Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., KBE, (born December 9, 1909; died May 7, 2000) was an American actor.

Related Topics:
KBE - December 9 - 1909 - May 7 - 2000 - American - Actor

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He was christened Douglas Elton Fairbanks in New York, New York, the son of actor Douglas Fairbanks and his first wife Anna Beth Sully. His parents divorced when he was ten years old. With his mother, he lived in California, Paris, and London.

Related Topics:
New York - Douglas Fairbanks - California - Paris - London

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Largely on the basis of his name, he was given a contract at age fourteen with Paramount Pictures. After making some undistinguished films, he took to the stage, where he impressed his father, his step-mother Mary Pickford, and Charlie Chaplin, who encouraged him to continue with acting. He was also noticed by Joan Crawford who began to date him. On June 3, 1929, in St. Malachy's Church in Manhattan, New York, they were married.

Related Topics:
Paramount Pictures - Mary Pickford - Charlie Chaplin - Joan Crawford - June 3 - 1929

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Fairbanks starred in several pictures with Loretta Young, and, with Little Caesar, Outward Bound, Gunga Din and The Dawn Patrol, his movies began to have more commercial success.

Related Topics:
Loretta Young - Little Caesar - Outward Bound - Gunga Din - The Dawn Patrol

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He went on a delayed honeymoon to England, where he was entertained by Noel Coward and George, Duke of Kent. He became active in both society and politics, but Crawford didn't enjoy either of these, and they were divorced in May 1933.

Related Topics:
Noel Coward - George, Duke of Kent

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It has been claimed that Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. was one of the naked men in the incriminating photos which were used as evidence in the divorce trial of Margaret, Duchess of Argyll.

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On April 22, 1939, he married Mary Lee Hartford (née Mary Lee Epling), a former wife of George Huntington Hartford, the Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company heir: they had three daughters. Mary Lee Fairbanks died of cancer in 1988. Three years later, on May 30, 1991, he married Vera Shelton at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.

Related Topics:
April 22 - 1939 - George Huntington Hartford - Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company - May 30 - 1991 - New York City

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He advocated U.S. support for Britain during World War II, and was awarded an honorary KBE in 1949. In 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed him a special envoy to South America. Later in the war, he was commissioned in the U.S. Navy commanding a group of British patrol boats during commando operations.

Related Topics:
World War II - KBE - 1949 - President - Franklin Delano Roosevelt - South America - U.S. Navy - Commando

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He died of a heart attack in New York at the age of 90. He is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California, in the same crypt as his father.

Related Topics:
Heart attack - Hollywood Forever Cemetery - Hollywood, California - Crypt

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Fairbanks has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for motion pictures at 6318 Hollywood Boulevard and one for television at 6665 Hollywood Boulevard.

Related Topics:
Hollywood Walk of Fame - Motion pictures - Television

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