Pauline Bush
Pauline Elvira Bush (May 22, 1886 – November 1, 1969) was an American silent film actress. She was nicknamed "The Madonna of the Movies".
Also recorded as Pauline Elvira Bush
Pauline Bush

Signed Witzel on bottom of photo · Filmland favorites · Public domain
- Name
- Pauline Bush
- Born
- 22 May 1886
- Birthplace
- Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.
- Died
- 1 November 1969
- Place of death
- San Diego, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- Film actress
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Pauline Elvira Bush (May 22, 1886 – November 1, 1969) was an American silent film actress. She was nicknamed "The Madonna of the Movies".
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Pauline Bush (1886–1969) was an American actress. Born in Lincoln, the actress died in San Diego. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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wikidata · Q2440503
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Pauline Bush • Born — 22 May 1886 • Birthplace — Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. • Died — 1 November 1969 • Place of death — San Diego, California, U.S. • Occupation — Film actress • Years Active — 1910–1924
Early years
Early years
Born in Wahoo, Nebraska, Bush was "brought up for the operatic stage and concert platform, [but] she preferred the stage." She studied at the University of Nebraska after attending a private school in Virginia. At Nebraska, she studied "music generally, and the piano in particular." After she moved to Los Angeles, Bush studied expression and literature at the Cumnock Institution.
Career
Career
Early in her career, Bush was active in stock theater at the Liberty Theater in Oakland, California. Her film career began with the American Film Manufacturing Company. From 1910 to 1924, she appeared in some 250 movies, dozens of them featuring Lon Chaney. She retired in 1916.
Personal life
Personal life
Bush married director Allan Dwan in 1915. They divorced in 1919. 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."
Death
Death
On November 1, 1969, Bush died of bronchitis and cancer in San Diego. She was 83.
Selected filmography
Selected filmography
• The Hand of Uncle Sam (1910) • Bloodhounds of the North (1913) • Red Margaret, Moonshiner (1913) • "The Thief's Wife" (1913) • Back to Life (1913) • The Gratitude of Wanda (1913) • The Mystery of Yellow Aster Mine (1913) • A Night of Thrills (1914) • The Lion, the Lamb, the Man (1914) • Lights and Shadows (1914) • Her Life's Story (1914) • Virtue Is Its Own Reward (1914) • The Pipes o' Pan (1914) • Richelieu (1914) • The Higher Law (1914) • Her Bounty (1914) • The Oubliette (1914) • The Hopes of Blind Alley (1914) • The Forbidden Room (1914) • The Unlawful Trade (1914) • The Tragedy of Whispering Creek (1914) • The End of the Feud (1914) • The Lamb, the Woman, the Wolf (1914) • The Embezzler (1914) • The Menace to Carlotta (1914) • Discord and Harmony (1914) • Remember Mary Magdalen (1914) • The Honor of the Mounted (1914) • The Lie (1914) • Steady Company (1915) • An Idyll of the Hills (1915) • The Girl of the Night (1915) • The Grind • Maid of the Mist (1915) • The Desert Breed (1915) • All for Peggy (1915) • Outside the Gates (1915) • Where the Forest Ends (1915) • Such Is Life (1915) • When the Gods Played a Badger Game (1915) • The Threads of Fate (1915) • The Measure of a Man (1915) • A Small Town Girl (1915) • The Star of the Sea (1915) • The Sin of Olga Brandt (1915) • The Mask of Love (1917) • The Enemy Sex (1924)

Digital ID: TH-64631 Source: Billy Rose Theatre Collection photograph file / Productions / Where the Forest Ends (cinema 1915) (http: digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/explore/?col_id=201)
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Lincoln.
Birth place
San Diego.
Death place
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Pauline Bush, Famous Universal Film Star, Pronounced by Critics as Most Versatile Actress on the Screen. Vicksburg Evening Post. 5. April 28, 1915.
- 2.Grau, Robert. The Theatre of Science. Broadway Publishing Company. 378. 1914.
- 3.Willis, Richard. Pauline Bush, of the Universal Company. Motion Picture Magazine. 93–95. September 1914.
- 4.Katchmer, George A. A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses. McFarland. 2009. 9781476609058.
- 5.Pauline Bush Dwan Will Press Claims Against Former Husband. The Salt Lake Tribune. Associated Press. 9. June 21, 1928.
- 6.Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. 106. 2016. 9781476625997.
References
Citations
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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