Mary Pickford got her start in theater, and appeared in her first film, Her First Biscuits, in 1909. A versatile actress, she appeared in 51 films in 1909 alone and eventually became known as “America’s Sweetheart.” She also met her first husband, Owen Moore, that year; they married in 1911.
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Douglas Fairbanks also got his start acting in theater. He met his first wife, Anna Beth Sully in 1906. In 1915, he moved to Los Angeles and starred in his first film, The Lamb (1915). That same year, Pickford met Fairbanks at a party at the home of Elsie Janis in Tarrytown, New York, and the two became friends. When their romance began, they had to keep it secret as they were both married, and so they wrote letters to each other. They also had to disguise themselves to hide from the press.
Traveling To Promote Liberty Bonds
Fairbanks, Pickford, Chaplin, and D.W. Griffiths. Source: (Wikipedia/colorized).
In April 1918, they were chosen to travel across America to promote Liberty Bonds during World War I. As they traveled around the country with Marie Dressler and Charlie Chaplin, they sold $18 million in bonds. A few months after their tour, in October, Fairbanks’ wife filed for divorce. Pickford and Fairbanks’ affair continued, as did their professional alliance, when, in 1919, Pickford and Fairbanks, along with Chaplin and D.W. Griffith formed United Artists. This allowed them to be free from dependence on other studios and to distribute their films. Pickford also formed The Mary Pickford Company which produced the films United Artists distributed. Additionally, the group helped to establish the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Returning To Pickfair After Their Marriage
On March 2, 1920, Pickford divorced her husband, who was abusive and an alcoholic. Eight days later, at the home of Rev. J. Whitcomb Brougher, she married Fairbanks in what was called the “marriage of the century.” After their wedding, they honeymooned in Europe where this “King and Queen of Hollywood” were mobbed by fans. Unable to escape their fame, when they returned to the U.S., the crowds turned out to greet them at the railway stations. Once they returned to L.A., they moved into what was then a hunting lodge in Beverly Hills. However, they transformed it into a 25-room mansion with a home theater and the first in-ground swimming pool in L.A.; Fairbanks and Pickford often canoed in the pool. At their home, which they called “Pickfair,” they hosted parties attended by a number of well-known guests, including Charlie Chaplin, Amelia Earhart, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Albert Einstein.
Their Marriage Couldn't Survive
Pickfair. Source: (Wikiwand).
This fairy tale marriage was not to last, however. Mary started drinking after her mother died of cancer in 1928. The couple was trying to cope with the transition to the talkies. They were also contending with mistrust, as there was gossip that Fairbanks was flirting with a teenage actress. These rumors led Pickford to play on Fairbanks’ jealous nature. Each of them thought the other was cheating, and so they both did. The relationship also suffered because they didn’t have much time off from their careers, and their lives were on constant display. In 1929, they co-starred in The Taming of the Shrew, which was Pickford’s second talkie. Although The Taming of the Shrew was a success, their marriage was continuing to crumble, and when Fairbanks’ relationship with Sylvia, Lady Ashley became public, they separated.
Fairbanks Did Not Live Long After The Divorce
Source: (Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection/Calisphere/colorized).
On January 10, 1936, they divorced. Fairbanks tried to convince Pickford to reconcile, but she refused. Immediately after his divorce from Pickford, Fairbanks married Lady Sylvia in March 1937. He filmed his final movie, The Private Life of Don Juan (1934), prior to his divorce. Two years after his third marriage, he suffered a heart attack and died in 1939.
Pickford Started To Withdraw
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Pickford too, would quickly remarry, and would also stop acting around this time. Before their divorce, she appeared in her first talkie, Coquette, the film for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1930. In 1933, she appeared in her final film, Secrets, although she did appear as herself in Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove (1934), her only technicolor film. While she did stop acting, she remained involved in the industry, working as a producer and remaining on the board of directors at UA. In 1937, Pickford's third and final marriage was to Charles Rogers, an actor and bandleader. She had met him ten years earlier when they starred together in My Best Girl. The couple adopted two children. She later became an alcoholic, and then a recluse at Pickfair, where she had continued to live with Rogers and their children. In 1976, she was awarded an Academy Honorary Award, and the Academy sent a film crew to record her statement at Pickfair. She died on May 29, 1979.
