Clara Moores
Clara Moores Payson, born Clara Munchhoff, was an American stage actress.
Early life
Clara Louise Munchhoff was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1898, the daughter of Joseph W. Munchhoff and Mate Cannon Munchhoff. Her father owned a traveling carnival. Her mother was active in the suffrage in [the United">Women's suffrage in the United States">suffrage in [the United States|suffrage] movement and her grandfather, Frank E. Moores, was a controversial Mayor of Omaha. She adopted the surname of her stepfather, railwayman Harry E. Moores, after her mother remarried in 1909. She was raised in Seattle, and graduated from Broadway [High School (Seattle)|Broadway High School] and attended the University of Washington.Career
Moores acted on the stage, beginning in college, and later mainly in Boston and on Broadway, with stage credits including roles in Madame X, Under Cover, ''A Cure for Curables, His Majesty Bunker Bean, Dangerous Years, Lilies of the Field, Shavings, Pot Luck, Common Clay, Cobra and The Circle.Moores was considered a stylish beauty in her time. The costumes she wore on stage were described in detail. As publicity for Shavings'', she was photographed in hats made from wood shavings. In 1920, she wrote a beauty advice column on attractive arms, for newspaper syndication.
During World War II, Moores organized vaudeville-style entertainments for enlisted men stationed in the Seattle area.