Bradbury was born on August 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Illinois, to Esther (nee Moberg) Bradbury (1888-1966), a Swedish immigrant, and Leonard Spaulding Bradbury (1890-1957), a power and telephone lineman of English descent. He was given the middle name "Douglas" after the actor Douglas Fairbanks. Bradbury was related to the American Shakespeare scholar Douglas Spaulding and descended from Mary Bradbury, who was tried at one of the Salem witch trials in 1692.
Hollywood
The family lived about four blocks from the Uptown Theater on Western Avenue in Los Angeles, the flagship theater for MGM and Fox. There, Bradbury learned how to sneak in and watched previews almost every week. He rollerskated there, as well as all over town, as he put it, "hell-bent on getting autographs from glamorous stars. It was glorious." Among stars the young Bradbury was thrilled to encounter were Norma Shearer, Laurel and Hardy, and Ronald Colman. Sometimes, he spent all day in front of Paramount Pictures or Columbia Pictures and then skated to the Brown Derby to watch the stars who came and went for meals. He recounted seeing Cary Grant, Marlene Dietrich, and Mae West, whom he learned made a regular appearance every Friday night, bodyguard in tow.  Bradbury relates the following meeting with Sergei Bondarchuk, director of Soviet epic film series War and Peace, at a Hollywood award ceremony in Bondarchuk's honor:  They formed a long queue and as Bondarchuk was walking along it he recognized several people: "Oh Mr. Ford, I like your film." He recognized the director, Greta Garbo, and someone else. I was standing at the very end of the queue and silently watched this. Bondarchuk shouted to me; "Ray Bradbury, is that you?" He rushed up to me, embraced me, dragged me inside, grabbed a bottle of Stolichnaya, sat down at his table where his closest friends were sitting. All the famous Hollywood directors in the queue were bewildered. They stared at me and asked each other "Who is this Bradbury?" And, swearing, they left, leaving me alone with Bondarchuk...

Q: What did Bradbury do in Hollywood?
A: There, Bradbury learned how to sneak in and watched previews almost every week.

Q: Where did he sneak in?
A: Uptown Theater on Western Avenue in Los Angeles, the flagship theater for MGM and Fox.

Q: What else did he do in Hollywood?
A: He rollerskated there, as well as all over town, as he put it, "hell-bent on getting autographs from glamorous stars.

Q: Did he meet any stars in particular?
A: Among stars the young Bradbury was thrilled to encounter were Norma Shearer, Laurel and Hardy, and Ronald Colman.

Q: Were there any other stars?
A: Bradbury relates the following meeting with Sergei Bondarchuk,

Q: What happened at the meeting?
A: Bondarchuk shouted to me; "Ray Bradbury, is that you?" He rushed up to me, embraced me, dragged me inside,

Q: Where did he drag him inside?
A: a Hollywood award ceremony in Bondarchuk's honor:

Q: What else happened when they met?
A: They stared at me and asked each other "Who is this Bradbury?" And, swearing, they left, leaving me alone with Bondarchuk...
Who stared at him?
All the famous Hollywood directors in the queue
All the famous Hollywood directors in the queue