Biography for
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

9 December 1909, New York City, New York, USA

Date of Death

7 May 2000, New York City, New York, USA (heart attack)

Birth Name

Douglas Elton Ulman Fairbanks

Height

6' 1" (1.85 m)

Mini Biography

Although he appeared in about a hundred movies or TV films, Douglas Elton Ulman, better known as Douglas Fairbanks Jr. never really intended to take up acting as a career. But the environment he was born into and the circumstances naturally led him to be a thespian. Noblesse oblige. The son of future silent era swashbuckling idol Douglas Fairbanks and cotton king's daughter Beth Sully, young Douglas, born in 1909, soon proved a gifted boy. And to his last day in 2000 he remained a multi-talented, hyperactive man, not content to appear in the 100 films mentioned above, far from that. Good-looking, distinguished and bright, Douglas seemed to epitomize all the qualities existing in a single person. Very sporty (like daddy!), he excelled at many sports, notably during his stay at the Military Academy in 1919 (his role in Autant-Lara's "L'athlète incomplet" illustrated these abilities, in reverse for that matter!). On the other hand he was a bright pupil, for instance at 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 an occasional but regular painter and sculptor. Of course this was not enough and, as a grown man, he showed himself active in the business field. Didn't he manage firms as varied as a mining company, a hotel group, a chain of bowling alleys, a pop corn making firm and a movie and TV company? To say nothing of his activities during World War II, during which he headed London's Douglas Voluntary Hospital (an establishment taking care of war refugees), was Roosevelt's special envoy for the Special Mission to South America in 1940 before becoming a lieutenant in the Navy (where he made his way up to captain in 1954) and being part of the Allies'landing in Sicily and Elba in 1943. Later in his life he became a committed citizen of the world, garnering many a humanitarian award. A fervent Anglophile, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was knighted in 1949 and often entertained Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in his "The Boltons" London mansion. Quite an impressive curriculum vitae, but let's not forget... movies! Starting at the tender age of of seven in the shadow of his father he was signed at the almost as tender age of fourteen by Paramount's William Elliott. 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 to become no less than...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, like the villains of Little Caesar (1931) and The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) or more debonair characters in slapstick comedies or adventure yarns. The thirties were a fruitful period for Douglas who 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 left this world with the satisfaction of having lived up to the Fairbanks name at the end of a life nobody could call "wasted".

IMDb Mini Biography By: Guy Bellinger

Spouse

Vera Shelton	(30 May 1991 - 7 May 2000) (his death)
Mary Lee Eppling	(22 April 1939 - 1988) (her death) 3 daughters
Joan Crawford	(3 June 1929 - 12 May 1933) (divorced)

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.

Cousin-in-law of Owen Crump.

He had a lifelong, cultivated interest in international affairs. In 1941 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed him a special envoy to South America.

He held the Silver Star and the Legion of Merit with V for valor in combat device from the U.S. government for his combat service in PT boats and gunboats.

Host/narrator of the syndicated radio show "The Silent Man" (1951-1952).

His father, Douglas Fairbanks, was his best man at his marriage to Mary Lee Eppling.

Daughters: Daphne, Victoria, and Melissa.

Was awarded the British Distinguished Service Cross, the French Legion of Honor and Croix de Guerre with Palm for his services during World War II.

Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 196-197. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Brother-in-law of Hal Le Sueur.

Host of an entertaining introductory film shown to visitors of the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C.

Interviewed in "Talking to the Piano Player: Silent Film Stars, Writers and Directors Remember" by Stuart Oderman (BearManor Media).

He was awarded 3 Stars on the HOllywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures at 6318 Hollywood Boulevard, for Radio at 6710 Hollywood Boulevard, and for Television at 6661 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

Personal Quotes

[Clemence Dane on Fairbanks] The trouble with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. is that he likes everything he sees - and he sees everything.

I was only saying to the Queen the other day how I hate name dropping . . .

I never tried to emulate my father. Anyone trying to do that would be a second-rate carbon copy.

[speaking in 1990] I suppose many people don't even know if I'm still alive - well, perhaps I'm not.

[on Edward G. Robinson] I will never forget the pleasure and instruction I derived from working with a true master of his art, such as Edward G. Robinson was -- and is. Surely his record for versatility, studied characterization -- ranging from modern colloquial to the classics -- and artistic integrity is unsurpassed. Furthermore, everyone who has worked with him recalls with pleasure his considerable personal charm.

[on Irene Dunne] Nothing is instinctive, everything she does is very carefully thought out, she knows her camera and lighting as well as any cameraman, she knows every movement, every intonation, every nuance. She's a first-class craftswoman. But instead of being dull and perfect, she's absolutely enchanting and perfect.

[on Joan Crawford] She was always so arduous and working so hard at everything; at dancing, on her looks, on her speech and on her carriage. She was dedicated to self-improvement.

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