Theda Bara

THEODOSIA GOODMAN

She was born July 29, 1885 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, to Bernard Goodman, a Polish Jewish immigrant. She was named Theodosia Barr Goodman, after Theodosia Barr Elston, daughter of the 3rd Vice President of the United States, Aaron Barr, who was tragically killed in 1812 during a pirate attack on a ship.

In 1903 she graduated from high school and entered the University of Cincinnati. But the girl dreamed of theater, so she was torn between classes at the university and playing in the amateur theater. In 1905, after two years of study, leaves the university and moved to New York to begin a theatrical career. She made her debut on the New York stage in the play "The Devil", August 18, 1908 under the pseudonym of Theo de Coppet.

The age of the actress was nearing thirty, when in 1914 at another casting, she met director Frank Powell and made such a strong impression on him that he immediately removed it in the occasional role in the film "Blur", and in 1915 invited him to the role of Vampirsch - women predators, who seduce men and leaving, destroys their lives - in the dramatic picture "That was a fool", adaptation of a popular Broadway play of those years. Theodosia Barr Goodman movie mogul turned into the mysterious Theda Bara, she was invented a new biography: she is the daughter of a French artist and an Arab princess, who as a child was stolen by Bedouins. Theda played along and was photographed with skeletons, eating raw meat in public if Fox demanded it.

During the First World War, the actress enthusiastically engaged in social activities, visiting military camps and donating part of their fees for the war effort.

In 1918 she was at the peak of her career and was second in popularity only to Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford, but a year later William Fox, founder of the Fox Film Studios, lost interest in the actress and Ted's star rolled up as quickly as risen. Since then, she has appeared on the silver screen twice more - in the drama "The Unruly Woman" (1925) and the comedy "Madame Secret" (1926).

She died on April 7 / according to some sources - April 13 / 1955 at the age of seventy years.