Francis X. Bushman

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Francis X Bushman (1912)

Francis Xavier Bushman (born January 10, 1883 in Baltimore , Maryland , † August 23, 1966 in Pacific Palisades , California ) was an American film actor who achieved great popularity in the silent film era . He was the first male movie star known to the public by his real name.

Life

Francis Bushman began his career as a minor on the vaudeville stage and quickly became noticeable for his athletic appearance (wrestling, boxing and weightlifting.) He made nearly 200 films for Essanay and Metro , including more than 175 before 1920 and 17 alone in his debut year 1911. He mostly played the hero in love stories, dramas, comedies, crime and spy films. In 1916 he co-directed a film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet , in which he played the role of Romeo.

In 1918, Bushman was the center of a scandal when his affair with fellow actor and frequent film partner Beverly Bayne came to light . By then, Bushman had been married for 16 years and had five children, something the studio had kept a secret for fear of the star's loss of popularity. They divorced and Bushman married Bayne a little later, but that marriage also broke up in 1925.

Today Bushman is best known for his impersonation of Messala as the deeply evil villain in the first major film adaptation of Ben Hur (1925). Bushman was much taller and more athletic than leading actor Ramón Novarro , so holes were dug into which 'Messala' had to stand when they shared scenes. The fact that Bushman's career slowly ended after this great success is attributed to the negative influence of Louis B. Mayer , who allegedly did not like Bushman because he had denied him access to his cloakroom.

At the peak of his career, Bushman was touted on movie posters as “the most beautiful man in the world” and as “the king of film” - this title is also engraved on his tombstone. Bushman was paid princely, but lost all of his fortune in the great stock market crash of 1929 . At the same time, his fame faded and he had to switch mainly to radio work in the 1930s and 1940s, as he received only a few film offers. A success was the role of John Marshall, father of twins, on the CBS radio show Those We Love , which ran from 1938 to 1945. In the 1950s Bushman made a small comeback as a character actor in Hollywood, impersonating King Saul in the monumental film David and Bathsheba (1951) and was seen as Mr. Tyson in Billy Wilder's comedy Sabrina (1954). He also had frequent guest appearances on series such as Peter Gunn , Perry Mason , Dr. Kildare and Batman , in which he played one of his last roles the year he died: a collector of silent films.

Francis X. Bushman was married a total of four times. His son Ralph Bushman (1903-1978) also worked as an actor. Francis X. Bushman, who had worked as an actor to the end, died of a heart attack in 1966 at the age of 83.

Awards

In 1960, when the remake of Ben Hur triumphed at the film awards, Francis Bushman was honored together with Novarro with an honorary Golden Globe for his services to the silent film. A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame commemorates Francis X. Bushman.

Filmography (selection)

Francis X. Bushman in the silent film era
  • 1911: His Friend's Wife
  • 1912: Twilight
  • 1915: The Great Silence
  • 1916: Romeo and Juliet (also director)
  • 1918: The Poor Rich Man
  • 1923: Modern Marriage
  • 1925: Ben Hur (Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ)
  • 1925: The Dancer of Moulin-Rouge (The Masked Bride)
  • 1927: The Flag: A Story Inspired by the Tradition of Betsy Ross
  • 1927: The Lady in Ermine
  • 1928: Say It with Sables
  • 1937: Dick Tracy
  • 1942: Silver Queen
  • 1944: Wilson
  • 1951: Murder in Hollywood (Hollywood Story)
  • 1951: David and Bathsheba (David and Bathsheba)
  • 1952: City of Illusions (The Bad and The Beautiful)
  • 1954: Sabrina (Sabrina)
  • 1957: The Story of Mankind
  • 1960: 12 to the Moon
  • 1960–1964: Perry Mason (TV series, 3 episodes)
  • 1961: Peter Gunn (TV series, 1 episode)
  • 1961: The Phantom Planet
  • 1966: Inheritance at midnight (The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini)
  • 1966: The Seaview - On a Secret Mission (TV series, 1 episode)
  • 1966: Batman (TV series, 2 episodes)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Francis X. Bushman. ( Memento from March 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Short biography on goldensilents.com (English, accessed on November 18, 2014).
  2. ↑ Tammy Stone: Francis X. Bushman. Short biography on things-and-other-stuff.com (accessed on November 18, 2014).
personal data
SURNAME Bushman, Francis X.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bushman, Francis Xavier (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American film actor
DATE OF BIRTH January 10, 1883
PLACE OF BIRTH Baltimore , Maryland
DATE OF DEATH 23rd August 1966
Place of death Pacific Palisades , California