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01
For his combat service in PT boats and gunboats, he was awarded the Silver Star and the Legion of Merit with V for valor by the U.S. government.
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02
His WWII service earned him the British Distinguished Service Cross, the French Legion of Honor, and the Croix de Guerre with Palm.
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03
The Times of London reported his death on its front page, and Buckingham Palace expressed condolences.
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04
He was interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in the same crypt as his father, Douglas Fairbanks.
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05
His fluency in French allowed him to star in French-language films produced in Hollywood during the early talkie era.
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06
His California estate Westridge was later sold to Steven Spielberg.
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07
In 1939, he was set to star in The Californian, the first film for his father’s new company Fairbanks-International, but plans were canceled after his father’s death. He learned of his father’s weakening while filming night scenes for Safari 1939 but arrived too late.
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08
In 1949, he was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
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09
He declined the role of Robin Hood in The Adventures of Robin Hood 1938 to avoid being compared to his father’s 1922 performance.
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10
From the 1950s to the 1970s, he lived in South Kensington, London, entertaining Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He moved back to the USA in 1976 but frequently visited England.
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11
His father, Douglas Fairbanks, was his best man at his wedding to Mary Lee Eppling.
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12
He hosted an introductory film shown to visitors of the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C.
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13
He received three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: for motion pictures at 6318 Hollywood Blvd., for radio at 6710 Hollywood Blvd., and for television at 6661 Hollywood Blvd.
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14
In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him a special envoy to South America, reflecting his lifelong interest in international affairs.
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15
He had three daughters with Mary Lee Eppling: Daphne Nancy-Beth Fairbanks born April 8, 1940, Victoria Susan Fairbanks born 1942, and Melissa Louise Fairbanks born October 25, 1947.
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16
He published two volumes of autobiography: The Salad Days 1988 and A Hell of a War 1993, and co-authored The Fairbanks Album 1975 with Richard Schickel.
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17
A scandal in 1963 named him in the Profumo affair, linked to Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies, but it did not damage his reputation; he later returned to the stage as Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady.
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18
His second wife, Mary Lee Eppling, was previously married to A&P heir Huntington Hartford.
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19
He was a heavy drinker.
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20
During WWII, he commanded a British landing party and served under Louis Mountbatten.
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21
In 1951, King George VI awarded him an honorary knighthood for furthering Anglo-American unity.
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22
He had eight grandchildren from his three daughters with Mary Lee Eppling.
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23
He was interviewed in Talking to the Piano Player: Silent Film Stars, Writers and Directors Remember by Stuart Oderman.
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24
During the 1950s, he produced and starred in 160 episodes of the television series Douglas Fairbanks Jr Presents in England and branched into other ventures including hotels.
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25
He was seconded from the US Navy to the Royal Navy during the war, served on convoys to Russia and Malta, and was decorated six times, continuing service after the war.
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26
Four of his films have been selected for the National Film Registry: The Power of the Press 1928, Little Caesar 1931, The Prisoner of Zenda 1937, and Gunga Din 1939.
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27
He was the nephew of Robert Fairbanks and John Fairbanks.
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28
At age 13, he signed a three-year, $1,000-a-week contract with Lasky-Famous Players Studio equivalent to $17,616 in 2022.
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29
His biography appears in American National Biography, Supplement 1, pp. 196-197 New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
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30
The Academy Film Archive holds his moving image collection, including over 90 reels of home movies.
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31
He was fond of Northumberland, first visiting while looking for castle locations for a film called The Last Minstrel; one castle he examined was Dilston Castle near Hexham.
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32
In 1934, he spent a week performing in a play at the Theatre Royal Newcastle Upon Tyne.
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33
He lived at The Boltons in London from the early 1950s to 1976.
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34
In 1969, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the International Best Dressed List.
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35
He was a cousin of Lucile Fairbanks and brother-in-law of Hal Le Sueur.
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36
Alongside his acting, he painted, wrote, and sculpted.
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37
His personal belongings were auctioned in September 2011 by Doyle New York, netting over a half-million dollars.
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38
His father was initially unhappy when he entered films.
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39
He was a cousin-in-law of Owen Crump.
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40
He served on the board of six companies.
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41
When his parents divorced, the courts awarded custody to his mother.
