Douglas Fairbanks Sr May 23 1883 December 12 1939 was an American actor screenwriter director and producer He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad Robin Hood and The Mark of Zorro An astute businessman Fairbanks was a founding member of United Artists Fairbanks was also a founding member of The Motion Picture Academy and hosted the first Oscars Ceremony in 1929 With his marriage to Mary Pickford in 1920 the couple became Hollywood royalty with Fairbanks constantly referred to as The King of Hollywood a nickname later passed on to actor Clark Gable