"There is one thing in this good old world that is positively surehappiness
is for all who strive to be happyand those who laugh are happy."Douglas Fairbanks

In addition to his movie career, silent film star Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., wrote a number of
self-help books such as Laugh and Live, originally published in 1917. Chapters in the
book include: "Energy," "Success and Laughter," "Honesty, the Character Builder," "Living
Beyond Our Means," and "Keeping Ourselves Democratic."

Douglas Fairbanks's formula for happinesshumility, good humor, and particularly strenuous
physical exercisewas enshrined in his advice books; a generation of adoring fans made them
best-sellers.

Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. (1883-1939), actor, director, screenwriter, and author, was raised by his mother, who had separated from his father when he was five. He attended the Colorado School of Mines and Harvard, traveled, and worked at various jobs before making his Broadway debut in 1902. In 1915 he went to work in Hollywood, where he married Mary Pickford. He made very successful early social comedies and highly popular swashbucklers during the 1920s. He retired from acting in 1936.