so tonight at dinner i was talking to my friend and somehow we started talking about the silent era (well, i probably brought it up!) anyway, she wasn't aware of a lot of the actors & actresses - and they were huge, massive stars. i always walk down hollywood blvd. and look at their names and feel sad that they are mostly forgotten. so i'll start with the silent era and work my way up.
one of the hugest silent film stars was theda bara. she was THE femme fatale and was given the nickname "the vamp" (she was the first to earn that title). of the more than 40 films she did only 6 of those still exist. one of her biggest films, cleopatra, filmed in 1917, is gone but many stills of her in costume still exist. she also starred in camille, du barry, carmen & salome. although she was born in cincinnati, ohio, the studios billed her as the egyptian born daughter of a french actress and italian sculptor. calling her the "serpent of the nile", she supposedly lived in the sahara desert under the shadow of the sphinx until she moved to france! after the 1930s she retired to live as a hostess in los angeles and new york in comfort and wealth. she died of stomach cancer in 1955 in los angeles at the age of 69.