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Clara Bow

Clara Bow

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.

Known for

Hodgepodge
Hodgepodge
2025 • Self (archive footage, as Mary Preston)
Clara Bow: Hollywood's Lost Screen Goddess
Clara Bow: Hollywood's Lost Screen Goddess
2012
Fragments: Surviving Pieces of Lost Films
Fragments: Surviving Pieces of Lost Films
2011 • Herself (archive footage)
Sigrid Holmquist
Sigrid Holmquist
2010 • Sigrid Holmquist (archive footage)
Flappers, Speakeasies, and the Birth of Modern Culture
Flappers, Speakeasies, and the Birth of Modern Culture
2010
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
2007 • Self (archive footage)
Edith Head: The Paramount Years
Edith Head: The Paramount Years
2002 • (archive footage)
Clara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl
Clara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl
1999 • Self / Various Roles (archive footage)

Full filmography

Hodgepodge
Hodgepodge
2025 • Self (archive footage, as Mary Preston)
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Fragments: Surviving Pieces of Lost Films
Fragments: Surviving Pieces of Lost Films
2011 • Herself (archive footage)
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Sigrid Holmquist
Sigrid Holmquist
2010 • Sigrid Holmquist (archive footage)
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Clara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl
Clara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl
1999 • Self / Various Roles (archive footage)
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Betty Boop: Queen of the Cartoons
Betty Boop: Queen of the Cartoons
1995 • Self (archive footage)
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Yesterday and Today
Yesterday and Today
1953 • (archive footage)
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Hoopla
Hoopla
1933 • Lou
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The Film Parade
The Film Parade
1933 • (archive footage) (uncredited)
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Call Her Savage
Call Her Savage
1932 • Nasa Springer
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The House That Shadows Built
The House That Shadows Built
1931 • (archive footage)
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Kick In
Kick In
1931 • Molly Hewes
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No Limit
No Limit
1931 • Helen 'Bunny' O'Day
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Her Wedding Night
Her Wedding Night
1930 • Norma Martin
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True to the Navy
True to the Navy
1930 • Ruby Nolan
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Dangerous Curves
Dangerous Curves
1929 • Pat Delaney
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The Wild Party
The Wild Party
1929 • Stella Ames
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Three Week Ends
Three Week Ends
1928 • Gladys O'Brien
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The Fleet's In
The Fleet's In
1928 • Trixie Deane
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Red Hair
Red Hair
1928 • Bubbles McCoy
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Get Your Man
Get Your Man
1927 • Nancy Worthington
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Hula
Hula
1927 • Hula Calhoun
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Wings
Wings
1927 • Mary Preston
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Rough House Rosie
Rough House Rosie
1927 • Rosie O'Reilly
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Children of Divorce
Children of Divorce
1927 • Kitty Flanders
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It
It
1927 • Betty Lou Spence
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Kid Boots
Kid Boots
1926 • Clara McCoy
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Mantrap
Mantrap
1926 • Alverna
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The Runaway
The Runaway
1926 • Cynthia Meade
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Fascinating Youth
Fascinating Youth
1926 • Clara Bow
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Dancing Mothers
Dancing Mothers
1926 • Kittens Westcourt
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Two Can Play
Two Can Play
1926 • Dorothy Hammis
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Shadow of the Law
Shadow of the Law
1926 • Mary Brophy
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The Plastic Age
The Plastic Age
1925 • Cynthia Day
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My Lady of Whims
My Lady of Whims
1925 • Prudence Severn
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The Best Bad Man
The Best Bad Man
1925 • Peggy Swain
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Free to Love
Free to Love
1925 • Marie Anthony
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The Primrose Path
The Primrose Path
1925 • Marilyn Merrill
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The Keeper of the Bees
The Keeper of the Bees
1925 • Lolly Cameron
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Kiss Me Again
Kiss Me Again
1925 • Grizette
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The Lawful Cheater
The Lawful Cheater
1925 • Molly Burns
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Eve's Lover
Eve's Lover
1925 • Rena D'Arcy
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My Lady's Lips
My Lady's Lips
1925 • Lola Lombard
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Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment
1925 • Delia Tate
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Black Lightning
Black Lightning
1924 • Martha Larned
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This Woman
This Woman
1924 • Aline Sturdevant
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Helen's Babies
Helen's Babies
1924 • Alice Mayton
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Empty Hearts
Empty Hearts
1924 • Rosalie
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Wine
Wine
1924 • Angela Warriner
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Poisoned Paradise
Poisoned Paradise
1924 • Margot LeBlanc
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Grit
Grit
1924 • Orchid McGonigle
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Black Oxen
Black Oxen
1923 • Janet Ogelthorpe
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Maytime
Maytime
1923 • Alice Tremaine
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Enemies of Women
Enemies of Women
1923 • Dancing Girl (uncredited)
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Beyond the Rainbow
Beyond the Rainbow
1922 • Virginia Gardener
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Clara Bow – Biography, Known For & Filmography