Bette Davis
from the Now, Voyager film trailer, 1942.
Born	Ruth Elizabeth Davis April 5, 1908(1908-04-05) Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
Died	October 6, 1989 (aged 81) Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Years active	1929-1989
Spouse(s)	Harmon Nelson (1932–1938) Arthur Farnsworth (1940–1943) William Grant Sherry (1945–1950) Gary Merrill (1950–1960)
Awards won Academy Awards Best Actress 1935 Dangerous 1938 Jezebel César Awards Honorary César 1986 Lifetime Achievement Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress - Miniseries/Movie 1979 Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter Golden Globe Awards Cecil B. DeMille Award 1974 Lifetime Achievement Other Awards Volpi Cup for Best Actress 1937 Kid Galahad ; Marked Woman NYFCC Award for Best Actress 1950 All About Eve Best Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival) 1951 All About Eve Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress (film) 1976 Burnt Offerings AFI Life Achievement Award 1977 Lifetime Achievement

Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional comedies, though her greatest successes were romantic dramas. For the actress, see Bette Davis, for the meteorologist, see Betty Davis (meteorologist). ... Bold text Betty Davis is currently a meteorologist for The Weather Channel, on Weekend Weather Center. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Now, Voyager is a 1942 film which tells the story of a middle-aged spinster who, repressed by the domination of her mother, winds up in a sanatorium, where her self-confidence is boosted by an understanding psychiatrist. ... is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Nickname: Motto: Art is the Handmaid of Human Good Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Middlesex Settled 1653 Incorporated 1826 A city 1836 Government  - Type Manager-City council  - Mayor William F. Martin, Jr. ... is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Neuilly-sur-Seine is a commune in the Hauts-de-Seine département in France. ... William Grant Sherry (born 1914) is a painter and artist. ... Gary Merrill (August 2, 1915 - March 5, 1990) was a U. S. film and television actor whose credits included more than fifty feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of TV guest appearances. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... Dangerous is a 1935 drama film starring Bette Davis as an alcoholic actress who has fallen on hard times and is helped back to her feet by a fan (Franchot Tone), whose own engagement is threatened by his relationship with the actress. ... Jezebel is a 1938 film that tells the story of a headstrong young Southern woman during the years prior to the American Civil War, and how her actions cost her the love of the man she truly loves. ... The César Award is the national film award of France first given out in 1975. ... César: Prize (César dhonneur) ... An Emmy Award. ... This is a list of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie winners: 1974: Mildred Natwick - The Swoop Sisters 1975: Jessica Walter - Amy Prentiss 1976: Rosemary Harris - Notorious Woman 1977: Patty Duke - Captains and Kings 1978: Meryl Streep - Holocaust 1979: Bette Davis - Strangers... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... The Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in motion pictures has been given annually since 1952 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at the Golden Globe Award ceremonies in Hollywood, California. ... The Venice Film Festival ( ) is the oldest film festival in the world. ... Kid Galahad is a 1962 musical film starring Elvis Presley as a boxer. ... Marked Woman is the title of a crime melodrama film released by Warner Brothers Studios in 1937. ... The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress is one of the awards given by the New York Film Critics Circle to honor the finest achievements in filmmaking. ... For other uses, see All About Eve (disambiguation). ... The Best Actress Award (French: Prix dinterprétation féminine) is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. ... For other uses, see All About Eve (disambiguation). ... The following are a list of Saturn Award winners for Best Supporting Actress (in a film): Categories: | ... Burnt Offerings is Iced Earths third album, released April 18, 1995, by Century Media Records. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... For other uses, see Actor (disambiguation). ... This article is about motion pictures. ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle — indeed... In film theory, genre refers to the primary method of film categorization. ... A crime film, in its most general sense, is a film that deals with crime, criminal justice and the darker side of human nature. ... The historical drama is a film genre in which stories are based more or less accurately upon historical events and famous persons. ... In the performing arts, a period piece is a work set in a particular era. ... A comedy is a dramatic performance of a light and amusing character, usually with a happy conclusion to its plot. ... While most films have some aspect of romance between characters (at least as a subplot) a romance film can be loosely defined as any film in which the central plot (the premise of the story) revolves around the romantic involvement of the storys protagonists. ...

After appearing in Broadway plays, Davis moved to Hollywood in 1930, but her early films for Universal Studios were unsuccessful. She joined Warner Bros. in 1932 and established her career with several critically acclaimed performances. In 1937, she attempted to free herself from her contract and although she lost a well-publicized legal case, it marked the beginning of the most successful period of her career. Until the late 1940s, she was one of American cinema's most celebrated leading actresses, known for her forceful and intense style. Davis gained a reputation as a perfectionist who could be highly combative, and her confrontations with studio executives, film directors and costars were often reported. Her forthright manner, clipped vocal style and ubiquitous cigarette contributed to a public persona which has often been imitated and satirized. Broadway theatre is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ... ... This article is about the American media conglomerate. ... “WB” redirects here. ... Unlit filtered cigarettes. ...

