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Theda Bara 1885 - 1955

Theda Bara was born on July 29, 1885 in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio United States, and died at age 69 years old on April 7, 1955 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA. Theda Bara was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery Forest Lawn Dr, in Los Angeles. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Theda Bara.

Theda Bara
Name
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July 29, 1885
Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Birth
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April 7, 1955
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States
Death
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Updated: September 11, 2023
Biography ID: 15797588 What's this
Theda Bara Theda Bara (1885 - 1955)
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Theda Bara's History: 1885 - 1955

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  • Introduction

    Theda Bara was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatale roles earned her the nickname "The Vamp", later fueling the rising popularity in "vamp" roles based in exoticism and sexual domination. Born: July 29, 1885, Cincinnati, OH Died: April 7, 1955, Los Angeles, CA Height: 5′ 6″ Place of burial: Forest Lawn, CA Parents: Pauline Louise de Coppett, Bernard Goodman Siblings: Lori Bara, Marque Goodman
  • 07/29
    1885

    Birthday

    July 29, 1885
    Birthdate
    Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio United States
    Birthplace
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  • Ethnicity & Family History

    Early life Bara was born Theodosia Burr Goodman on July 29, 1885 in the Avondale section of Cincinnati, Ohio. She was named after the daughter of US Vice President Aaron Burr. Her father was Bernard Goodman (1853–1936), a prosperous Jewish tailor from Poland. Her mother, Pauline Louise Françoise (née de Coppett; 1861–1957), was born in Switzerland. Bernard and Pauline married in 1882. Theda had two younger siblings: Marque (1888–1954) and Esther (1897–1965), who also became a film actress, under the screen name, Lori Bara.

  • Early Life & Education

    Bara attended Walnut Hills High School, graduating in 1903. After attending the University of Cincinnati for two years, she worked mainly in local theater productions, but did explore other projects. After moving to New York City in 1908, she made her Broadway debut the same year in The Devil.

  • Professional Career

    Theda Bara Born Theodosia Burr Goodman July 29, 1885, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. Died April 7, 1955 (aged 69) Los Angeles, California, U.S. Resting place Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery Alma mater University of Cincinnati Occupation Actress Years active 1908–1926 Spouse(s) Charles Brabin ​(m. 1921)​ Theda Bara born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatale roles earned her the nickname "The Vamp" (short for a vampire, here meaning a seductive woman), later fueling the rising popularity of "vamp" roles based on exoticism and sexual domination. The studios promoted a fictitious persona for Bara as an Egyptian-born woman interested in the occult. Bara made more than 40 films between 1914 and 1926, but most are now lost, having perished in the 1937 Fox vault fire. After her marriage to Charles Brabin in 1921, she made two more feature films and then retired from acting in 1926; she never appeared in a sound film. Bara in A Fool There Was (1915) Bara was the Fox studio's biggest star between 1915 and 1919, but tired of being typecast as a vamp, she allowed her five-year contract with the company to expire. Her final Fox film was The Lure of Ambition (1919). In 1920, she turned briefly to the stage, appearing on Broadway in The Blue Flame. Bara's fame drew large crowds to the theater, but her acting was savaged by critics. Bara in The She-Devil (1918) Her career suffered without Fox Studios' support, and she did not make another film until The Unchastened Woman (1925) for Chadwick Pictures. She retired after making only one more film, the short comedy Madame Mystery (1926), directed by Stan Laurel for Hal Roach; in this, Bara parodied her vamp image. At the height of her fame, Bara earned $4,000 per week (the equivalent of over $56,000 per week in 2017 adjusted dollars). Her better-known roles were as the "vamp", although she attempted to avoid typecasting by playing wholesome heroines in films such as Under Two Flags and Her Double Life. She appeared as Juliet in a version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Although Bara took her craft seriously, she was too successful playing exotic wanton women to develop a more versatile career.

  • Personal Life & Family

    Career Most of Bara's early films were shot along the East Coast, where the film industry was centered at that time, primarily at Fox Studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Bara lived with her family in New York City during this time. The rise of Hollywood as the center of the American film industry forced her to relocate to Los Angeles to film the epic Cleopatra (1917), which became one of her biggest hits. No prints of Cleopatra are known to exist today, but numerous photographs of Bara in costume as the Queen of the Nile have survived.
  • 04/7
    1955

    Death

    April 7, 1955
    Death date
    Cancer
    Cause of death
    Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California United States
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  • Gravesite & Burial

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    Funeral date
    Forest Lawn Cemetery Forest Lawn Dr, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California United States
    Burial location
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6 Memories, Stories & Photos about Theda

Theda Bara
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
16.8k+ favorites
09/11/2023
Theda Bara
A Beautiful Photo of Theda Bara as Cleopatra.
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Theda Bara.
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
16.8k+ favorites
07/29/2022
Theda Bara.
Movie Star.
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Theda Bara
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
16.8k+ favorites
07/29/2022
Theda Bara
Silent Movie Star.
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Theda Bara
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
16.8k+ favorites
07/29/2022
Theda Bara
Portrayed Cleopatra.
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Theda Bara
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
16.8k+ favorites
07/29/2022
Theda Bara
Movie Queen.
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Theda Bara - Silent Film Actress
Photo of Daniel Pinna Daniel Pinna
9.25k+ favorites
10/05/2011
Theda Bara - Silent Film Actress
The hugely popular silent film actress Theda Bara, born Theodosia Burr Goodman, lived from July 29th 1885 - April 7th, 1955. Theda appeared in more than 40 films from 1914 - 1926 and is best known for her femme fatale roles which earned her the nickname "The Vamp". Theda was one of the earliest sex symbols in the film industry.

Photo was taken by James Abbe in 1920. James Abbe was an American photographer who traveled Europe taking professional photos of various popular topics. James lived from July 17th 1883 through November 11th, 1972.
Date & Place: in USA
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Theda Bara's Family Tree & Friends

Theda Bara's Family Tree

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Theda Bara Jul 29, 1885 - Apr 7, 1955
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Other Biographies

Other Bara Family Biographies

Bara, ? Bara, Lt. Bara, Eleanor (Jan 17, 1920 - Jul 1972) Bara, Marion (Oct 9, 1920 - Jan 1987) Bara, Katherine (May 20, 1931 - Oct 10, 2006) Bara, Robert (May 15, 1917 - Dec 24, 1995) Bara, Helen (Nov 2, 1905 - Mar 1972) Bara, Theodore (Aug 21, 1941 - Dec 24, 2007) Bara, Agnes (Dec 31, 1895 - Feb 7, 1990) Bara, John (Jul 12, 1893 - Jun 1973)
Bara, Bertha (Nov 22, 1910 - Oct 1992) Bara, Muriel (Apr 20, 1920 - Feb 15, 1990) Bara, Charles (Jul 18, 1895 - Oct 1982) Bara, Joseph (May 28, 1893 - Jun 1971) Morales Bara, Salomon (Dec 1, 1961 - Oct 22, 2010) Bara, Edward (Dec 19, 1920 - Dec 23, 2010) Bara, Joseph (Nov 13, 1910 - Sep 1980) Bara, Anna (Nov 16, 1922 - Jul 1989) Bara, Stephen (Jul 16, 1922 - Apr 15, 2000) Bara, Rudolph (May 16, 1943 - May 2, 2008)
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