Clara Bellar was born and raised in Paris, France. Other than French, she speaks English, German, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.

Clara is a stage actress who came to the attention of French film director Eric Rohmer during her performance in Sleeping Beauty. This lead to a collaboration between Bellar and Rohmer in their co-writing of a film, Rendezvous in Paris. The film was based upon Clara's own life experiences. Rohmer cast her as the lead actress in his film.

This led to her future roles in the films, Oranges Ameres, Romance and Rejection, and This Space Between Us, Sleepy Time Gal and David.

As a stage actress, Clara produced and starred in A Flea In Her Ear at the Stages Theater Center in Hollywood. This play received the notable aware of the 2001 Ovation AWard for Best Translation and Adaptation and being named one of the Ten Best Productions of the Year in the Daily News.

Acting in theater since 1989 her theater work also includes, Le Kabaret de la Derni re Chance; La Belle au Bois Dormant; Le Triangle de Cristal; Preparadise Sorry Now; L'Herbe Amore; in France and No Exit in England. A joint US/Brazilian production of Clowns Mudos was performed in Santa Monica, California. Her 2004 dual starring role as Shen Te, a prostitute and Shui Ta, her male cousin, set in 1920s China was performed in Venice, California.

A singer, Bellar recorded an album in Portuguese, Meu Coração Brasileiro, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.