Volume III: Biographies

BOWMAN, William J. *

Actor (1910-1912)

Thanhouser Career Synopsis: William J. Bowman appeared in Thanhouser films released in 1911 and 1912.

Biographical Notes: William J. Bowman was born in Bakersville, North Carolina (one account says Bakersville, New York) in 1876 and was educated at Lordsburg College in Pomona, California. His early employment was as a draftsman, after which he went on stage in vaudeville and repertory, playing with Mantell in The Face in the Moonlight and other productions. He toured the Orient in Shakespearean repertory. Later, he appeared in San Francisco in stock with numerous stars.

Bowman's screen career included acting for Thanhouser by autumn 1910 and appearing in films released in 1911 and 1912. During much of his tenure with Thanhouser he lived at 276 Huguenot Street in New Rochelle. He later was a director with the American Film Manufacturing Company and the New York Motion Picture Company (where he was cast in The Iconoclast, Lure of the Violin, Retrogression, and other films). By the spring of 1913 he was acting and directing for Vitagraph's Western studio (Master of the Mine, Inasmuch, etc.), after which he directed for Keystone, for Miller 101 Ranch, for Universal's Eastern studio, for Quality (Second in Command, Silent Voice, Corner in Cotton, Rosemary, etc.), and for Universal (the Red Feather release of From Broadway to a Throne). Later he joined Quality (which distributed through Metro), where he produced Second in Command, Silent Voice, Corner on Cotton, Pennington's Choice, Rosemary, and other films, some of which featured erstwhile Thanhouser actress Marguerite Snow. By late 1915 he was a director with Centaur.

By autumn 1916 Bowman was an independent producer. His address circa 1915-1918 was care of the Elks' Club, Santa Monica, California. William J. Bowman died in California on January 1, 1960.

Note: His surname was occasionally misspelled as "Bauman."

Thanhouser Filmography:

1911: The Old Curiosity Shop (1-20-1911)

1912: Under Two Flags (7-7-1912), The Merchant of Venice (7-26-1912), Now Watch the Professor (8-13-1912), For the Mikado (10-18-1912)

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