Classic Hollywood Icons Codexery

Theda Bara

Silent film actress known as cinema's first 'vamp.'

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Theda Bara

Orval Hixon · via Wikipedia: Theda Bara · Public domain

Her femme fatale roles earned her the nickname "the Vamp".[1] Theodosia Burr Goodman, who performed as Theda Bara, was born on July 29, 1885, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and worked as an actress in silent films and on stage.[2][3] During the silent film era, Bara ranked among the most popular performers and is regarded as an early sex symbol in cinema.[1]

Last updated 2026-10-21 from the source article.

Key facts and history

She attended Walnut Hills High School and the University of Cincinnati before moving to New York City in 1908 for her Broadway debut.[4][5] Bara was Fox's biggest star between 1915 and 1919, but let her contract expire due to typecasting.[6] She married British-born film director Charles Brabin in 1921 and they built a summer home in Nova Scotia.[7] Bara died of stomach cancer on April 7, 1955, in Los Angeles.[8]

Of her 43 films made between 1914 and 1926, complete prints of only six survive.[9] The name Theodosia Burr was chosen for Bara in honor of Theodosia Burr Alston, who was the child of Aaron Burr, a former U.S. Vice President.[3] Bernard Goodman, Bara's father, was a tailor from Poland who achieved financial success, and her mother Pauline was a native of Switzerland.[3][10] The 1919 film The Lure of Ambition marked Bara's last movie for Fox.[6]

Throughout her career, Bara never performed in any motion picture that included synchronized sound.[9]

What the cited sources add

A 1905 newsreel from Fun Film includes shots of Bara and her maid admiring a garment, with a hand-drawn title calling her "The First Glamour Girl"[11] The same newsreel shows Bara approaching the camera into a close-up after a scene with a male actor.[11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Theda Bara" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Love, "Silent Film Actresses and Their Most Popular Characters", National Women's History Museum, April 6, 2017 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Theda Bara" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Theda Bara Speaking 1936", YouTube, April 14, 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Theda Bara" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Liebman 2023, p. 17; Golden 1996, p. 10; "Theda Makes 'em All Baras", The New York Times, November 17, 1917, p. 11 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Theda Bara" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Golden 1996, p. 10; Liebman 2023, p. 17 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Theda Bara" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Devil – Broadway Play – Original", ibdb.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Theda Bara" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Golden 1996, p. 10 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Theda Bara" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Innis, "Hollywood's link with province long, varied", Chronicle Herald, February 26, 2012 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Theda Bara" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Theda Bara, Screen Star, 65", The New York Times, April 8, 1955, p. 21; "Theda Bara, Screen Star, 65", The New York Times, April 8, 1955, p. 21; Genini 1996, p. 1–2; "Discussing Theda Bara's will and estate.", Albuquerque Journal, 1955-04-19, p. 18 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Theda Bara" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Fads and Fashion of 1900 [& Other Newsreels]", Fun Film, 1905 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Theda Bara" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Genini 1996, p. 1–2 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. "Fads and Fashion of 1900 [& Other Newsreels]", Fun Film, 1905. facts only, no text reused. ngataonga.org.nz

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Theda Bara (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In what year was Theda Bara born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1885.

2. In what year did Theda Bara die?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1955.

3. In which place was Theda Bara born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S..

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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