Fairbanks, Douglas, 1883-1939, American movie actor, b. Denver. From 1901 to 1914, Fairbanks appeared on stage in light comedies. In 1915 he began making movies, becoming the swashbuckling hero of his day in such films as
The Mark of Zorro (1921),
The Three Musketeers (1921),
Robin Hood (1922), and
The Thief of Bagdad (1924). He was married (1920-35) to Mary
Pickford, and together with Charlie
Chaplin and D. W.
Griffith they formed United Artists studio.
See biographies by R. Hancock and L. Fairbanks (1935) and R. Schickel (1974).
His son, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., 1909-2000, was also an actor.
See his autobiography (1988).
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