You are here: MaxAbout.com > People

Francis X. Bushman

Personal Profile

Francis X. Bushman
  • Nickname:
    King of the Movies
  • Date of Birth:
    January 10, 1883
  • Place of Birth:
    Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A
  • Place of Death:
    Pacific Palisades, California, U.S.A
  • Date of Death:
    August 23, 1966
  • Height:
    5' 11"
  • Sex:
    Male
  • Nationality:
    Indian

Family

Francis X. Bushman
  • Spouse:
    Josephine Fladune
  • Relation:
    Pat Conway, Barbara Bushman

Career

Francis X. Bushman

Awards

Francis X. Bushman
Special Award For a famous silent film star

Trivia

Francis X. Bushman
  • Francis X. Bushman is mentioned numerous times by, Pearl Bodine, in the first season of the Beverly Hillbillies.
  • In 1966, Bushman guest-starred on a two-part episode of, Batman.
  • In later years, he made guest appearances on television, playing roles on series such as, Peter Gunn, Make Room for Daddy, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Perry Mason and Dr. Kildare.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Bushman was paid large salaries during his screen career, and donated the land upon which Sid Grauman erected his famous Chinese Theater.
  • He took Bushman to see studio executives from the railway station and dropped pennies to the street from his pocket.
  • 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.
  • Bushman eventually retained the talented services of Harry Reichenbach as his agent.

Biography

Francis X. Bushman
Last Updated: Friday, July 31, 2009

FRANCISHeavy-built major star of the silent era, Bushman was once known as "the handsomest man in the world." He began acting with stock companies while still a boy, remaining a stage actor until he entered film in 1911, beginning with the Essanay company in Chicago.

At one time a sculpter's model, Bushman had a beautiful physique which, combined with his handsome looks, soon propelled him to stardom in pre '20s silents; he rushed from one movie set to another, playing romantic leads in scores of films and becoming immensely popular with female viewers.

His popularity took a nose-dive, however, after it was revealed that he had been secretly married to actress Beverly Bayne, his costar in many films including Romeo and Juliet (1916). He continued to perform in numerous films, leading up to his most famous role as the Roman Massala (Ramon Novarro's screen rival) in the silent Ben-Hur (1926).

During the silent era he made more than a million dollars a year, but his fortune was entirely lost in the Crash of 1929. By the early '30s his film career was all but over, though he rebuilt himself financially by becoming a star of radio soap operas. After 1930 he appeared in films only sporadically, though some of his roles were still of interest.

Filmography

Francis X. Bushman

Submit Content