Flora Zabelle, a Broadway star, was born Zabelle Mangasarian in Constantinople on April 1, 1880. Her father, Dr. Mangasar Mangasarian (M. M. Mangasarian, 1859-1943), was a prominent pastor and theologian. She appears to have moved to the United States at a very early age, for her father studied in Princeton around 1880 and then moved to Philadelphia (1882-1885) and later New York and Chicago. Her sister, Christine Mangasarian, was also an actress in Broadway. Zabelle Mangasarian attended Wellesley College and decided upon an acting career, which was particularly ambitious and brave for a woman so young and especially at that time. At the age of 19, she moved to New York and adopted the stage name Flora Zabelle.