Davis was the co-founder of the Hollywood Canteen, and was the first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She was the first actor to receive 10 Academy Award nominations and the first woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute. Her career went through several periods of decline, and she admitted that her success had often been at the expense of her personal relationships. Married four times, she was once widowed and three times divorced, and raised her children as a single parent. Her final years were marred by a long period of ill health, but she continued acting until shortly before her death from breast cancer, with more than 100 film, television and theater roles to her credit. The Hollywood Canteen operated at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood, California between October 3, 1942 and the end of World War II as a club offering food and entertainment for American servicemen, usually on their way overseas. ... Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study in Hollywood, California Founded on May 11, 1927 in California, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. ...

In 1999, Davis was placed second, behind Katharine Hepburn, on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest female stars of all time. Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an iconic American actress of film, television and stage. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Part of the AFI 100 Years. ...

Background and early acting career

Ruth Elizabeth Davis, known from early childhood as "Betty", was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, the daughter of Ruth ("Ruthie") Augusta (née Favor), and Harlow Morrell Davis, a patent attorney;^{[unreliable source?][1]} her sister, Barbara ("Bobby"), was born October 25, 1909. The family was Protestant, of English, French, and Welsh ancestry.^[2] In 1915, Davis's parents separated and Betty and Bobby attended a Spartan boarding school called Crestalban in Lanesborough, which is located in the Berkshires.^[3] In 1921, Ruth Davis moved to New York City with her daughters, where she worked as a portrait photographer. Betty was inspired to become an actress after seeing Rudolph Valentino in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) and Mary Pickford in Little Lord Fauntleroy (1921),^[4] and changed the spelling of her name to "Bette" after Honoré de Balzac's La Cousine Bette.^[5] She received encouragement from her mother, who had aspired to become an actress. Nickname: Motto: Art is the Handmaid of Human Good Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Middlesex Settled 1653 Incorporated 1826 A city 1836 Government  - Type Manager-City council  - Mayor William F. Martin, Jr. ... Née redirects here. ... is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about the English as an ethnic group and nation. ... The Welsh are, according to Hastings (1997), an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language, which is a Celtic language. ... Lanesborough is a town located in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. ... The Berkshires are a branch of the Appalachian Mountains in Western Massachusetts. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Rudolph Valentino (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926) was an Italian actor. ... The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was a 1921 silent movie produced by Metro Pictures Corporation, directed by Rex Ingram and starring Rudolph Valentino, Pomeroy Cannon, Josef Swickard and Alice Terry. ... For the Katie Melua song, see Mary Pickford (Used to Eat Roses). ... Little Lord Fauntleroy is a sentimental childrens novel by American (English-born) author Frances Hodgson Burnett, serialized in St. ... Balzac redirects here. ... La Cousine Bette (English: Cousin Bette) is an 1846 novel by Honoré de Balzac. ...

She attended Cushing Academy, a boarding school in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, where she met her future husband, Harmon O. Nelson, known as "Ham". In 1926, she saw a production of Henrik Ibsen's The Wild Duck with Blanche Yurka and Peg Entwistle. Davis later recalled that it inspired her full commitment to her chosen career, and said, "Before that performance I wanted to be an actress. When it ended, I had to be an actress... exactly like Peg Entwistle."^[6] She auditioned for admission to Eva LeGallienne's Manhattan Civic Repertory, but was rejected by LeGallienne who described her attitude as "insincere" and "frivolous".^[7] She was accepted by the John Murray Anderson School of Theatre (where Lucille Ball was also a pupil), and studied dance with Martha Graham. Cushing Academy is a boarding school in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. ... The title of Baron Ashburnham was created in the Peerage of England in 1689. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Ibsen redirects here. ... The Wild Duck (original Norwegian title: Vildanden) is a 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. ... Blanche Yurka (June 18, 1887 – June 6, 1974) was an American theatre and film actress. ... Peg Entwistle Peg Entwistle (February 6, 1908 – September 18, 1932) was a Hollywood actress, famous for her suicide. ... Eva Le Gallienne (January 11, 1899–June 3, 1991) was an actress, producer, and director well-known during the first half of the 20th century. ... John Murray Anderson (September 20, 1886 - January 30, 1954) was a theatre director and producer, songwriter, screenwriter, and lighting designer. ... Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an iconic American comedienne, film, television, stage and radio actress, glamour girl and star of the landmark sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show and Heres Lucy. ... For the supercentenarian, see Martha Graham (supercentenarian). ...

She auditioned for George Cukor's stock theater company, and although he was not impressed, he gave Davis her first paid acting assignment – a one-week stint playing the part of a chorus girl in the play, Broadway. She was later chosen to play Hedwig, the character she had seen Peg Entwistle play, in The Wild Duck. After performing in Philadelphia, Washington and Boston, she made her Broadway debut in 1929 in Broken Dishes, and followed it with Solid South. A Universal Studios talent scout saw her perform and invited her to Hollywood for a screen test. George Dewey Cukor (July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director. ... For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... This article is about the American media conglomerate. ... Screen Test was a British childrens quiz show produced by the BBC which ran from 1969 to 1984. ...

