Pauline Elvira Bush (May 22, 1886 – November 1, 1969) was an American silent film actress. She was nicknamed "The Madonna of the Movies".[1]
Early years
Born in Wahoo, Nebraska, Bush was "brought up for the operatic stage and concert platform, [but] she preferred the stage."[2] She studied at the University of Nebraska after attending a private school in Virginia.[3] At Nebraska, she studied "music generally, and the piano in particular."[4]
After she moved to Los Angeles, Bush studied expression and literature at the Cumnock Institution.[4]
Career
Early in her career, Bush was active in stock theater at the Liberty Theater in Oakland, California.[4] Her film career began with the American Film Manufacturing Company.[2] From 1910 to 1924, she appeared in some 250 movies, dozens of them featuring Lon Chaney.
Bush married director Allan Dwan in 1915. They divorced in 1919.[3] In 1928, Dwan offered a lump sum settlement of $200,000 to Bush in lieu of continuing $26,000 annual support. The Associated Press cited a story in the New York American that said that Bush had "filed a claim for $100,000 back alimony."[5]
Death
On November 1, 1969, Bush died of bronchitis and cancer in San Diego. She was 83.[6]