The First King of Hollywood: The Life of Douglas Fairbanks

Exuberant, athletic actor Douglas Fairbanks was one of early Hollywood's most recognized personalities, but since his death in 1939 at age 56, his star has faded. First-time author Goessel puts the silent film actor back in the spotlight where he rightly belongs with this salient and comprehensive biography. Drawing on eight years of extensive research and newly available materials%E2%80%94including a stash of love letters from Fairbanks to Mary Pickford, his wife and fellow star%E2%80%94the book meticulously chronicles Fairbanks's life and career. It's obvious that the author admires her subject, but her evenhanded approach allows a clear-eyed assessment of his rise and fall. Nonetheless, readers will be impressed by Fairbanks's many accomplishments, including co-founding United Artists with Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, and D.W. Griffith; pioneering the use of Technicolor film; and serving as the first president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. At the heart of this sizable biography is the love affair between "the King of Hollywood" and "America's Sweetheart," the celebrity power couple of their day. Their marriage eventually ended, but their very public romance has remained the stuff of Hollywood legend and is the cornerstone of Fairbanks's remarkable life, as laid bare in this terrific account. (Oct.)