Transition from stage to film

In Hell's House (1932)

Accompanied by her mother, Davis traveled by train to Hollywood, arriving on December 13, 1930. She later recounted her surprise that nobody from the studio was there to meet her; a studio employee had waited for her, but left because he saw nobody who "looked like an actress". She failed her first screen test but was used in several screen tests for other actors. In a 1971 interview with Dick Cavett, she related the experience with the observation, "I was the most Yankee-est, most modest virgin who ever walked the earth. They laid me on a couch, and I tested fifteen men ... They all had to lie on top of me and give me a passionate kiss. Oh, I thought I would die. Just thought I would die."^[8] A second test was arranged for Davis, for the film A House Divided (1931). Hastily dressed in an ill-fitting costume with a low neckline, she was rebuffed by the director William Wyler, who loudly commented to the assembled crew, "What do you think of these dames who show their chests and think they can get jobs?"^[9] Carl Laemmle, the head of Universal Studios, considered terminating Davis's employment, but the cinematographer Karl Freund told him she had "lovely eyes" and would be suitable for The Bad Sister (1931), in which she subsequently made her film debut.^[10] Her nervousness was compounded when she overheard the Chief of Production, Carl Laemmle Jr., comment to another executive that she had "about as much sex appeal as Slim Summerville", one of the film's co-stars.^[11] The film was not a success, and her next role in Seed (1931) was too brief to attract attention. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Richard Alva Dick Cavett (born November 19, 1936) is an Emmy-winning American television talk show host known for his conversational style and in-depth discussion of issues. ... Director Herbert Brenon with actress Alla Nazimova on the set of War Brides, 1916 A director is a person who directs the making of a film. ... William Wyler (July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a prolific, Oscar-winning motion picture director. ... Carl Laemmle Birthplace of Carl Laemmle in Laupheim Carl Laemmle (17 January 1867 – 24 September 1939), born in Laupheim, Württemberg, Germany, was a pioneer in American film making and a founder of one of the original major Hollywood movie studios. ... Cameraman redirects here. ... Karl W. Freund (January 16, 1890-May 3, 1969) was a German cinematographer who worked on over 100 films, including Metropolis (1927), Dracula (1931), and Key Largo (1948). ... The Bad Sister is a 1931 American drama film made by Universal Pictures, directed by Hobart Henley, produced by Carl Laemmle Jr. ... Carl Laemmle Jr. ... Slim Summerville (July 10, 1892 – January 6, 1946) was an American film actor, best known as a comedy performer. ... Seed is a 1931 film made by Universal Pictures, produced and directed by John M. Stahl and co-produced by Carl Laemmle Jr. ...

Universal Studios renewed her contract for three months, and she appeared in a small role in Waterloo Bridge (1931) before being lent to Columbia Pictures for The Menace, and to Capital Films for Hell's House (all 1932). After nine months, and six unsuccessful films, Laemmle elected not to renew her contract. Waterloo Bridge is a 1931 drama film made by Universal Pictures, directed by James Whale and produced by Carl Laemmle Jr. ... The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ...

George Arliss chose Davis for the lead female role in The Man Who Played God (1932), and for the rest of her life, Davis credited him with helping her achieve her "break" in Hollywood. The Saturday Evening Post wrote, "she is not only beautiful, but she bubbles with charm", and compared her to Constance Bennett and Olive Borden.^[12] Warner Bros. signed her to a five-year contract. George Arliss (10 April 1868- 5 February 1946) was a British actor. ... The Man Who Played God is a 1932 film drama produced by Warner Brothers. ... Constance Campbell Bennett (October 22, 1904 - July 24, 1965) was a US actress known as much for her elegant persona as for her acting career. ... Olive Borden (Sybil Tinkle) (July 14, 1907 - October 1, 1947) was an American actress in silent and early talking motion figures, known for her pitch black hair and overall beauty. ...

In 1932, she married "Ham" Nelson, who was scrutinized by the press; his $100 a week earnings compared unfavorably with Davis's reported $1,000 a week income. Davis addressed the issue in an interview, pointing out that many Hollywood wives earned more than their husbands, but the situation proved difficult for Nelson, who refused to allow Davis to purchase a house until he could afford to pay for it himself.^[13]

As the shrewish Mildred in Of Human Bondage (1934), Davis was acclaimed for her dramatic performance.

After more than 20 film roles, the role of the vicious and slatternly Mildred Rogers in a film adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's novel Of Human Bondage (1934), earned Davis her first major critical acclaim. Many actresses feared playing unsympathetic characters, and several had refused the role, but Davis viewed it as an opportunity to show the range of her acting skills. Her costar, Leslie Howard, was initially dismissive of her, but as filming progressed his attitude changed and he subsequently spoke highly of her abilities. The director, John Cromwell, allowed her relative freedom, and commented, "I let Bette have her head. I trusted her instincts." She insisted that she be portrayed realistically in her death scene, and said, "the last stages of consumption, poverty and neglect are not pretty and I intended to be convincing-looking".^[14] Image File history File links BetteDavisinOfHumanBondage. ... Image File history File links BetteDavisinOfHumanBondage. ... The 1934 film Of Human Bondage was the first film adaptation of the 1915 novel of the same name by the British author W. Somerset Maugham. ... Leslie Howard (April 3, 1893 - June 1, 1943) was an English stage and Academy Award nominated film actor. ... John Cromwell (December 23, 1887 – September 26, 1979) was an American actor, producer and director. ... Tuberculosis (commonly shortened to TB) is an infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can also affect the central nervous system (meningitis), lymphatic system, circulatory system (Miliary tuberculosis), genitourinary system, bones and joints. ...

