Born Theodosia Goodman, July 29, 1885 Cincinnati, Ohio, Theda Bara was the daughter of a Cincinnati tailor, Bernard Goodman, and his wife Pauline. She had two siblings: her sister Lori and brother Marque. As a young teenager Theda was very interested in theater and, when she finished high school (at Walnut Hills High School) she spent two years at the University of Cincinnati before moving to New York to try to make it as an actress. In 1908 she appeared on Broadway in "The Devil" under the name Theodosia de Coppett (her mother's maiden name was deCoppett-Baranger). In 1911, Theda joined a touring company which took her as far away as Portland, Oregon.
..
She returned to New York in 1914 in search of film roles. Her first film was THE STAIN, in 1915, but being only an extra, she wasn't seen on camera. Later that year she was given the starring role in A Fool There Was. Theda was almost 30 years old at a time when younger women were often preferred for lead roles.
She became Hollywood's first publicity-created superstar. Understandably, audiences were enthraled by her. She cultivated a mysterious accent and was always decked out in her trademark makeup, veils, copious jewelry and furs and had a special hotel suite rented by Fox Studios which looked like the interior of a Sultana's chambers. This latter was intended specifically for entertaining the press.
..
According to the biography cooked up for her by Fox’s publicity team, Selig and Goldfrap, Theda was born in the Sahara to the (fictional) French actress Theda de Lyse and (equally fictional) Italian sculptor Guiseppe Bara. In reality, the name Bara was taken from her mother's maiden name, Baranger. Theda was actually the name she was known by to her family and friends, when she wasn't referred to more affectionately as "Teddy."
Theda Bara was was the original Goth Girl: before Vampira, Morticia Addams or Siouxsie Sioux, before Elvira, there was Theda. While she was not quite the first female "vampire" on the screen, she was the first to become a huge star. And, as actresses were largely responsible for their own costumes and make-up at that time, she invented her own look; the look that we associate today with the female vampire. She did it first.
..
It was in her role in A Fool There Was (Fox, 1915) that Theda created the character she would always be known for -The Vamp. She was wicked and worldly, sultry and seductive - the epitome of a Scarlet Woman.
Our modern usage of the term "vamp" comes from Theda's studio nickname. At the time, her character was simply referred to as "the Vampire," but as people will do, some folks on the set shortened it to "vamp," and the name stuck. At first it was merely a humorous nickname, then its use spread to apply to any woman displaying the traits of a brazen seductress who lured men to their emotional doom. In some of her publicity photos all that remains of her devoured victims are their skeletons before her on the floor.
..
Unlike the roles she played, Theda herself was known to her friends and neighbors for being very kind and virtuous. She was the quintessential "good Jewish girl," a stark contrast to the character she developed on screen. This would dismay her throughout her life, as she so deeply wanted to be given more challenging roles so that she could demonstrate her real acting ability. Unfortunately, she had been indelibly typecast. Each time she stepped out of her femme-fatale role, her films waned in popularity and she was pushed back into the familiar shadows of the Vamp.
Theda's second film, later in 1915 also for Fox Studios, was as Celia Friedlander, in THE KREUTZER SONATA.
Theda was hot property, she made six more films in 1915, finishing up with CARMEN. In 1916 Theda starred in six more films. The films themselves were making a great deal of money for the Fox Studios. By 1917 Fox Studios had headed west and with it, Theda. That year Theda starred in the super-successful CLEOPATRA, which was a smash at the box-office. This was quickly followed by THE ROSE OF BLOOD. In 1918, Theda (allegedly) wrote the story and starred as the Priestess in THE SOUL OF BUDDHA.
After seven films in 1919, ending with THE LURE OF AMBITION, Theda’s five-year contract with Fox was not renewed. Her career would never be the same again.
In 1921, Theda married producer/director Charles Brabin and retired. In 1926, she made her last film entitled MADAME MYSTERY and promptly went back into retirement permanently at the age of 41. She tried the stage briefly in the 1930's but nothing to really set the fires burning.
A movie based on her life was planned in the 1950's, but nothing ever came of it. On April 7, 1955, Theda died of abdominal cancer at the age of 69 in Los Angeles, California.
..
