John Bowers was an American stage and silent film

Silent film

A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...

 actor who starred in ninety-four films including short subjects.

Biography

Born John E. Bowersox in Garrett, Indiana

Garrett, Indiana

Garrett is a city in Keyser Township, DeKalb County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,286 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1875, Garrett was named for John W...

, to George and Ida Bowersox, he attended Huntington Business College in Huntington, Indiana

Huntington, Indiana

Huntington, known as the "Lime City", is a small city in and the county seat of Huntington County, Indiana, United States. It is in Huntington Township and Union Township...

, where he became interested in acting. He joined a stock stage group and traveled until he landed in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 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

Marguerite De La Motte

Marguerite De La Motte was an American film actress, most notably of the silent film era.-Career:Born in Duluth, Minnesota, De La Motte began her entertainment career studying ballet under Anna Pavlova. In 1919 she became the dance star of Sid Grauman on the stage of his theater...

, whom he later married.

Like many silent film stars, Bowers saw his career collapse when talkies became the standard. On November 17, 1936, he heard that his old friend Henry Hathaway

Henry Hathaway

Henry Hathaway was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring John Wayne.-Background:...

 was directing Gary Cooper

Gary Cooper

Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...

 in Souls At Sea

Souls at Sea

Souls at Sea is a 1937 seafaring film starring Gary Cooper and George Raft. The movie features Frances Dee, Harry Carey, Robert Cummings, George Zucco, Joseph Schildkraut, Paul Fix, and Tully Marshall, and was directed by Henry Hathaway. The title of this film was spoofed in the Laurel and Hardy...

on and off the shore of Santa Catalina

Santa Catalina

Santa Catalina may refer to:*Argentina**Santa Catalina, Jujuy**Santa Catalina, Córdoba**Santa Catalina, Santiago del Estero*Colombia**Santa Catalina, Colombia**Archipelago of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina*Dominican Republic...

. 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

Santa Mônica

Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. His life and particularly his death is identified as inspiration for the character Norman Maine in A Star is Born

A Star Is Born (1937 film)

A Star Is Born is a 1937 Technicolor romantic drama film produced by David O. Selznick and directed by William A. Wellman, with a script by Wellman, Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker and Alan Campbell. It stars Janet Gaynor as an aspiring Hollywood actress, and Fredric March as an aging movie star who...

(1937). The character was also based on Errol Flynn

Errol Flynn

Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...

 and Norman Kerry

Norman Kerry

Norman Kerry was an American actor whose career spanned over twenty-five years in the motion picture industry beginning in the silent era at the end of World War I.-Biography:...

.

John Bowers last address was 1459 North Vine Street, Los Angeles.

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, John Bowers has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...

 at 1701 Vine Street

Vine Street

Vine is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California that runs north-south from Melrose Avenue up past Hollywood Boulevard. The intersection of Hollywood and Vine was once a symbol of Hollywood itself...

.

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1914	The Baited Trap	Blondie
1915	The Woman Pays	John Langton	Credited as John E. Bowers
1916	Madame X Madame X (1916 film) Madame X is a 1916 silent drama film directed by George F. Marion.-Plot:A woman is thrown out of her home by her jealous husband and sinks into depravity. Twenty years later, she finds herself accused of murder for saving her son, who does not know who she is...	Monsieur Floriot
1917	Darkest Russia	Alexis Nazimoff
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 Quincy Adams Sawyer is a 1922 silent comedy/drama film directed by Clarence G. Badger. Distributed by Metro Pictures, the film is based on the 1900 novel Quincy Adams Sawyer and Mason's Corner Folks written by Charles Felton Pidgin. It is now a lost film.-Plot:Quincy Adams Sawyer is a young...	Quincy Adams Sawyer
1923	The Woman of Bronze The Woman of Bronze The Woman of Bronze is a 1923 silent drama film directed by King Vidor and distributed through Metro Pictures. It is based on a 1920 Broadway play by Henry Kistemaekers which starred Margaret Anglin, John Halliday and Mary Fowler...	Paddy Miles
1924	Code of the Wilderness	Rex Randerson
1925	Daughters Who Pay Daughters Who Pay Daughters Who Pay is a 1925 drama film directed by George Terwilliger, starring Marguerite De La Motte and featuring Béla Lugosi.-Cast:* Marguerite De La Motte — Sonia Borisoff / Margaret Smith* John Bowers — Dick Foster...	Dick Foster
1925	Confessions of a Queen Confessions of a Queen Confessions of a Queen is a 1925 drama film directed by Victor Sjöström based upon a novel by Alphonse Daudet, Les Rois en Exil. Only an incomplete print of the film survives.-Plot:...	Prince Alexei
1926	The Dice Woman	Hamlin
1926	Pals in Paradise Pals in Paradise Pals in Paradise is a 1926 silent drama film directed by George B. Seitz. The film was shot in Europe.-Cast:* Rudolph Schildkraut as Abraham Lezinsky* John Bowers as Bill Harvey* Marguerite De La Motte as Geraldine 'Jerry' Howard...
1927	The Heart of the Yukon	Jim Winston
1929	Say It with Songs Say It with Songs Say It With Songs is a 1929 All-Talking musical drama motion picture which was released by Warner Bros.. The film starred Al Jolson and was a follow-up to his previous film, The Singing Fool .-Production:...	Dr. Burnes, surgeon
1931	Mounted Fury	Jim Leyton

External links