Theda Bara

Theda Bara was born Theodosia Burr Goodman in Cincinnati. After completing public high school, Goodman moved to New York to become an actress. In advertisements for the Fox Film Company’s hit A Fool There Was (1915), Goodman became the provocatively foreign-sounding Theda Bara. She had a prolific career on the silent screen, starring in more than forty-five films. She is recognized as the first “vamp,” and the exotic role she created as a glamorous temptress made her a Hollywood cinematic icon.