| Pauline Bush | |
| Birth Date: | 22 May 1886 |
| Birth Place: | Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Death Place: | San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Film actress |
| Years Active: | 1910–24 |
| Spouse: | Allan Dwan (1915–1919) |
Pauline Elvira Bush (May 22, 1886 – November 1, 1969) was an American silent film actress. She was nicknamed "The Madonna of the Movies".[1]
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. At Nebraska, she studied "music generally, and the piano in particular."[3]
After she moved to Los Angeles, Bush studied expression and literature at the Cumnock Institution.[3]
Early in her career, Bush was active in stock theater at the Liberty Theater in Oakland, California.[3] 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.
She retired in 1916.
Bush married director Allan Dwan in 1915. They divorced in 1919.[4] 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]
On November 1, 1969, Bush died of bronchitis and cancer in San Diego. She was 83.[6]
