Contents
Clara Bow
Becoming silent cinema’s original It Girl.
It · Wings
- Born
- 29 July 1905
- Birthplace
- Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Died
- 27 September 1965
More people
Clara Bow
Clara Bow was an American film star whose lively screen presence became associated with the 1920s flapper. She made successful sound films as well as silent pictures before leaving Hollywood in her twenties.
Early life
Brooklyn childhood
Grew up in poverty in a troubled household.
Competition winner
Won a magazine acting contest in 1921, opening a route into films.
Career
- 1922–1923
Early films
Gained screen experience in New York before moving to Hollywood.
- 1920s
Studio stardom
Became a major attraction in comedies and romantic dramas.
- 1929–1933
Sound films and retirement
Made talkies before withdrawing from acting after Hoop-La.
Selected work
It
Played a shop assistant whose charisma helped popularise the phrase It Girl.
Wings
Appeared in the aviation drama that won the first outstanding-picture Oscar.
The Wild Party
Starred in an early sound feature directed by Dorothy Arzner.
Beyond work
Rex Bell
Married the actor in 1931 and had two sons.
Life away from studios
Lived for a time on a Nevada ranch after leaving the film industry.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: Harold Dean Carsey (1886-1947). Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