The film was a success, and Davis's confronting characterization won praise from critics, with Life Magazine writing that she gave "probably the best performance ever recorded on the screen by a U.S. actress".^[15] Davis anticipated that her reception would encourage Warner Bros. to cast her in more important roles, and was disappointed when Jack Warner refused to loan her to Columbia Studios to appear in It Happened One Night, and instead cast her in a melodrama, Housewife.^[16] When Davis was not nominated for an Academy Award for Of Human Bondage, The Hollywood Citizen News questioned the omission and Norma Shearer, herself a nominee, joined a campaign to have Davis nominated. This prompted an announcement from the Academy president, Howard Estabrook, who said that under the circumstances "any voter ... may write on the ballot his or her personal choice for the winners", thus allowing, for the only time in the Academy's history, the consideration of a candidate not officially nominated for an award.^[17] Claudette Colbert won the award for It Happened One Night but the uproar led to a change in Academy voting procedures the following year, whereby nominations were determined by votes from all eligible members of a particular branch, rather than by a smaller committee,^[18] with results independently tabulated by the accounting firm Price Waterhouse.^[19] A cover of Life Magazine from 1911 Life has been the name of two notable magazines published in the United States. ... It Happened One Night is a 1934 romantic comedy directed by Frank Capra, in which a pampered socialite (Claudette Colbert) tries to get out from under her fathers thumb, and falls in love with a roguish reporter (Clark Gable). ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... Edith Norma Shearer (August 10, 1902 (some sources indicate 1900) – June 12, 1983) was an Academy Award-winning Canadian-American actress. ... Claudette Colbert (September 13, 1903 – July 30, 1996) was an Academy Award-winning French-born American actress. ... ...

Davis appeared in Dangerous (1935) as a troubled actress and received very good reviews. E. Arnot Robertson wrote in Picture Post, "I think Bette Davis would probably have been burned as a witch if she had lived two or three hundred years ago. She gives the curious feeling of being charged with power which can find no ordinary outlet." The New York Times hailed her as "becoming one of the most interesting of our screen actresses".^[20] She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the role, but commented it was belated recognition for Of Human Bondage. Dangerous is a 1935 drama film starring Bette Davis as an alcoholic actress who has fallen on hard times and is helped back to her feet by a fan (Franchot Tone), whose own engagement is threatened by his relationship with the actress. ... Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ...

For the rest of her life, Davis maintained that she gave the statue its familiar name of "Oscar" because its posterior resembled that of her husband, whose middle name was Oscar,^[21][22] although her claim has been disputed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, among others.

In her next film, The Petrified Forest (1936), Davis co-starred with Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart, but Bogart, in his first important role, received most of the critics' praise. Davis appeared in several films over the next two years but most were poorly received. The Petrified Forest (1936) is a predecessor to film noir, with an original screenplay by Delmer Daves and Charles Kenyon derived from the play by Robert E. Sherwood. ... Leslie Howard (April 3, 1893 - June 1, 1943) was an English stage and Academy Award nominated film actor. ... Bogart redirects here. ...

Legal case

Convinced that her career was being damaged by a succession of mediocre films, Davis accepted an offer in 1936 to appear in two films in England. Knowing that she was breaching her contract with Warner Bros., she fled to Canada to avoid legal papers being served upon her. Eventually brought to court in England, she later recalled the opening statement of the barrister, Sir Patrick Hastings, who represented Warner Brothers. Hastings urged the court to "come to the conclusion that this is rather a naughty young lady and that what she wants is more money". He mocked Davis's description of her contract as "slavery" by stating, incorrectly, that she was being paid $1,350 per week. He remarked, "if anybody wants to put me into perpetual servitude on the basis of that remuneration, I shall prepare to consider it". The British press offered little support to Davis, and portrayed her as overpaid and ungrateful.^[23] “WB” redirects here. ... Sir Patrick Gardiner Hastings (March 17, 1880 - February 26, 1952) was a noted British barrister who served as Attorney General for England and Wales in 1924 and inadvertently brought down the first Labour government. ...

Davis explained her viewpoint to a journalist, saying "I knew that, if I continued to appear in any more mediocre pictures, I would have no career left worth fighting for."^[24] Davis's counsel presented her complaints – that she could be suspended without pay for refusing a part, with the period of suspension added to her contract, that she could be called upon to play any part within her abilities regardless of her personal beliefs, that she could be required to support a political party against her beliefs, and that her image and likeness could be displayed in any manner deemed applicable by the studio. Jack Warner testified, and was asked, "Whatever part you choose to call upon her to play, if she thinks she can play it, whether it is distasteful and cheap, she has to play it?" Warner replied, "Yes, she must play it."^[25]

The case, decided by Branson J. in the English High Court, was reported as Warner Bros. Studios Incorporated v. Nelson in [1937] 1 KB 209. Davis lost the case and returned to Hollywood, in debt and without income, to resume her career. Olivia de Havilland mounted a similar case in 1943 and won. Olivia Mary de Havilland (born July 1, 1916) is a two-time Academy Award winning actress in American motion pictures and is the last surviving principal cast member from Gone with the Wind. ...

Success as "The Fourth Warner Brother"

Davis began work on Marked Woman (1937), as a prostitute in a contemporary gangster drama inspired by the case of Lucky Luciano. The film, and Davis's performance, received excellent reviews and her stature as a leading actress was enhanced. Marked Woman is the title of a crime melodrama film released by Warner Brothers Studios in 1937. ... Charles Lucky Luciano (born Salvatore Lucania) (November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was a Sicilian-American mobster. ...

During the filming of her next film, Jezebel, Davis entered a relationship with the director, William Wyler. She later described him as the "love of my life", and said that making the film with him was "the time in my life of my most perfect happiness".^[26] The film was a success, and Davis's performance as a spoiled "Southern belle" earned her a second Academy Award, which led to speculation in the press that she would be chosen to play a similar character, Scarlett O'Hara, in Gone with the Wind. Davis expressed her desire to play Scarlett, and while David O. Selznick was conducting a search for the actress to play the role, a radio poll named her as the audience favorite. Warner offered her services to Selznick as part of a deal that also included Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, but Selznick did not consider Davis as suitable, and rejected the offer.^[27] Jezebel is a 1938 film that tells the story of a headstrong young Southern woman during the years prior to the American Civil War, and how her actions cost her the love of the man she truly loves. ... William Wyler (July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a prolific, Oscar-winning motion picture director. ... For other uses, see Southern Belle (disambiguation). ... Scarlett OHara (full name Katie Scarlett OHara Hamilton Kennedy Butler) of French-Irish ancestry is the protagonist in Margaret Mitchells 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and in the later film of the same name. ... Gone with the Wind is a 1939 film adapted from Margaret Mitchells 1936 novel of the same name. ... David O. Selznick David Oliver Selznick (May 10, 1902–June 22, 1965), was one of the icon Hollywood producers of the Golden Age. ... Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (June 20, 1909 – October 14, 1959) was an Australian film actor, most famous for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films and his flamboyant lifestyle. ... Olivia Mary de Havilland (born July 1, 1916) is a two-time Academy Award winning actress in American motion pictures and is the last surviving principal cast member from Gone with the Wind. ...

In contrast to Davis's success, her husband, Ham Nelson, had failed to establish a career for himself, and their relationship faltered. In 1938, Nelson obtained evidence that Davis was engaged in a sexual relationship with Howard Hughes and subsequently filed for divorce citing Davis's "cruel and inhuman manner".^[28] For the Welsh murderer, see Howard Hughes (murderer). ...

By the late 1930s, Davis was Warner Brothers' most successful actress, and they began to portray her as a figure of glamor, such as in the trailer for the film Dark Victory (1939).

She was emotional during the making of her next film, Dark Victory (1939), and considered abandoning it until the producer Hal Wallis convinced her to channel her despair into her acting. The film became one of the highest grossing films of the year, and the role of Judith Traherne brought her an Academy Award nomination. In later years, Davis cited this performance as her personal favorite.^[29] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... DVD cover showing Bette Davis. ... DVD cover showing Bette Davis. ... Hal B. Wallis (September 14, 1898 – October 5, 1986) was an American motion picture producer. ...

She appeared in three other box office hits in 1939, The Old Maid with Miriam Hopkins, Juarez with Paul Muni and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex with Errol Flynn. The latter was her first color film, and was her only color film made during the height of her career. To play the elderly Elizabeth I of England, Davis shaved her hairline and eyebrows. During filming she was visited on the set by the actor, Charles Laughton. She commented that she had a "nerve" playing a woman in her sixties, to which Laughton replied, "Never not dare to hang yourself. That's the only way you grow in your profession. You must continually attempt things that you think are beyond you, or you get into a complete rut." Recalling the episode many years later, Davis remarked that Laughton's advice had influenced her throughout her career.^[30] The Old Maid is a 1939 romantic drama film, produced by Warner Brothers. ... Ellen Miriam Hopkins (October 18, 1902 – October 9, 1972) was an Oscar-nominated American actress. ... Juarez is a 1939 film with Brian Aherne. ... Paul Muni (September 22, 1895 – August 25, 1967) was an Academy Award-winning and Tony Award-winning American stage and film actor. ... The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), is a romantic drama film based on the relationship between Queen Elizabeth I (played by Bette Davis) and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (played by Errol Flynn). ... Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (June 20, 1909 – October 14, 1959) was an Australian film actor, most famous for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films and his flamboyant lifestyle. ... Elizabeth I redirects here. ... Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was an English stage and film actor. ...

Davis's distinctive eyes were used to dramatic effect, such as in this close-up from The Letter trailer (1940).

By this time, Davis was Warner Bros.' most profitable star, described as "The Fourth Warner Brother", and she was given the most important of their female leading roles. Her image was considered with more care; although she continued to play character roles, she was often filmed in close-ups that emphasized her distinctive eyes. All This and Heaven Too (1940) was the most financially successful film of Davis's career to that point, while The Letter was considered "one of the best pictures of the year" by the Hollywood Reporter, and Davis won admiration for her portrayal of an adulterous killer.^[31] During this time she was in a relationship with her former costar George Brent, who proposed marriage. Davis refused, as she had met Arthur Farnsworth, a New England innkeeper. They were married in December 1940. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Letter is a 1940 film noir which tells the story of a woman who murders her lover, and then must face his widow and her husband. ... All This, and Heaven Too is a 1940 film which tells the story of a governess, accused of having an affair with her employer, a Duc, who is then accused of the Duchesses murder. ... The Letter is a 1940 film noir which tells the story of a woman who murders her lover, and then must face his widow and her husband. ... The Hollywood Reporter is one of two major trade papers of the film industry in the United States, the other being Variety. ... Brent (right) in Experiment Perilous George Brent (March 15, 1904 - May 26, 1979 was an actor in American cinema. ... This article is about the region in the United States of America. ...

In January 1941, Davis became the first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences but antagonized the committee members with her brash manner and radical proposals. Faced with the disapproval and resistance of the committee, Davis resigned, and was succeeded by Jean Hersholt, who implemented the changes she had suggested. Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study in Hollywood, California Founded on May 11, 1927 in California, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures. ... Jean Hersholt (July 12, 1886 - June 2, 1956) was an Danish actor. ...

William Wyler directed Davis in Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes (1941), but they clashed over the character of Regina Giddens. Taking a role originally played on stage by Tallulah Bankhead, Davis felt Bankhead's original interpretation was appropriate and followed Hellman's intent, but Wyler wanted her to soften the character. Davis refused to compromise. She received another Academy Award nomination for her performance, and she never worked with Wyler again. Lillian Florence Hellman (June 20, 1905 – June 30, 1984) was a successful American playwright, linked throughout her life with many left-wing causes. ... Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress, talk-show host and bon vivant. ...

War effort and personal tragedy

Davis completed Mr. Skeffington (1944) after the death of her husband. The difficult production was marred by Davis's reported erratic behavior and was followed by some negative reviews of her performance.

Following Pearl Harbor, Davis spent the early months of 1942 selling war bonds. After Jack Warner criticized her tendency to cajole crowds into buying, she reminded him that her audiences responded most strongly to her "bitch" performances. She sold two million dollars of bonds in two days, as well as a picture of herself in Jezebel for $250,000. She also performed for black regiments as the only white member of an acting troupe formed by Hattie McDaniel, that also included Lena Horne and Ethel Waters.^[32] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Mr. ... This article is about the harbor in Hawaii. ... Categories: Stub ... This article is about Jack Warner, the head of Warner Brothers. ... Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1895 – October 26, 1952) was an African American actress. ... Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (born June 30, 1917 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York) is a popular singer of African-American descent. ... Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896–September 1, 1977) was an Oscar-nominated American blues vocalist and actress. ...

At John Garfield's suggested opening of a servicemen's club in Hollywood, Davis, with the aid of Warner, Cary Grant and Jule Styne, transformed an old nightclub into the "Hollywood Canteen", which opened on October 3, 1942. Hollywood's most important stars volunteered to entertain servicemen. Davis ensured that every night there would be a few important "names" for the visiting soldiers to meet.^[33] She appeared as herself in the film Hollywood Canteen (1944) which used the canteen as the setting for a fictional story. Davis later commented, "There are few accomplishments in my life that I am sincerely proud of. The Hollywood Canteen is one of them." In 1980, she was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, the United States Department of Defense's highest civilian award, for her work with the Hollywood Canteen.^[34] John Garfield (March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952) was an Academy Award nominated American actor. ... For the vocal coach, see Carrie Grant. ... Jule Styne (December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was a British-born American songwriter, especially famous for a series of Broadway Musicals, which included several very well known and frequently revived shows. ... The Hollywood Canteen operated at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood, California between October 3, 1942 and the end of World War II as a club offering food and entertainment for American servicemen, usually on their way overseas. ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States Department of Defense (DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military. ...

Davis had initially shown little interest in the film Now, Voyager (1942) until Hal Wallis advised her that female audiences needed romantic dramas to distract them from the reality of their lives. It became one of the best known of her "women's pictures". In one of the film's most imitated scenes Paul Henreid lights two cigarettes as they are held in his lips before passing one to Davis. Film reviewers complimented Davis on her performance, the National Board of Review commenting that she gave the film "a dignity not fully warranted by the script".^[35] Now, Voyager is a 1942 film which tells the story of a middle-aged spinster who, repressed by the domination of her mother, winds up in a sanatorium, where her self-confidence is boosted by an understanding psychiatrist. ... Hal B. Wallis (September 14, 1898 – October 5, 1986) was an American motion picture producer. ... Henreid in Casablanca Paul Georg Julius Hernreid Ritter von Wassel-Waldingau, (January 10, 1908 - March 29, 1992), known professionally as Paul Henreid, was an actor and film director probably best known for his roles in Casablanca and Now, Voyager. ...

During the early 1940s several of Davis's film choices were influenced by the war, for instance Watch on the Rhine (1943) and Thank Your Lucky Stars, (1943) a lighthearted all-star musical cavalcade, with each of the featured stars donating their fee to the Hollywood Canteen. Davis performed a novelty song, "They're Either Too Young or Too Old", which became a hit record after the film's release. Watch on the Rhine is a 1943 film which tells the story of a man who, in attempting to return to the United States during World War II, is blackmailed by a Nazi sympathiser. ... Thank Your Lucky Stars is a 1943 film made by Warner Brothers as a World War II fundraiser. ... Look up cavalcade in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Old Acquaintance (1943) reunited her with Miriam Hopkins in a story of two old friends who deal with the tensions created when one of them becomes a successful novelist. Davis felt that Hopkins tried to upstage her throughout the film. The director Vincent Sherman recalled the intense competitiveness and animosity between the two actresses, and Davis often joked that she held back nothing in a scene in which she was required to shake Hopkins in a fit of anger.^[36] DVD cover for Old Acquaintance based on original film poster Old Acquaintance is a 1943 film drama made by Warner Bros. ... Ellen Miriam Hopkins (October 18, 1902 – October 9, 1972) was an Oscar-nominated American actress. ... Vincent Sherman (July 16, 1906 – June 18, 2006), born in Vienna, Georgia), USA, was a Hollywood director. ...

In August 1943, Davis's husband, Arthur Farnsworth, collapsed while walking along a Hollywood street, and died two days later. An autopsy revealed that his fall had been caused by a skull fracture which had occurred about two weeks earlier. Davis testified before an inquest that she knew of no event that might have caused the injury, and a finding of "accidental death" was reached. Highly distraught, she attempted to withdraw from her next film Mr. Skeffington (1944), but Jack Warner, who had halted production following Farnsworth's death, convinced her to continue. This article is about the medical procedure. ... An inquest is a formal process of state investigation. ... Mr. ...

Although she had gained a reputation for being forthright and demanding, her behavior during filming of Mr. Skeffington was erratic and out of character. She alienated the director, Vincent Sherman, by refusing to film certain scenes, and insisted that some sets be rebuilt. She improvised dialogue, causing confusion among other actors, and infuriated the writer Julius Epstein, who was also called upon to rewrite scenes at her whim. Davis later explained her actions with the observation, "when I was most unhappy I lashed out rather than whined". Some reviewers criticized Davis for the excess of her performance; James Agee wrote that she "demonstrates the horrors of egocentricity on a marathonic scale",^[37] but despite the mixed reviews, she received another Academy Award nomination. Vincent Sherman (July 16, 1906 – June 18, 2006), born in Vienna, Georgia), USA, was a Hollywood director. ... Julius J. Epstein (born August 22, 1909, New York, New York; died December 30, 2000, Los Angeles, California) was an American screenwriter, who had a long career, most noted for the adaptation -— in partnership with his twin brother, Philip, and others —- of the unproduced play Everybody Comes to Ricks... James Rufus Agee (November 27, 1909 – May 16, 1955) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, screenwriter, journalist, poet, and film critic. ...

Professional setbacks

Davis married an artist, William Grant Sherry, who also, when necessary, worked as a masseur, in 1945. She had been drawn to him because he claimed that he had never heard of her and was therefore not intimidated by her.^[38] William Grant Sherry (born 1914) is a painter and artist. ...

Davis refused the title role in Mildred Pierce,^[39] a role for which Joan Crawford ultimately won an Academy Award, and instead made The Corn Is Green (1945). Davis played a dowdy English teacher, who saves a young Welsh miner from a life in the coal pits, by offering him education. The film was well received by critics but did not find a substantial audience. A Stolen Life (1946) received poor reviews, but was one of her biggest box-office successes. It was followed by Deception (1946), the first of her films to lose money.^[40] Mildred Pierce is an American film noir released in 1945 and directed by Michael Curtiz. ... For other persons named Joan Crawford, see Joan Crawford (disambiguation). ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... This article is about the country. ... A Stolen Life is a 1946 drama film, directed by Curtis Bernhardt. ... Deception is a 1946 film noir directed by Irving Rapper. ...

Possessed (1947) had been tailor-made for Davis^[41] and was to have been her next project after Deception (1946). However, she was pregnant and went on maternity leave. Joan Crawford played her role in Possessed and was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actress. In 1947, Davis gave birth to a daughter, Barbara (known as B.D.) and later wrote in her memoir that she became absorbed in motherhood and considered ending her career. Her relationship with Sherry began to deteriorate and she continued making films, but her popularity with audiences was steadily declining.^[42] Possessed can refer to: Possessed (1931 film), a drama starring Clark Gable from 1931. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... For other persons named Joan Crawford, see Joan Crawford (disambiguation). ... B. D. Hyman (born Barbara Davis Sherry, May 1, 1947 in Santa Ana, California) is an American pastor and author. ...

