Francis X. Bushman, 1883-1966

Today marks the birth anniversary of silent actor Francis X. Bushman, who is probably best known for playing Messala in the 1925 silent version of Ben-Hur, opposite Ramon Novarro. I don't have any good pictures of Bushman available at hand, only having used a picture of Novarro during the chariot race when I wanted to illustrate that movie. To be fair, Novarro is the title character. The movie itself is not in the public domain, having been released in 1925. But there is a trailer on Youtube that does appear to be original:



I would have loved to use Bushman in The Flag, which was produced by the Technicolor company to promote its color films, but that one doesn't seem to be on Youtube either.

Bushman continued acting, making film and eventually TV appearances, but in greately reduced number after the advent of sound.