Sothern was born Sara Viola Warmbrodt in Arkansas City, Kansas, the daughter of Elizabeth Ann (née Wilson; February 10, 1864 – February 7, 1932) and Samuel Sylvester Warmbrodt (October 8, 1861 – January 6, 1948). Her paternal grandfather, Samuel Warmbrodt, was from Switzerland.[1] Sothern was a seasoned actress by the time she made her Broadway debut in The Dagger (1925). That was followed by Arabesque and Fool's Bells that same year.