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.
Known For
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
(1916)
Man on White Horse (uncredited)
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
(1925)
Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
The Thief of Bagdad
(1924)
The Thief of Bagdad
The Image Book
(2018)
(film archive footage)
Robin Hood
(1922)
Robin Hood
Full Filmography
Acting
Our Mutual Girl
(1914)
Self (episode 47)
Double Trouble
(1915)
Florian Amidon / Eugene Brassfield
The Lamb
(1915)
Gerald
Martyrs of the Alamo
(1915)
Joe / Texas soldier
The Mystery of the Leaping Fish
(1916)
Coke Ennyday / Douglas Fairbanks
Flirting with Fate
(1916)
Augy Holliday
The Matrimaniac
(1916)
Jimmie Conroy
His Picture in the Papers
(1916)
Pete Prindle
Reggie Mixes In
(1916)
Reggie Van Deuzen
Manhattan Madness
(1916)
Steve O'Dare
American Aristocracy
(1916)
Cassius Lee
The Good Bad Man
(1916)
Passin' Through
The Half-Breed
(1916)
Lo Dorman
The Americano
(1916)
Blaze Derringer
The Habit of Happiness
(1916)
Sunny Wiggins
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
(1916)
Man on White Horse (uncredited)
In Again, Out Again
(1917)
Teddy Rutherford
A Modern Musketeer
(1917)
Ned Thacker / D'Artagnan
Wild and Woolly
(1917)
Jeff Hillington
Reaching for the Moon
(1917)
Alexis Caesar Napoleon Brown
The Man from Painted Post
(1917)
'Fancy Jim' Sherwood
Down to Earth
(1917)
Billy Gaynor
All-Star Production of Patriotic Episodes for the Second Liberty Loan
(1917)
Mr. Fix-It
(1918)
Dick Remington
He Comes Up Smiling
(1918)
Jerry Martin
Arizona
(1918)
Lt. Denton
Headin' South
(1918)
Headin' South
Say! Young Fellow
(1918)
The Young Fellow
Bound in Morocco
(1918)
George Travelwell
Cupid Angling
(1918)
When the Clouds Roll By
(1919)
Daniel Boone Brown
His Majesty, the American
(1919)
William Brooks
Our Film Stars
(1919)
The Knickerbocker Buckaroo
(1919)
Teddy Drake
The Mark of Zorro
(1920)
Don Diego Vega / Señor Zorro
The Mollycoddle
(1920)
Richard Marshall III / Richard Marshall IV / Richard Marshal V
The Three Musketeers
(1921)
D'Artagnan
The Nut
(1921)
Charlie Jackson
Robin Hood
(1922)
Robin Hood
Hollywood
(1923)
Douglas Fairbanks
The Thief of Bagdad
(1924)
The Thief of Bagdad
Don Q Son of Zorro
(1925)
Don Cesar de Vega / Zorro
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
(1925)
Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
The Black Pirate
(1926)
The Duke of Arnoldo / The Black Pirate
The Gaucho
(1927)
The Gaucho
A Kiss from Mary Pickford
(1927)
Self (archive footage)
Character Studies
(1927)
Himself (uncredited)
One From Many
(1927)
Himself (archive footage)
Show People
(1928)
Self (uncredited)
The Iron Mask
(1929)
D'Artagnan
The Taming of the Shrew
(1929)
Petruccio
Reaching for the Moon
(1930)
Larry Day
Terra Melophon Magazin Nr. 1
(1930)
The House That Shadows Built
(1931)
(archive footage)
Around the World with Douglas Fairbanks
(1931)
Self
Mr. Robinson Crusoe
(1932)
Steve Drexel
The Private Life of Don Juan
(1934)
Don Juan
Ali Baba Goes to Town
(1937)
Himself
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
(1940)
Self (archive footage)
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
(1942)
Self (archive footage)
Wilson
(1944)
Douglas Fairbanks - at WWI Rally (archive footage) (uncredited)
Screen Snapshots (Series 25, No. 1): 25th Anniversary
(1945)
Self (archive footage)
The Golden Twenties
(1950)
Self (archive footage)
Yesterday and Today
(1953)
(archive footage)
Days of Thrills and Laughter
(1961)
Self (archive footage)
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
(1961)
Self (archive footage)
30 Years of Fun
(1963)
(archive footage)
The Big Parade of Comedy
(1964)
Actor Arriving at MGM (archive footage) (uncredited)
God Chose Paris
(1969)
Self (archive footage)
What Do Those Old Films Mean?
(1985)
Himself(archive footage)
Cary Grant: A Celebration of a Leading Man
(1988)
Self (archive footage)
Solidão: Uma Linda História de Amor
(1989)
Anthony Quinn: An Original
(1990)
Self (archive footage)
Glorious Technicolor
(1998)
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists
(1998)
Self (archive footage)
Charlie Chaplin: A Tramp's Life
(1998)
Self (archive footage)
The Worlds of Mei Lanfang
(2000)
The Tramp and the Dictator
(2002)
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Chaplin Today: 'The Gold Rush'
(2003)
Self (archive footage)
Douglas Fairbanks: The Great Swashbuckler
(2005)
Self (archive footage)
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
(2007)
Self (archive footage)
Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies
(2008)
Self (archive footage)
Birth of the Tramp
(2013)
Self (archive footage)
Cinecittà Babilonia: Sex, Drugs and Black Shirts
(2017)
Self - Actor (archive footage)
Propaganda: Engineering Consent
(2018)
Self - Actor (archive footage)
The Image Book
(2018)
(film archive footage)
I, Douglas Fairbanks
(2018)
Self (archive footage)
Mary Pickford a Blessing and a Curse
(2023)
Self
Writing
The Good Bad Man
(1916)
Writer
The Man from Painted Post
(1917)
Scenario Writer
Down to Earth
(1917)
Story
Arizona
(1918)
Writer
His Majesty, the American
(1919)
Scenario Writer
When the Clouds Roll By
(1919)
Story
The Knickerbocker Buckaroo
(1919)
Story
The Mark of Zorro
(1920)
Scenario Writer and Writer
The Nut
(1921)
Writer
Robin Hood
(1922)
Story
The Thief of Bagdad
(1924)
Story
The Black Pirate
(1926)
Story
The Gaucho
(1927)
Story
Mr. Robinson Crusoe
(1932)
Story
The Thief of Baghdad
(1961)
Dialogue
Production
The Good Bad Man
(1916)
Producer
Reaching for the Moon
(1917)
Producer
Wild and Woolly
(1917)
Producer
A Modern Musketeer
(1917)
Producer
Say! Young Fellow
(1918)
Producer
Bound in Morocco
(1918)
Producer
Mr. Fix-It
(1918)
Producer
Headin' South
(1918)
Producer
When the Clouds Roll By
(1919)
Producer
The Knickerbocker Buckaroo
(1919)
Producer
The Three Musketeers
(1921)
Producer
The Nut
(1921)
Producer
Robin Hood
(1922)
Producer
The Thief of Bagdad
(1924)
Producer
Don Q Son of Zorro
(1925)
Producer
The Black Pirate
(1926)
Producer
The Iron Mask
(1929)
Producer
Reaching for the Moon
(1930)
Producer
Mr. Robinson Crusoe
(1932)
Producer
Directing