Clara Bow
- Known For
- Acting
- Born
- July 29, 1905 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
- Died
- September 27, 1965 (aged 60)
- Active Years
- 1922–1949 (28 Years)
- Total Credits
- 76 credits in database
Biography
Clara Gordon Bow was an American actress born on July 29, 1905, in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. She rose to stardom in silent films during the 1920s and successfully made the transition to talkies. As a teenager, she starred in her first movie through a beauty contest. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the film It brought her global fame and the nickname The It Girl. Bow personified the Roaring Twenties and became its leading sex symbol. She appeared in 46 silent films and 11 talkies, with hits including Mantrap in 1926, and It and Wings in 1927. She was named first box-office draw in 1928 and 1929, and second box-office draw in 1927 and 1930. Clara Bow died on September 27, 1965.
Career overview
Clara Gordon Bow was an American actress born on July 29, 1905, in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. She rose to stardom in silent films during the 1920s and later successfully made the transition to talkies. As a teenager, she starred in her first movie by way of a beauty contest. Over the course of her career, she appeared in 46 silent films and 11 talkies, with a total of 77 known credits on the Movie Database.
Her global fame and the nickname The It Girl came from her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the 1927 film It. Her other notable hits included Mantrap in 1926 and Wings in 1927. Bow was named first box-office draw in 1928 and 1929, and second box-office draw in 1927 and 1930. Coming to personify the Roaring Twenties, she was described as its leading sex symbol.
Later in life, a biography titled Clara Bow: Runnin Wild by David Stenn was published in 1988, and 1999 saw a subsequent release. Clara Gordon Bow passed away on September 27, 1965, at the age of 60.
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Career timeline
Full Filmography
76 titles- Hodgepodge (2025) as Self (archive footage, as Mary Preston)
- Clara Bow: Hollywood's Lost Screen Goddess (2012)
- Fragments: Surviving Pieces of Lost Films (2011) as Herself (archive footage)
- Flappers, Speakeasies, and the Birth of Modern Culture (2010)
- Sigrid Holmquist (2010) as Sigrid Holmquist (archive footage)
- Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema (2007) as Self (archive footage)
- Edith Head: The Paramount Years (2002) as (archive footage)
- Clara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl (1999) as Self / Various Roles (archive footage)
- The Casting Couch (1995)
- Betty Boop: Queen of the Cartoons (1995) as Self (archive footage)
- The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies (1995) as Self (archive footage)
- Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies (1988) as (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend (1986) as archive footage
- Yesterday and Today (1953) as (archive footage)
- Screen Snapshots 1860: Howdy, Podner (1949) as Clara Bow
- Hoopla (1933) as Lou
- The Film Parade (1933) as (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Call Her Savage (1932) as Nasa Springer
- The House That Shadows Built (1931) as (archive footage)
- Kick In (1931) as Molly Hewes
- No Limit (1931) as Helen 'Bunny' O'Day
- Paramount on Parade (1930) as Herself
- Her Wedding Night (1930) as Norma Martin
- True to the Navy (1930) as Ruby Nolan
- Love Among the Millionaires (1930) as Pepper Whipple
- The Wild Party (1929) as Stella Ames
- Dangerous Curves (1929) as Pat Delaney
- The Saturday Night Kid (1929) as Mayme Barry
- Three Week Ends (1928) as Gladys O'Brien
- Ladies of the Mob (1928) as Yvonne
- Red Hair (1928) as Bubbles McCoy
- The Fleet's In (1928) as Trixie Deane
- Wings (1927) as Mary Preston
- Hula (1927) as Hula Calhoun
- It (1927) as Betty Lou Spence
- Rough House Rosie (1927) as Rosie O'Reilly
- Children of Divorce (1927) as Kitty Flanders
- Get Your Man (1927) as Nancy Worthington
- Kid Boots (1926) as Clara McCoy
- Two Can Play (1926) as Dorothy Hammis
- Fascinating Youth (1926) as Clara Bow
- Mantrap (1926) as Alverna
- The Runaway (1926) as Cynthia Meade
- Dancing Mothers (1926) as Kittens Westcourt
- Shadow of the Law (1926) as Mary Brophy
- My Lady's Lips (1925) as Lola Lombard
- Free to Love (1925) as Marie Anthony
- Eve's Lover (1925) as Rena D'Arcy
- The Plastic Age (1925) as Cynthia Day
- The Scarlet West (1925) as Miriam
- Parisian Love (1925) as Marie
- My Lady of Whims (1925) as Prudence Severn
- The Primrose Path (1925) as Marilyn Merrill
- The Ancient Mariner (1925) as Doris
- Capital Punishment (1925) as Delia Tate
- Kiss Me Again (1925) as Grizette
- The Best Bad Man (1925) as Peggy Swain
- The Adventurous Sex (1925) as The Girl
- The Lawful Cheater (1925) as Molly Burns
- The Keeper of the Bees (1925) as Lolly Cameron
- Wine (1924) as Angela Warriner
- Helen's Babies (1924) as Alice Mayton
- This Woman (1924) as Aline Sturdevant
- Grit (1924) as Orchid McGonigle
- Black Lightning (1924) as Martha Larned
- Poisoned Paradise (1924) as Margot LeBlanc
- Daughters of Pleasure (1924) as Lila Millas
- Empty Hearts (1924) as Rosalie
- The Pill Pounder (1923)
- Maytime (1923) as Alice Tremaine
- Black Oxen (1923) as Janet Ogelthorpe
- Enemies of Women (1923) as Dancing Girl (uncredited)
- Enemies of Women (1923) as Girl Dancing on Table
- The Daring Years (1923) as Mary
- Down to the Sea in Ships (1922) as 'Dot' Morgan
- Beyond the Rainbow (1922) as Virginia Gardener
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Clara Bow best known for?
Clara Bow is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including The Game Caterers (2021), Wings (1927), All Kinds of Daughters-in-Law (2017).
When and where was Clara Bow born?
Clara Bow was born on July 29, 1905 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. They passed away on September 27, 1965.
How many credits does Clara Bow have?
Clara Bow has 76 film and television credits listed on archytele, with work dated between 1922 and 1949.
What is Clara Bow's background in cinema and television?
Clara Gordon Bow was an American actress born on July 29, 1905, in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. She rose to stardom in silent films during the 1920s and successfully made the transition to talkies. As a teenager, she starred in her first movie through a beauty contest. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the f...
Clara Bow by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- Wings (1927) as Mary Preston — aged about 21
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