My Favorite Silent Actor & Actress Pt. 2

The list of silent movies that I have seen is relatively short. I really enjoy watching them, especially those that were the big hits of their day. The silent stars are fascinating to watch as well. Most did very good acting on screen. They really had to use their eyes, since there was no sound to emphasize emotion with their tone of voice.

Clara Bow is my favorite silent actress. On of the reasons is because of how she used her eyes. I believe that those silent movie actors who had darker eyes looked much better on screen. Clara Bow had those dark, very emotional eyes.

She started her career when she won a contest in a movie magazine. The film that she won a part for has since been lost. After that, she escaped a horrible home life to begin her work in movies.


There were several small supporting roles, and then she played her first flapper role in "The Plastic Age" (1925). Clara Bow, the jazz age flapper was born. Stardom came when she starred in 1927's "It". She plays a shop girl intent on winning her boss, played by Antonio Moreno.

Little did she know that sound films were right around the corner. She still did very well in sound films, but her fear of the microphone drove her out of the movies. Her final film was in 1933's "Hoopla".

Clara Bow married actor Rex Bell and retired to Nevada. They had two sons, and remained together until his death in 1962. She had some personal problems and mental illness for years due to traumatic experiences in her childhood. Clara Bow died of a heart attack in her home at the age of 60 on September 26, 1965.

I have loved each of the Clara Bow movies that I have seen. She put so much energy into each role. Please watch one of her movies soon if you have not seen one. Clara Bow was fabulous! Below is a wonderful video with several clips from her most popular film "It".