Bara, Theda. Stage name of Theodosia Goodman.
1890-1955. US film actress. She was born in
Cincinnati, Ohio, and later became the first
movie sex symbol and a national celebrity.
Appearing first in a silent film entitled A
Fool There Was 1915, she went on to play a
series of sultry roles in the films Salome,
Cleopatra, and The Vampire, the movie from
which the term `vamp' originated. As the most
popular star of the Fox studios, Bara made
more than 40 films during her relatively
brief film career that extended from 1915 to
1920. After unsuccessfully attempting a
career on the Broadway stage, she retired
from show business and lived the rest of her
life in relative obscurity.