The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

~~A brief Bio~~

Born Theodosia Goodman in Cincinnati, Ohio on July 29th, 1885. Theda Bara lead a normal typical life at the turn of the century in Cincinnati.In 1903 after graduating high school she went to The University of Cincinnati for two years. While at the university she did many theater projects that help her begin her career.

In 1908 after college, She moved to New York and made her Broadway debut In "The Devil" stage play under her original name.In 1911 she joined a touring company and did minor performances. In 1914 she returned to New York (The hot bed for movie making) And landed a small part in the movie "The Stain".

After her small part in the film and being noticed by directors she landed the lead role in the 1915 movie "A Fool There Was".While in the process of making the movie, Theodosia under went a elaborate fabricated change. The Studio changed her name and most of her identity. Theda Bara was born.She was now The daughter of an Artist and an Arabian Princess. The public was immediately taken with her and her "Vamp" Persona.

Theda Bara was now a star.She signed with the newly started Fox Studios, And made one movie after another Until 1919 When her contract with Fox Studios was terminated.



After fox studios canceled her contract her career never fully recovered. In 1921 she married director Charles Brabin and retired. In 1926 She made one more short Film the comedy "Madam Mystery" And went back into retirement permanently. During the 1930's she went back to doing stage performances,but nothing really took off.

On April 7th,1955 Theda Bara passed away due to abdominal cancer in Los Angles,California at the age of 69.
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"To understand those days, you must consider that people believed what they saw on the screen....Audiences thought the stars were the way they saw them. Why, women kicked my photographs as they went into the theaters where my pictures were playing, and once on the streets of New York a woman called the police because her child spoke to me."
-Theda Bara quote on her early career-

My Interest In Theda Bara-

With most of her movies gone forever,6(including short surviving clips) out of 44 films remain. She played her roles to the utmost sincerity. I have been fascinated with Theda Bara for over 20 years.
The first movie I seen of hers was "A fool There Was" And I was smitten. It was because of her I fell in love with the silent era.

Over those years I have learned that Theda was not in any way what she played on the silver screen. She was quite almost reclusive, Often found in libraries reading, and the occasional small parties.She was from Jewish decent.Nothing Like her Vampire persona.That person was fabricated and played to the utmost during her movie career.

But her images and what remains of her films have also given us a mascot in the later alternative culture. Her images (especially the ones with her next to skeleton)Can be found on all kinds of items all over the world.

Theda Bara was a fantastic actress, and thanks to the studio for giving her the vamp persona, and Theda's reclusive life, she lives on. Her memorabilia is some of the most sought after and treasured to collectors.

I would have loved to have tea and a chat with Theda Bara.

(image made by Myth)

List of movies made Staring Theda Bara
(all surviving film is highlighted)


1926 Madame Mystery (Short)
Madame Mysterieux
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1925 The Unchastened Woman
Caroline Knollys
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1921 The Prince of Silence
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1919 The Lure of Ambition
Olga Dolan
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1919 La belle Russe
Fleurette Sackton / La Belle Russe
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1919 Kathleen Mavourneen
Kathleen Mavourneen
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1919 A Woman There Was
Princess Zara
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1919 The Siren's Song
Marie Bernais
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1919 When Men Desire**17 seconds of film exists**
Marie Lohr
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1919 The Light
Blanchette Dumond, aka Madame Lefresne
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1918 The She Devil
Lolette
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1918 When a Woman Sins
Lilian Marchard / Poppea
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1918 Salome
Salome
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1918 Under the Yoke
Maria Valverda
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1918 The Soul of Buddha
Bava
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1918 The Forbidden Path
Mary Lynde
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1917 Madame Du Barry
Madame Du Barry
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1917 The Rose of Blood
Lisza Tapenka
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1917 Cleopatra**20 seconds of film exists**
Cleopatra
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1917 Camille
Marguerite Gautier

1917 Heart and Soul
Jess
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1917 Her Greatest Love
Vera Herbert
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1917 The Tiger Woman
Princess Petrovitch
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1917 The Darling of Paris
Esmeralda
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1916 The Vixen
Elsie Drummond
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1916/I Romeo and Juliet
Juliet
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1916 Her Double Life
Mary Doone
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1916 Under Two Flags
Cigarette
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1916 East Lynne
Lady Isabel Carlisle
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1916 The Eternal Sappho
Laura Bruffins
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1916 Gold and the Woman
Juliet DeCordova
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1916 The Serpent
Vania Lazar
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1915 Siren of Hell
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1915 Destruction
Ferdinande Martin
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1915 The Galley Slave
Francesca Brabaut
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1915/II Carmen
Carmen
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1915 Sin
Rosa
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1915 The Two Orphans
Henriette
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1915/I Lady Audley's Secret
Helen Talboys
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1915 The Devil's Daughter
La Gioconda
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1915 The Clemenceau Case
Iza
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1915 Kreutzer Sonata
Celia Friedlander
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1915 A Fool There Was
The Vampire
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1914 The Stain
Gang moll (credited as Theodosia Goodman)




About the films.. They were lost in a fire in a film storage unit. The film used in the early movies was Nitrate and was very flammable and sometimes would catch fire on their own.Only a few fragments survived.
Theda Bara had her own private collection of few favorites, But sometime in late 1940's found that all had disintegrated from age. All that remains were copy's sent to theaters that were forgotten about and rediscovered.