Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr. and Irene Dunne

Irene Dunne was an American actress and singer who made a significant impact on the entertainment industry during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She was renowned for her effortless ability to portray both comedic and dramatic roles, and was nominated for five Academy Awards throughout her career. Her talent, charisma, and beauty made her one of the most sought-after actresses of her time. Dunne was born on December 20, 1898 in Louisville, Kentucky. Her father was a steamboat inspector, and her mother was a concert pianist. Despite being raised in a musically-inclined family, Dunne's early passion was for acting. She attended the Chicago Musical College and worked as a chorus girl before being discovered by Hollywood producer Samuel Goldwyn in 1930. Dunne's first film role was in the 1930 musical comedy "Leathernecking," which was quickly followed by a string of other successful films. Aside from her successful film career, Dunne was also known for her philanthropic work. She was a dedicated supporter of the American Heart Association and worked tirelessly to promote heart health education and research. Throughout her life, she maintained a positive public image and was beloved by fans and colleagues alike. Dunne passed away on September 4, 1990 at the age of 91, leaving behind a legacy of memorable performances and charitable contributions.

Although he appeared in approximately 100 movies or TV shows, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. never really intended to take up acting as a career. However, the environment he was born into and the circumstances naturally led him to be a thespian. Noblesse oblige. He was born Douglas Elton Fairbanks, Jr. in New York City, New York, to Anna Beth (Sully), daughter of a very wealthy cotton mogul, and actor Douglas Fairbanks (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman), then not yet established as the swashbuckling idol he would become. Fairbanks, Jr. had German Jewish (from his paternal grandfather), English, and Scottish ancestry. He proved a gifted boy early in life. To the end of his life he remained a multi-talented, hyperactive man, not content to appear in the 100 films mentioned above. Handsome, distinguished and extremely bright, he excelled at sports (much like his father), notably during his stay at the Military Academy in 1919 (his role in Claude Autant-Lara's "L'athlète incomplete" illustrated these abilities). He also excelled academically, and attended the Lycéee Janson de Sailly in Paris, where he had followed his divorced mother. Very early in his life he developed a taste for the arts as well and became a painter and sculptor. Not content to limiting himself to just one field, he became involved in business, in fields as varied as mining, hotel management, owning a chain of bowling alleys and a firm that manufactured popcorn. During World War II he headed London's Douglas Voluntary Hospital (an establishment taking care of war refugees), was President Franklin D. Roosevelt's special envoy for the Special Mission to South America in 1940 before becoming a lieutenant in the Navy (he was promoted to the rank of captain in 1954) and taking part in the Allies' landing in Sicily and Elba in 1943. A fervent Anglophile, was knighted in 1949 and often entertained Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in his London mansion, "The Boltons". His film career began at the age of 13 when he was signed by Paramount Pictures. He debuted in Stephen Steps Out (1923) but the film flopped and his career stagnated despite a critically acclaimed role in Stella Dallas (1925). Things really picked up when he married Lucille Le Sueur, a young starlet who was soon to become better known as Joan Crawford. The young couple became the toast of the town (one "Screen Snapshots" episode echoes this sudden glory) and good parts and success followed, such as the hapless partner of Edward G. Robinson in Little Caesar (1931) a favorably reviewed turn as the villain in The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) or more debonair characters in slapstick comedies or adventure yarns. The 1930s were a fruitful period for Fairbanks, his most memorable role probably being that of the British soldier in Gunga Din (1939); although it was somewhat of a "swashbuckling" role, Fairbanks made a point of never imitating his father. After the World War II, his star waned and, despite a moving part in Ghost Story(1981), he did not appear in a major movie. Now a legend himself, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. left this world with the satisfaction of having lived up to the Fairbanks name at the end of a life nobody could call "wasted". To read more about his long and fascinating life, see IMDb Mini Biography by Guy Bellinger and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. dies at age 90.