John Bowers (actor)

John Bowers
Publicity photo of Bowers (1921)
Born	John E. Bowersox December 25, 1885 Garrett, Indiana, U.S.
Died	November 17, 1936 (aged 50) Santa Monica, California, U.S
Cause of death	Suicide
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1914–1931
Spouse(s)	Beulah Poynter (?-?) Marguerite De La Motte (1924-1936)

John Bowers (December 25, 1885 – November 17, 1936) was an American stage and silent film actor who starred in ninety-four films including several short subjects.

Early life and career

Born John E. Bowersox in Garrett, Indiana, to George and Ida Bowersox, he attended Huntington Business College in Huntington, Indiana, where he became interested in acting. He joined a stock stage group and traveled until he landed in New York in 1912, where he appeared in Broadway productions. Bowers began his film career in 1914. Within five years, he became one of the most popular leading men. During his career he co-starred frequently with Marguerite De La Motte, whom he later married.

Like many silent film stars, Bowers saw his career collapse when talkies became the standard.

Death

On November 17, 1936, Bowers heard that his old friend Henry Hathaway was directing Gary Cooper in Souls at Sea on and off the shore of Santa Catalina. The 50-year-old actor rented a sixteen-foot sloop and sailed to the island, hoping to land a part in the picture only to learn that it had been cast. He never returned to shore and his body was found on the beach at Santa Monica, California. Chuck Palahniuk claims folk legend dictates John simply walked into the ocean upon hearing this news.

His life and particularly his death is identified as inspiration for the character Norman Maine in A Star is Born (1937). That character was also based on Norman Kerry.^[1]

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, John Bowers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1701 Vine Street on February 8, 1960.^{[2] [3]}

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1914	The Baited Trap	Blondie
1914	In the Days of the Thundering Herd	Dick Madison
1915	The Woman Pays	John Langton	Credited as John E. Bowers
1916	Madame X	Monsieur Floriot
1916	Destiny's Toy	Reverend Robert Carter
1917	Darkest Russia	Alexis Nazimoff
1917	Betsy Ross	Joseph Ashburn
1918	A Woman of Redemption	Tim Stanton
1919	Strictly Confidential	Vernon, Lord Bantock
1920	Godless Men	Dan Darrin
1921	The Ace of Hearts	Mr. Forrest
1922	Quincy Adams Sawyer	Quincy Adams Sawyer
1922	South of Suva	John Webster
1923	The Woman of Bronze	Paddy Miles
1924	Code of the Wilderness	Rex Randerson
1925	Confessions of a Queen	Prince Alexei\
1925	Daughters Who Pay	Dick Foster
1925	Chickie	Barry Dunne
1926	The Dice Woman	Hamlin
1926	Pals in Paradise
1927	The Heart of the Yukon	Jim Winston
1929	Say It with Songs	Dr. Burnes, surgeon
1929	Skin Deep	District Attorney Carlson
1931	Mounted Fury	Jim Leyton

References

1. Brettell, Andrew; King, Noel; Kennedy, Damien; Imwold, Denise (2005). Cut!: Hollywood Murders, Accidents, and Other Tragedies. Leonard, Warren Hsu; von Rohr, Heather. Barrons Educational Series. p. 71. ISBN 0-7641-5858-9.
2. "John Bowers | Hollywood Walk of Fame". www.walkoffame.com. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
3. "John Bowers". latimes.com. Retrieved 2016-06-26.

^[1]Palahniuk, C. (2009). Sheila. In Snuff (p. 151). New York: Anchor Books.

External links

• John Bowers at the Internet Broadway Database
  
• John Bowers at the Internet Movie Database
• John Bowers at AllMovie
• John Bowers at Virtual History

1. Palahniuk, C. (2009). Sheila. In Snuff (p. 151). New York: Anchor Books.