Francis X. Bushman

Francis X. Bushman

Francis X. Bushman in 1914
Born Francis Xavier Bushman
(1883-01-10)January 10, 1883
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Died August 23, 1966(1966-08-23) (aged 83)
Pacific Palisades, California, U.S.
Occupation Actor, director, writer
Years active 1911–1966
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Spouse(s)
  • Josephine Fladine Duval
    (m. 1902; div. 1918)
  • Beverly Bayne
    (m. 1918; div. 1925)
  • Norma Emily Atkin
    (m. 1932–56; her death)
  • Iva Millicient Richardson
    (m. 1956–66; his death)
Bushman in 1915
Bushman in 1916

Francis Xavier Bushman (January 10, 1883 – August 23, 1966) was an American film actor and director. His career as a matinee idol started in 1911 in the silent film His Friend's Wife.[1] He gained a very large female following and was one of the biggest stars of the 1910s and early 1920s.

Bushman, like many of his contemporaries, broke into the moving picture business via the stage. He was performing at Broncho Billy Anderson's Essanay Studios in Chicago, Illinois, where he was first noticed for his muscular, sculpted frame. He appeared in nearly 200 feature film roles—more than 175 films before 1920, and 17 in his screen debut year of 1911 alone. He also worked for the Vitagraph studio before signing with Metro in 1915.

Biography

He was born in Baltimore, Maryland. As a young man Bushman joined the Maryland Athletic Club and began a body building regimen that would give him his famous film physique. He cited Eugen Sandow as one of his body building influences. In New York, he worked as a sculptor's model, often posing in the nude in sessions. In 1902, he married seamstress Josephine Fladine Duval. By the launch of his film career, the couple had five children. In 1918, he was the subject of a national scandal as his affair with longtime costar Beverly Bayne became public. Three days after his divorce with Josephine was final, Bushman and Bayne were married; they would eventually have a son. Bushman and his studios had kept his marriage secret for fear of losing popularity. He was married four times.

Bushman eventually retained the talented services of Harry Reichenbach as his agent. When Bushman noted that he would be well suited to starring in the upcoming 1925 film, Ben-Hur, Reichenbach had a plan to increase his client's marketability. He took Bushman to see studio executives from the railway station and dropped pennies to the street from his pocket. Lots of people followed them, picking up the coins and following them. The crowd gave the studio executives an impression that Bushman was very popular and cast him as Messala. Bushman was concerned that playing a villain would affect his career, so he asked the advice of William S. Hart who had played the part on stage for years. "Take it", Hart advised—"It's the best part in the play!" Unlike Ramon Novarro, the star of the picture, Bushman knew how to properly drive a team of horses and a chariot without getting severely injured or killed in the process. When Ben Hur was remade in 1959, Charlton Heston had to learn the technique and quipped "The only man in Hollywood who can drive a chariot is Francis X. Bushman—and he's too old!"

At the peak of his career, he was advertised as "The Handsomest Man in the World". Bushman was also known as "the King of Photoplay" or "the King of Movies" before those titles were more popularly attached to Clark Gable.

Bushman was paid large salaries during his screen career, and donated the land upon which Sid Grauman erected his famous Chinese Theater. But his fortune was wiped out in the great crash of 1929, and his career as a movie star had had its run. Bushman eked out a living taking small roles in pictures (some of them good) and attempting to run a few small businesses. On viewing one of his early films, Bushman is said to have remarked, "My God, look at that! I'm putting all my emotion into my chin!"

After his film career had waned, Bushman made his broadcasting mark on the CBS Radio network's long-running dramatic serial entitled Those We Love. In the soap opera, which ran from 1938 to 1945, Bushman played the role of John Marshall, a father of the twins (played by Richard Cromwell and Nan Grey). Robert Cummings rounded out the cast.

In later years, he made guest appearances on television, playing roles on series such as: Burns and Allen, Peter Gunn, Make Room for Daddy, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Perry Mason and Dr. Kildare. In 1966, Bushman guest-starred on a two-part episode of Batman.[2] Both Bushman and Neil Hamilton, his co-star in The Grip of the Yukon, appeared in the episode – their first such reunion in 38 years.[2] Ironically, Bushman's role, as a wealthy collector of silent pictures and promoter of a silent film festival, was his last appearance on camera.[3]

Francis X. Bushman is mentioned numerous times by the character "Pearl Bodine" in the first season of the Beverly Hillbillies. In the episode entitled, "No Place Like Home," "Pearl" has written a song which she plays when the silent version of "Ben-Hur" is shown in the Clampett's hometown. In a later episode, when Pearl visits the Clampetts in Los Angeles, she speaks about hoping to meet Francis X. Bushman. In the episode "Jed's Dilemma," "Jed" takes the family on a sightseeing tour of Beverly Hills. When passing a fancy home, Pearl wonders if it could be the home of a movie star, possibly Francis X. Bushman. Jed tells her no, because he got a good look in the yard and didn't see room for horses or a chariot.

Francis X. Bushman died from a heart attack, in Pacific Palisades, California, on August 23, 1966. He was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.[1][4]

Filmography

Bushman as Messala in Ben-Hur, his most enduring role

see Francis X. Bushman filmography

Legacy

His son Ralph Everly Bushman (1903–1978) had a film career from the 1920s through the 1940s. Tall (6'4") and good-looking, he was in over 40 films, often playing stuffy upper-class types or menacing gangsters. In Brown of Harvard (1926) he was cast against William Haines and Jack Pickford. He was often billed as "Francis X. Bushman Jr."

Francis Bushman's granddaughter, Barbara Bushman Quine, married actor Harry Morgan. A grandson, Pat Conway (1931-1981), the son of film director Jack Conway and Bushman's daughter, Virginia, starred on the ABC western television series Tombstone Territory.

On February 8, 1960, Bushman received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion pictures industry at 1651 Vine Street.[5][6]

References

  1. 1 2 "Francis X. Bushman Of Silent Films Dies; Francis X. Bushman, Actor, Dies at 83". New York Times. August 24, 1966. Retrieved 2008-05-17. Francis X. Bushman, the romantic hero of the silent screen, died today after an accident in the kitchen of his home in suburban Pacific Palisades. An ambulance crew, summoned by his wife, Iva, pronounced him dead. He was 83 years old.
  2. 1 2 Sutton, David. "Guests - Francis X Bushman". The 1966 Batman TV Trivia Site. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
  3. ↑ The Silent film festival has Keystone Cops comedy and The Great Train Robbery scenes-neither of which Bushman appeared in during his silent movie acting career
  4. ↑ "Francis X. Bushman (1883 - 1966) - Find A Grave Memorial". www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  5. ↑ "Francis X. Bushman | Hollywood Walk of Fame". www.walkoffame.com. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  6. ↑ "Francis X. Bushman". latimes.com. Retrieved 2016-06-26.

Further reading

External links

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