Theda Bara Home - New York City

Theda Bara's home is located on West End Avenue in New York City.  She moved here in 1915 after making her mark in motion pictures.  Theodosia Goodman was born in Cincinnatti in 1885, and had been appearing in minor shows and plays for years when the nearly thirty-year old actress landed a bit part in director Frank Powell's 1914 film The Stain for Fox Pictures.  When studio head William Fox was looking for a female lead for his new property, A Fool There Was, Powell suggested Theodosia to him.  Fox viewed The Stain and liked what he saw, signing her to a five-year contract at $100 a week, and changing her name to Theda Bara.  A Fool There Was was released in January of 1915 and became a smash success.  The Kreutzer Sonata, released in March, and The Clemenceau Case, released in April, further cemented her fame.  In the relatively young world of feature films, Theda Bara was the first star to achieve overnight stardom, in only her second feature, and first as the lead.  The success of her films in 1915, ten in all, helped elevate the ranks of the fledgling Fox Pictures to that of a major player.  In April of 1915 when the newly inaugurated star decided to move into a home more befitting her rank, she chose this Upper West Side apartment, close to the ferry to Fort Lee, New Jersey, where Fox Studios was located.  She lived here until May, 1917, when Fox relocated her to Hollywood, where they were preparing to film her latest vehicle, Cleopatra.  By that time her  salary had increased to $3,000 a week.  Theda kept her Manhattan apartment, for occasional visits, until she retired from acting in 1926.  At that time she rented a different apartment, on the Upper East Side, closer to Central Park.  Some of the films she made during her time in New York include Sin (1915), Carmen (1915), East Lynne (1916), and Camille (1917).

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