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William Fairbanks

1894-05-24 – 1945-04-01 (age 50) Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
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Biography

From Wikipedia

William Fairbanks (May 24, 1894 – April 1, 1945) was an American actor. He appeared in over 65 silent era motion pictures between 1916 and 1928.

His first film role was as Capt. Pierre Thierry in the war drama Somewhere in France (1916) starring Louise Glaum and Howard C. Hickman. He was then living at 20 Horizon Avenue in Venice, California, where he registered to vote. He appeared in five movies released in 1917, including his role as Dillon in the drama The Little Brother starring Enid Bennett and William Garwood. He was then living at 115 Dudley Avenue in Venice, where he registered for the draft of World War I. He went on to serve as an ensign in the U.S. Navy.

Appearing in only one movie released in 1918, as Stuart Morley in the comedy/drama The Hired Man starring Charles Ray and Charles K. French, he was then absent from the screen for over a year due to the war. In 1920, he lived at 1309 Ocean Front in Santa Monica, and four of his movies were released that year. He was elevated to star status by independent producers Phil Goldstone and Ben F. Wilson. His screen name, taken from that of Douglas Fairbanks, whose real surname happened to be the same as his, came about with the release of his starring role in Goldstone's western Hearts of the West (1920) opposite Frances Conrad.

Although Fairbanks was a busy movie star through the greater part of the 1920s, after playing Long Collins in The Vanishing West (1928), he retired from the screen. In spite of sharing the same last name, William Fairbanks and Douglas Fairbanks Sr. were not related.

Known For

Speed Mad
Speed Mad

1925

as Bill Sanford

Women First
Women First

1924

as Billy Decker

🎦
Catch-As-Catch-Can

1927

as Reed Powers

The Handsome Brute
The Handsome Brute

1925

as Larry O'Day

The Fatal Mistake
The Fatal Mistake

1924

as Jack Darwin

🎦
When Danger Calls

1927

as Ralph Spencer

The New Champion
The New Champion

1925

as Bob

🎦
The Mother Instinct

1917

as Raoul Bergere

The Down Grade
The Down Grade

1927

as Ted Lanning

🎦
The Winning Wallop

1926

as Rex Barton

The Law Rustlers
The Law Rustlers

1923

as Phil Stanley

Under the Black Eagle
Under the Black Eagle

1928

as Ulrich Muller

Flying High
Flying High

1926

as Roy Cummins

🎦
Wyoming

1928

as Buffalo Bill

The Secret Gift
The Secret Gift

1920

as Larry

What Women Love
What Women Love

1920

as Jack Mortimer

The Battling Fool
The Battling Fool

1924

as Mark Jenkins

Through Thick and Thin
Through Thick and Thin

1927

as Don Davis

Spoilers of the West
Spoilers of the West

1927

as Benton

🎦
The Medicine Man

1917

as Luther Hill