Barbara La Marr packed more into six years of filmmaking than most actors do in a lifetime. Between 1920 and 1926, she appeared in 27 films, moving from small supporting roles to full leading-lady status at a remarkable speed. Before Hollywood, she worked as a dancer in New York City. After relocating to Los Angeles with her husband, she shifted gears and began writing screenplays for Fox Film. That work put her inside the studio system and opened the door to acting.
Her screen debut came in “Harriet and the Piper” in 1920. The following year, she took small roles in “The Nut” (1921) and “The Three Musketeers” (1921). Those early credits didn’t keep her in the background for long. By 1922, she had top billing in “Arabian Love,” “Domestic Relations,” “Trifling Women,” and “The Prisoner of Zenda” — four films in a single year.
Barbara La Marr in “The Heart of a Siren”, 1925
Her nickname had nothing to do with a publicist or a studio campaign. When Barbara was just 14, she was arrested for dancing in a burlesque show. The judge presiding over her case looked at her and remarked that she was “too beautiful to be alone in a big city, alone and unprotected.” Those words stuck. From that point on, she carried the title “The Girl Who Is Too Beautiful” — a label that followed her through her entire career.
Barbara La Marr in “Strangers of the Night”, 1923
Barbara La Marr was officially married four times, though some historical sources put the number at five. Her personal life was as dramatic as anything she played on screen. At the height of her fame, she slept very little and partied for long hours. Drinking and drug use were part of her daily routine during this period.
Barbara, Conway Tearle, and Charles De Roche in “The White Moth”, 1924
In the last two years of her life, she added extreme crash dieting to that already punishing lifestyle. She went through several severe diets in a short span of time, driven by pressure to control her weight for the screen. The combination of poor sleep, substance use, and near-starvation dieting took a serious physical toll.
Barbara La Marr in “Sandra”, 192
On screen, she brought real presence to every role she took. Her performances in the 1922 productions showed she could carry a film, not just support one. “The Prisoner of Zenda” in particular featured her alongside Ramon Novarro and Stuart Holmes, and her work in that film helped cement her reputation as one of silent cinema’s most watchable stars.
Barbara La Marr Warner Baxter and John Gilbert in “St. Elmo”, 1923Barbara La Marr and Robert Ellis in “The Girl from Montmartre”, 1926
The gallery below, compiled by Bygonely, brings together more than 50 photographs of Barbara La Marr drawn from her film work throughout the 1920s. The images span her most active years, capturing her on set, in character, and alongside the co-stars and directors she worked with during that period.
Barbara La Marr, Ramon Novarro and Stuart Holmes in “The Prisoner of Zenda”, 1922Barara La Marr in “Thy Name is Woman”, 1924Barbara La Marr in “Prisoner of Zenda”, 1922Barbara La Marr in”Trifling Women”, 1922
Barbara La Marr in “The Eternal City”, 1923
Barbara La Marr in “The Heart of a Siren”, 1925
Barbara La Marr in “The Heart of a Siren”, 1925Barbara La Marr in “The Heart of a Siren”, 1925Barbara La Marr with Ramon Novarro in “Trifling Women”, 1922Barbara La Marr in “The heart of Siren”, 1925
Barbara La Marr in “The Shooting of Dan McGrew”, 1924
Barbara La Marr in “The Eternal City”, 1923
Barbara with William V. Mong in “Thy Name Is Woman”, 1924Barbara La Marr with With “Richard Tucker in Poor Men’s Wives”, 1923Barbara La Marr with With “Richard Tucker in Poor Men’s Wives”, 1923Barbara La Marr with Ramon Novarro in “Thy Name Is Women”, 1924Barbara La Marr in “Souls for Sale”, 1923Barbara La Marr with Robert Ellis in “The Girl from Montmartre”, 1926Barbara La Marr with Lionel Barrymore in “The Eternal City”, 1923Barbara La Marr with Ramon Novarro in “Thy Name Is Woman”, 1924Barbara La Marr with Wallace MacDonald in “Thy Name Is Woman”, 1924Barbara La Marr with Ramon Novarro in “The Prisoner of Zenda”, 1922In her Whitley Heights home, 1924On the set of “Thy Name Is Women”, 1924 with Fred Niblo and co-stars Wallace MacDonald, Ramon Novarro, and William V. Mong.
Barbara La Marr in ” The Prisoner of Zenda”, 1922
Barbara La Marr in Thy Name Is Woman”, 1924
Barbara La Marr in “The Prisoner of Zenda”, 1922 with with Stuart Holmes (on her right) and Ramon Novarro (on right in foreground)Barbara La Marr with George Marion in “The White Moneky”, 1925Barbara La Marr and Charles De Roche in “The White Moth”, 1924Barbara La Marr in “Sandra”, 1924Barbara La Marr with Percy Marmont (center), and Lew Cody (on right) in “The Shooting of Dan McGrew”, 1924Barbara La Marr in “The Shooting of Dan McGrew”, 1924Barbara La Marr and Earle Williams in “The Eternal Struggle”, 1923Barbara La Marr in “Strangers of the Night”, 1923Barbara La Marr in “The Prisoner of Zenda”, 1922 with Stuart Holmes (standing) as Black Michael, and Ramon Novarro (seated, center) as Rupert of Hentzau
Barbara La Marr in “Trifling Women”, 1923
Barbara La Marr in “The White Moth”, 1924
Barbara La Marr and Lewis Stone in “The Girl from Montmartre”, 1926Barbara La Marr and William V. Mong in “Thy Name is Woman”, 1924Barbara La Marr in “The Girl from Montmartre”, 1926 with E. H. Calvert (on left), and Lewis Stone
