Clara Bow
Clara Gordon Bow (July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who became a global star in the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully moved into sound films in 1929. Her role as a plucky shopgirl in the 1927 film *It* earned her worldwide fame and the nickname "The It Girl." She came to embody the Roaring Twenties and is regarded as its leading sex symbol. Bow made 58 films, all but 11 of which were silent. Of these, 33 survive completely, 14 are partially lost, and 11 are entirely lost. Notable hits include *Mantrap* (1926), *It* (1927), and *Wings* (1927). She was the top box-office draw in 1928 and 1929, and second in 1927 and 1930. Her involvement in a film nearly guaranteed investors a safe return. At the height of her fame, in January 1929, she received over 45,000 fan letters in a single month.
Bow was born in a bleak room above a dilapidated Baptist church in Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights. She was the third child; two older sisters died in infancy. Her mother, Sarah, was warned not to have another child but became pregnant with Clara in late 1904. A heat wave struck New York in July 1905, and both mother and daughter nearly died during childbirth. Bow’s father, Robert, was often absent and struggled with work. By the time Clara was four and a half, he was unemployed. The family moved frequently but stayed mostly in Prospect Heights. Bow’s mother suffered from epilepsy and psychosis after a childhood fall, and Clara learned to care for her during seizures and hostile episodes. In February 192
- born
- July 29, 1905
- died
- September 27, 1965
- field
- Actress
- nationality
- American
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
She was her parents' third child; two older sisters died in infancy. Her mother, Sarah Frances Bow, suffered from epilepsy and psychosis, a condition stemming from a severe head injury sustained in a fall from a second-story window at age sixteen. From her earliest years, Clara learned to care for her mother during seizures and psychotic episodes, which could be hostile. Clara felt deprived of her childhood, stating that she took care of her mother rather than the reverse. In February 1922, Clara awoke to find her mother holding a butcher knife to her throat; she fended off the attack, and her mother was later committed to a sanitarium. Sarah died in 1923 at age 43 from her epilepsy. At the funeral, Clara became so distraught that she tried to jump into the grave, shouting that relatives were hypocrites who had not loved or cared for her mother. Clara’s father, Robert Walter Bow, was often absent and out of work by the time she was four and a half; the family moved frequently within the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn. Clara attended several public schools and felt shy among girls who teased her for her worn clothing and red hair. She preferred the company of boys, claiming she could beat any boy her size and was known for her strong right arm from pitching. A close friend, a younger boy, burned to death in her arms after she tried to save him. In 1919, she enrolled at Bay Ridge High School for Girls, where her mother cut her hair femininely, leading to a kiss from a male friend that ended her tomboy phase. Clara planned to become an athletics instructor, having won five medals in track events, and credited her cousin, national half-mile champion Homer Baker, as her trainer.
Reader's Guide
Clara Bow’s career and public persona made her the defining symbol of the Roaring Twenties. Her breakthrough came with the 1927 film *It*, in which she played a plucky shopgirl, earning her the enduring nickname “The It Girl” and global fame as the era’s leading sex symbol. At the height of her stardom, she received over 45,000 fan letters in a single month in January 1929. Her box-office power was so reliable that her presence in a film nearly guaranteed investors a safe return. She was named the first box-office draw in 1928 and 1929, and second in 1927 and 1930. Of her 58 films, only 11 were talkies; 33 survive in full, while 14 are partially lost and 11 are completely lost. Notable hits include *Mantrap* (1926), *It* (1927), and *Wings* (1927). After marrying actor Rex Bell in 1931, she retired from acting in 1933 following her final film, *Hoop-La*, and became a rancher in Nevada. Her legacy endures as the first major screen sex symbol and a key figure in the transition from silent films to sound.
Did You Know?
- Bow was born in a bleak room above a dilapidated Baptist Church in Brooklyn.
- Two older sisters died in infancy before Clara was born.
- Bow was raped by her father at age sixteen, according to biographer David Stenn.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Clara Bow?
Clara Bow was an American actress born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1905 who became one of the biggest stars of the silent film era. She is best remembered as the face of the Roaring Twenties and the original "It Girl."
What is Clara Bow most famous for?
She achieved worldwide recognition for her role as a spirited shopgirl in the 1927 silent film It, which earned her the enduring nickname "The It Girl." She went on to become the top box-office draw in both 1928 and 1929.
How did Clara Bow transition into the talkie era?
After dominating silent cinema throughout the late 1920s, she successfully carried her star power into sound films beginning in 1929. Her ability to adapt made her one of the few silent-era stars to thrive after the industry's shift to talking pictures.
Why is Clara Bow considered a pioneering woman in film?
She personified the energy and independence of the 1920s, becoming the era's defining sex symbol and cultural icon. Her career spanned the entire silent-to-sound transition, proving that a female star could carry a studio's box office at the peak of Hollywood's early age.
When and how did Clara Bow die?
Clara Bow passed away on September 27, 1965, at the age of 60 from a heart attack. She had largely stepped away from acting in her later years after her peak stardom in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
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