Theda Bara (/ˈθiːdə ˈbærə/ THEE-də BARR-ə; born Theodosia Burr Goodman, July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress.Bara was one of the most popular actresses of the silent era, and one of cinema's earliest sex symbols. Her femme fatale roles earned her the nickname The Vamp (short for vampire). Bara made more than 40 films between 1914 and 1926, but most are now lost because the 1937 Fox vault fire destroyed most of her films.