Vera Stark the actress. The singer. The lover. The civil rights activist. The maid. The housewife. The teacher. The femme fatale. The comic. The tragedienne. The murderer. The murdered.  The missing. The performer. The legend. Vera Stark wore a cascade of faces on and off the silver screen, and was eventually buried under their weight. Or perhaps she wasn’t. Perhaps she just needed to retreat from the limelight, to live in the shadows behind the curtain, anonymous and beyond scrutiny.

This site is designed as a celebration of the life of one of America’s greatest actresses. But it is also a beacon that represents the hope that Vera Stark is still out there, alive and well and willing to tell her story. If you have any information as to what became of Vera Stark, or you are Vera Stark and have stumbled upon this website and want to stage a triumphant comeback, email me at herb.forrester@gmail.com.

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The following is a short documentary, "A Leading Lady in a Maid's Uniform: A Closer Look at The Belle of New Orleans", which I’ve cut together to probe Vera’s end by examining her beginning; her first, and perhaps most famous, film role as Tilly the maid in The Belle of New Orleans.

 

 

For more information, and to find the date of a Vera Stark symposium near you, please visit 2st.com.