Theda Bara (/ˈθiË dÉ™ ˈbærÉ™/ THEE-dÉ™ BARR-É™; born Theodosia
Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 â€" 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 vampire),[a] later
fueling the rising popularity in "vamp" roles that encapsulated
exoticism and sexual domination. Bara made more than 40 films between
1914 and 1926, but most were lost 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, never appearing in a sound
film.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
(1853â€"1936), a prosperous Jewish tailor born in Poland. Her mother,
Pauline Louise Françoise (née de Coppett; 1861â€"1957), was born in
Switzerland. Bernard and Pauline married in 1882. Theda had two
younger siblings: Marque (1888â€"1954) and Esther (1897â€"1965), who
also became a film actress under the name of Lori Bara.
Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 â€" 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 vampire),[a] later
fueling the rising popularity in "vamp" roles that encapsulated
exoticism and sexual domination. Bara made more than 40 films between
1914 and 1926, but most were lost 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, never appearing in a sound
film.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
(1853â€"1936), a prosperous Jewish tailor born in Poland. Her mother,
Pauline Louise Françoise (née de Coppett; 1861â€"1957), was born in
Switzerland. Bernard and Pauline married in 1882. Theda had two
younger siblings: Marque (1888â€"1954) and Esther (1897â€"1965), who
also became a film actress under the name of Lori Bara.
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