Born in Seattle, Washington on April 7, 1919, Douglas Gordon joined Actors' Equity on July 15, 1948 with the status of "Junior" Member. After working in summer stock for three continuous summers, he applied for and received "Senior" Classification in 1950. Four years later he joined the American Federation of Television and Radio Actors (AFTRA). He was also a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). He was elected to the Association's Council for the first time in the 1960s when he served on numerous committees, including Production Contract, Editorial Board, Agency, and Casting Information. He served during the 1970s and 1980s although he often had to run on petition, having been passed over by the nominating committee. With his passion for social justice he was active on the Ethnic Minorities committee and felt that "Equity's policy of support to [ sic] non-traditional casting must be vigorously pursued."

Gordon's greatest passion, demonstrated in his papers, was to secure a National Theatre here in the United States. To that end he served as the chairman of the National Theatre Committee for seven years, "during which time the final and complete Equity National Theatre plan was approved by Council and the membership." He considered "the National Theatre plan to be a singular accomplishment of Equity's." In 1987, having relocated back to his home state of Washington, he continued to wage "an unremitting campaign in the Council and the membership to save the plan from the possibility of revisions that would destroy the only National Theatre plan worth a tinker's dam [ sic] to the Equity membership and the American people." Sadly, his plan never came to fruition.