Clara Bow

Hollywood silent movie actress Clara Bow was born on July 29, 1905 in a run-down tenement in old Brooklyn, to a schizophrenic mother and a chronically destitute, physically abusive father.

Her last name "Bow" was short for her actual last name "Bowtinelli".

As a child, Clara was a tomboy and played games in the streets with the boys; since her clothes were so ragged and dirty other girls wouldn't play with her.

Her best friend Johnny burned to death in her arms when she was 10 years old. Years later, she could make herself cry at will on a movie set by listening to the lullaby "Rock-A-Bye Baby". She claimed it reminded her of her small friend.

She arrived in Hollywood in 1923, by way of winning a beauty contest while she was still in high school.

Young Gary Cooper had a crush on Clara Bow.

From 1927 to 1930 she was one of the top five Hollywood box-office attractions.

Scanned and cropped publicity shot from lost Clara Bow movie Rough House Rosie 1927

She was called ‘Jazz Baby’ and the ‘It Girl’ after her portrayal of a glamorous flapper in the silent film It (1927).

After achieving stardom in the 1920s, Bow became one of the highest-paid actresses of her time. She commanded enormous salaries and enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle, indulging in expensive cars, lavish parties, and extravagant clothing. However, beneath the surface of her glamorous persona, Bow harbored a deep-seated sense of insecurity and a desire for normalcy.

Bow choose to live in a relatively modest bungalow rather than a lavish mansion, despite her immense popularity and wealth during her Hollywood heyday. This decision reflected her down-to-earth personality and her preference for a simpler lifestyle.

In the late 1920s, Bow's popularity began to wane as the film industry transitioned from silent films to talkies. She struggled to adapt to the new medium mostly because of her thick Brooklyn accent. Additionally, her personal life was marred by a series of scandals, including a tumultuous relationship with actor Gilbert Roland and a controversial nude photoshoot for the magazine Modern Youth.

Clara married cowboy actor and rancher, Rex Bell, on December 3, 1931 in Las Vegas. They had a private ceremony at the home of a friend, and the news of their marriage was not released to the public until the following day. They lived in Nevada where Rex Bell eventually became lieutenant governor.

She retired from acting in 1933. Clara Bow's decision to step away from Hollywood was attributed to a combination of factors, including her struggles with mental health.

Clara Bow's last public performance, albeit fleeting, came in 1947 on the radio show Truth or Consequences. 

She was diagnosed with schizophrenia in the 1940s, and never returned home to her family. Instead, Bow lived out the rest of her days in a bungalow in Los Angeles under the constant care of a nurse. 

Clara Bow died on September 27, 1965, at the age of 60. She passed away in her Los Angeles bungalow from a heart attack.

Sources Adore-vintage.blogspot.co.uk, IMDB