Among the film roles offered to Davis following her return to film making, was Rose Sayer in The African Queen. When informed that the film was to be made in Africa, Davis refused the part, telling Jack Warner, "If you can't shoot the picture in a boat on the back lot, then I'm not interested." Katharine Hepburn played the role.^[43] Davis was also offered a role in a film version of the Virginia Kellogg prison drama Women Without Men. Originally intended to pair Davis with Joan Crawford, Davis made it clear that she would not appear in any "dyke movie", and the lead roles were played by Agnes Moorehead and Eleanor Parker when it was filmed as Caged (1950).^[44] She lobbied Jack Warner to make two films, Ethan Frome, and another which would be a biography of Mary Todd Lincoln, however Warner vetoed each proposal. The African Queen is a 1951 film made by Horizon Pictures and Romulus Films, and distributed by United Artists. ... Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an iconic American actress of film, television and stage. ... Virginia Kellogg (December 3, 1907 - April 8, 1981) was a two-time Oscar nominated film writer. ... Agnes Robertson Moorehead (December 6, 1900 – April 30, 1994) was an Oscar-nominated American character actress. ... Eleanor Jean Parker (born June 26, 1922) is an American film and television actress. ... Caged is a 1950 film which tells the story of a young woman who is sent to prison for being an accessory to a robbery. ... Ethan Frome is a novel that was released in 1911 by the Pulitzer Prize-winning American author Edith Wharton. ... Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (December 13, 1818 – July 16, 1882) was the First Lady of the United States when her husband, Abraham Lincoln, served as the sixteenth President, from 1861 until 1865. ...

In 1948, Davis was cast in Winter Meeting, and although she was initially enthusiastic, she soon learnt that Warner had arranged for "softer" lighting to be used to disguise her age. She recalled that she had seen the same lighting technique "on the sets of Ruth Chatterton and Kay Francis, and I knew what they meant".^[45] She began to regret accepting the role, and to add to her disappointment, she was not confident in the abilities of her leading man, Jim Davis. She disagreed with amendments made to the script because of censorship restrictions and found that many of the aspects of the role that had initially appealed to her, were no longer to be included. The film was later described by Bosley Crowther as "interminable" and he noted that "of all the miserable dilemmas in which Miss Davis has been involved ... this one is probably the worst". It failed at the box office and the studio lost nearly one million dollars.^[46] Ruth Chatterton Ruth Chatterton (December 24, 1893 - November 24, 1961) was an American actress. ... Kay Francis (January 13, 1905 – August 26, 1968) was an American actress who, after a brief beginning on Broadway in the 1920s, moved to film and achieved her greatest success between 1930 and 1936. ... Marlin Jim Davis (August 26, 1909 – April 26, 1981), was an American actor, best known for his role as Jock Ewing in the CBS prime-time soap Dallas, a role which he held up until his death in April 1981. ... Bosley Crowther (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American film critic. ...

Davis clashed with her co-star Robert Montgomery while making June Bride (1948), later describing him as "a male Miriam Hopkins... an excellent actor, but addicted to scene-stealing".^[47] The film marked her first comedy in several years, and earned her some positive reviews, but it was not particularly popular with audiences and returned only a small profit. Despite the lacklustre box office receipts from her more recent films, in 1949 she negotiated a four film contract with Warner Bros. which paid $10,285 per week, and made her the highest paid woman in the United States.^[48] Robert Montgomery (May 21, 1904 – September 27, 1981) was an American actor and director. ... Videotape cover June Bride is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Bretaigne Windust. ... Ellen Miriam Hopkins (October 18, 1902 – October 9, 1972) was an Oscar-nominated American actress. ...

Jack Warner refused to allow her script approval, and cast her in Beyond the Forest (1949). Davis reportedly loathed the script, and begged Warner to recast the role, but he refused. After the film was completed, Warner released Davis from her contract, at her request. The reviews that followed were scathing; Dorothy Manners writing for the Los Angeles Examiner, described the film as "an unfortunate finale to her brilliant career".^[49] Hedda Hopper wrote, "If Bette had deliberately set out to wreck her career, she could not have picked a more appropriate vehicle."^[50] The film contained the line, "What a dump!", which became closely associated with Davis after impersonators used it in their acts. In later years, Davis often used it as her opening line at speaking engagements. Beyond the Forest is a 1949 film starring Bette Davis. ... Hedda Hopper on the July 28, 1947 cover of Time Magazine Hedda Hopper (May 2, 1885 – February 1, 1966) was an American actress and gossip columnist, whose long-running feud with friend turned arch-rival Louella Parsons became at least as notorious as many of Hoppers columns. ...

Starting a freelance career

As Margo Channing in All About Eve (1950)

By 1949, Davis and Sherry were estranged and Hollywood columnists were writing that Davis's career was at an end. She filmed The Story of a Divorce (released in 1951 as Payment on Demand) but had received no other offers. Shortly before filming was completed, the producer Darryl F. Zanuck offered her the role of the aging theatrical actress, