood with only two things: Her dream to become a movie star, and Grandpa....

Movie page

Ali Baba Goes to Town

as Himself
Released: 1937-10-29

While visiting Hollywood a starstruck movie fan (Eddie Cantor) fantasizes about himself cast in...

Movie page

The Mystery of the Leaping Fish

as Coke Ennyday / Douglas Fairbanks
Released: 1916-06-11

Coke Ennyday, the scientific detective, divides his time into periods of "Sleep", "Eat", "Dope"...

Movie page

Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2008-08-29

This documentary traces the life and work of the legendary "America's Sweetheart" Mary Pickford,...

Movie page

American Aristocracy

as Cassius Lee
Released: 1916-11-05

A young man fights to overcome a piratical arms smuggler and to win the heart of a rich man's...

Movie page

Birth of the Tramp

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2013-12-29

A look back at Charlie Chaplin's early life and career, from his rough childhood and music hall...

Movie page

Bound in Morocco

as George Travelwell
Released: 1918-07-28

A lost film. George Travelwell (Fairbanks), an American youth motoring in Morocco, discovers...

Movie page

Mr. Robinson Crusoe

as Steve Drexel
Released: 1932-08-19

Steve Drexel voluntarily strands himself on a deserted island on a bet. He intends to re-create...

Movie page

30 Years of Fun

as (archive footage)
Released: 1963-02-10

Three decades of fun packed into one convenient package with this compilation of classic...

Movie page

The Golden Twenties

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1950-04-08

Feature-length compilation of 1920s newsreel footage, with commentary about news, sports,...

Movie page

The Taming of the Shrew

as Petruccio
Released: 1929-10-26

Adapted from Shakespeare's play: Baptista Minola, a wealthy resident of Padua, is the father of...

Movie page

Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1998-01-01

The careers of D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and Charlie Chaplin are...

Movie page

Martyrs of the Alamo

as Joe / Texas soldier
Released: 1915-11-20

The story of the defense of the mission-turned-fortress by 185 Texans against an overwhelming...

Movie page

The Americano

as Blaze Derringer
Released: 1916-12-23

Doug is an American mining engineer. Pres. Valdez of Paragonia wants him to reopen the country's...

Movie page

The Lamb

as Gerald
Released: 1915-11-06

Gerald, the somewhat frail son of a wealthy New York family, is bested at the beach by Bill, a...

Movie page

He Comes Up Smiling

as Jerry Martin
Released: 1918-09-09

Jerry Martin quits his dull job as a bank clerk and falls in with a band of hobos. He takes on...

Movie page

Cupid Angling

as uncredited
Released: 1918-07-18

Cupid Angling is a 1918 silent film starring Ruth Roland and Albert Morrison, with walk-on...

Movie page

Chaplin Today: 'The Gold Rush'

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2003-07-01

African filmmaker Idrissa Ouedraogo (YAABA) discusses the influence that Charlie Chaplin has...

Movie page

A Kiss from Mary Pickford

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1927-09-08

Goga is a Russian man who has no luck with women. He has a chance meeting with Mary Pickford,...

Movie page

Douglas Fairbanks: The Great Swashbuckler

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2005-08-09

Douglas Fairbanks, the screen's great swashbuckler, charmed millions with his energetic...

Movie page

His Picture in the Papers

as Pete Prindle
Released: 1916-02-13

Produced at the Reliance studio in Yonkers, New York, HIS PICTURE IN THE PAPERS solidly...

Movie page

Double Trouble

as Florian Amidon / Eugene Brassfield
Released: 1915-12-06

Double Trouble is a 1915 American silent romantic comedy film written and directed by Christy...

Movie page

Arizona

as Lt. Denton
Released: 1918-12-09

A lost film. An Army lieutenant at a remote post in Arizona tells a young woman that he does not...

Movie page

What Do Those Old Films Mean?

as Himself(archive footage)
Released: 1985-11-16

Noel Burch’s fascinating and well-made (if at times historically contestable) six-part BBC...

Movie page

Charlie Chaplin: A Tramp's Life

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1998-05-10

A biographical documentary about the great British actor and director Charlie Chaplin...

Movie page

God Chose Paris

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1969-09-05

An interesting mixture of filmed scenes with Belmondo and archival footage regarding cultural...

Movie page

Reaching for the Moon

as Alexis Caesar Napoleon Brown
Released: 1917-11-16

A button factory worker has always dreamed that he was meant for better things, to be rich and...

Movie page

Reggie Mixes In

as Reggie Van Deuzen
Released: 1916-06-10

Reggie, a wealthy young man about town, is eager for excitement, so he takes to visiting the...

Movie page

Our Film Stars

as uncredited
Released: 1919-11-22

First episode of a series of reports on movie stars. Those seen include Douglas Fairbanks,...

Movie page

The Habit of Happiness

as Sunny Wiggins
Released: 1916-03-12

Douglas Fairbanks stars as "Sunny" Wiggins, who believes in eternal optimism and good spirits....

Movie page

When the Clouds Roll By

as Daniel Boone Brown
Released: 1919-12-28

Daniel Boone Brown is a pleasure-seeking playboy carousing around New York City without a care...

Movie page

Yesterday and Today

as (archive footage)
Released: 1953-12-02

A compilation of early-day silent films that serves as a glimpse back to the formative days of...

Movie page

Around the World with Douglas Fairbanks

as Self
Released: 1931-11-19

With the advent of sound, the world's leading screen idol, Douglas Fairbanks, experienced a...

Movie page

Say! Young Fellow

as The Young Fellow
Released: 1918-06-16

A lost film. "The Young Fellow"(Fairbanks), has recently been hired as a cub newspaper reporter...

Movie page

Down to Earth

as Billy Gaynor
Released: 1917-08-16

A healthy outdoors-type follows the girl he loves to a resort for wealthy hypochondriacs. In...

Movie page

Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1942-01-01

The edition of Screen Snapshots celebrates 25 years of production. It looks at the content of...

Movie page

Manhattan Madness

as Steve O'Dare
Released: 1916-10-01

Steve O'Dare, a young New Yorker who has gone off to Wyoming to be a cowboy, returns to New York...

Movie page

Headin' South

as Headin' South
Released: 1918-02-25

A lost film. As described in a film magazine Exhibitors Herald on March 16, 1918: "a forest...

Movie page

Mr. Fix-It

as Dick Remington
Released: 1918-04-15

A young man impersonates his best friend, and in doing so upsets the decorum at a stuffy family...

Movie page

Solidão: Uma Linda História de Amor

as uncredited
Released: 1989-08-17

Pedro, a poor Portuguese immigrant, comes to Brazil to try to change his life, but ends up...

Movie page

Screen Snapshots (Series 25, No. 1): 25th Anniversary

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1945-09-06

A look back at 25 years of Columbia's series of newsreels chronicling the film industry and the...

Movie page

The Knickerbocker Buckaroo

as Teddy Drake
Released: 1919-05-25

A lost film. Teddy Drake is a pleasure-seeking aristocrat who ends up expelled from his...

Movie page

Mary Pickford a Blessing and a Curse

as Self
Released: 2023-11-19

Mary Pickford's name remains inseparable from the legend of American cinema. She invented the...

Movie page

The Man from Painted Post

as 'Fancy Jim' Sherwood
Released: 1917-09-29

In order to find out who's behind a cattle rustling operation that's hurting ranchers, a...

Movie page

I, Douglas Fairbanks

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2018-06-01

The dashing and dazzling Douglas Fairbanks was the movie star who "swashbuckled in Zorro, dueled...

Movie page

His Majesty, the American

as William Brooks
Released: 1919-09-01

A European prince is raised in America without knowing his true identity; he spends his time...

Movie page

Our Mutual Girl

as Self (episode 47)
Released: 1914-01-19

Our Mutual Girl was unique. Not quite a serial, not quite a newsreel and not strictly an...

Movie page

All-Star Production of Patriotic Episodes for the Second Liberty Loan

as uncredited
Released: 1917-10-01

Short film with Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford & W.S. Hart promoting war bonds.

Movie page

One From Many

as Himself (archive footage)
Released: 1927-10-31

A Soviet girl has met Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford during their visit to Moscow in 1927...

Movie page

Flirting with Fate

as Augy Holliday
Released: 1916-01-01

In the midst of an emotional depression, a man hires a murderer to kill him. But the despair...

Movie page

In Again, Out Again

as Teddy Rutherford
Released: 1917-04-30

A young man drowns his sorrows in strong drink when jilted by his girl. His drunkenness gets him...

Movie page

The Worlds of Mei Lanfang

as uncredited
Released: 2000-02-15

The true story of Mei Lanfang, China's greatest opera star; a husband and father whose...

Movie page

American Experience

as Self
First aired: 1988-10-04

TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform...

TV Show page

The Oscars

as uncredited
First aired: 1953-03-19

An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The...

TV Show page

The Bruce Forsyth Show

as uncredited
First aired: 1959-03-29

Beginning in 1959 as Bruce's Show, mixing music, dancing and comedy in the time honoured...

TV Show page

Unknown Chaplin

as Self (archive footage)
First aired: 1983-01-05

A documentary series examining the film making methods and techniques of Charles Chaplin....

TV Show page