Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

He was born in New York on December 9, 1909. Son of the legendary silent film actor Douglas Fairbanks and his first wife, Anna Beth Sully. His parents divorced when he was 9 years old. At only 13 years old he started working for Paramount. He never showed a particular fondness for acting, although following his marriage to Joan Crawford in 1928, he turned to an acting career.

Among its more than seventy-five titles, stand outGlory of a day (1933),Catherine of Russia (1934),Gunga Din (1939),Safari (1940) orSinbad the sailor (1947). Much of her professional career was spent in Great Britain. where he left a deep mark as a producer. On several occasions he stated that he had never tried to emulate his father, because “if he did, he would be nothing more than a bad carbon copy.” Stepson of “America’s sweetheart” Mary Pickford , he worked with some of the most fascinating women of the time, such as Greta Garbo , Loretta Young , Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers .

A few years after his divorce from Joan Crawford, he married Mary L. Epling Hartford, with whom he had three children. He was destined to be the successor to his father, or to become a new Errol Flynn , but his multifaceted nature kept him from filming. He played an important role in the reconstruction of Europe after World War II, through the Care Foundation. Ten years before his death, he confessed: “I have enjoyed a fortunate life. I worked hard and life has rewarded me in spades.”