Francis X. Bushman
| Francis X. Bushman | |
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Bushman in 1914
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| Born |
Francis Xavier Bushman January 10, 1883 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | August 23, 1966 (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) |
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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. 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.
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.
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