According to legend, the thing that sparked his interest in acting occurred when he fell off the roof as a young child and hurt himself.
After receiving bad French press for his role in the American version of The Three Musketeers he vowed "never to put a foot in France again" (July 1st 1921).
Among those in attendance at his funeral in 1939 were Viola Dana, Antonio Moreno, Ramon Novarro, Francis X. Bushman, May McAvoy, and his son Douglas Fairbanks Jr..
Born at 9:00am-LMT- (MST).
Brother of Robert Fairbanks, John Fairbanks.
Brother-in-law of Lottie Pickford and Jack Pickford.
During his European honeymoon with Mary Pickford, the couple was greeted by crowds of up to 300,000 people in London and Paris, which made them Hollywood's first celebrity couple.
Father of Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Father-in-law of Joan Crawford.
First president of the AMPAS from 1927 to 1929
Good friend of Charles Chaplin.
He frequently requested that his name be listed last in the film credits.
His father, a native of Pennsylvania, was a captain for the Union forces during the Civil War. His mother was a native Southerner with roots in Louisiana and Georgia.
Hosted the very first Academy Awards in 1929 alongside William C. de Mille
Interred at Hollywood Memorial Cemetery (now called Hollywood Forever), Hollywood, California, USA.
Lived in retirement with Sylvia Ashley at 705 Ocean Front (now Pacific Coast Highway) in Santa Monica, California.
One of the 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)
Performed most of the stunts in his films himself. He was an excellent athlete and used his physical abilities to his best advantage. However, there were instances when a stuntman was used (as proved by outtakes from The Gaucho (1927)), as these types of stunts were deemed too risky for the star.
Pictured on a 20¢ US commemorative postage stamp in the Performing Arts USA series, issued 23 May 1984.