Clara Bow

Clara Bow

Known For

Wings

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clara Gordon Bow (July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom in silent films during the 1920s and successfully made the transition to "talkies" after 1927. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the film It brought her global fame and the nickname "The It Girl". Bow came to personify the Roaring Twenties and is described as its leading sex symbol.

Bow appeared in 46 silent films and 11 talkies, including hits such as Mantrap (1926), It (1927), and Wings (1927). She was named first box-office draw in 1928 and 1929 and second box-office draw in 1927 and 1930. Her presence in a motion picture was said to have ensured investors, by odds of almost two-to-one, a "safe return". At the apex of her stardom, she received more than 45,000 fan letters in a single month (January 1929).

Two years after marrying actor Rex Bell in 1931, Bow retired from acting and became a rancher in Nevada. Her final film, Hoop-La, was released in 1933. In September 1965, Bow died of a heart attack at the age of 60.

Movies Featuring Clara Bow

Hodgepodge

Hodgepodge (2025)

as Self (archive footage, as Mary Preston)
Sigrid Holmquist

Sigrid Holmquist (2010)

as Sigrid Holmquist (archive footage)
Clara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl

Clara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl (1999)

as Self / Various Roles (archive footage)
Yesterday and Today

Yesterday and Today (1953)

as (archive footage)
The Film Parade

The Film Parade (1933)

as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Kick In

Kick In (1931)

as Molly Hewes
No Limit

No Limit (1931)

as Helen 'Bunny' O'Day
Three Week Ends

Three Week Ends (1928)

as Gladys O'Brien
Red Hair

Red Hair (1928)

as Bubbles McCoy
Get Your Man

Get Your Man (1927)

as Nancy Worthington
Hula

Hula (1927)

as Hula Calhoun
Wings

Wings (1927)

as Mary Preston
It

It (1927)

as Betty Lou Spence
Kid Boots

Kid Boots (1926)

as Clara McCoy
The Runaway

The Runaway (1926)

as Cynthia Meade
Dancing Mothers

Dancing Mothers (1926)

as Kittens Westcourt
Two Can Play

Two Can Play (1926)

as Dorothy Hammis
My Lady of Whims

My Lady of Whims (1925)

as Prudence Severn
Free to Love

Free to Love (1925)

as Marie Anthony
The Primrose Path

The Primrose Path (1925)

as Marilyn Merrill
Eve's Lover

Eve's Lover (1925)

as Rena D'Arcy
This Woman

This Woman (1924)

as Aline Sturdevant
Wine

Wine (1924)

as Angela Warriner
Grit

Grit (1924)

as Orchid McGonigle
Black Oxen

Black Oxen (1923)

as Janet Ogelthorpe
Maytime

Maytime (1923)

as Alice Tremaine
Enemies of Women

Enemies of Women (1923)

as Dancing Girl (uncredited)
Enemies of Women

Enemies of Women (1923)

as Girl Dancing on Table
Beyond the Rainbow

Beyond the Rainbow (1922)

as Virginia Gardener