born July 29, 1905, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S. died Sept. 27, 1965, Los Angeles, Calif. U.S. film actress. At age 16 she won a magazine contest that gave her a bit part in a film. Hired by Paramount Pictures in 1925, she played larger roles in silent films such as Mantrap (1926) and Kid Boots (1926). After her starring role as a flapper in the popular film It (1927), Bow became known as "the It girl," with "It" being understood as the appeal of a liberated young woman. She starred in 20 more films (1927-30), but scandals and nervous breakdowns undermined her career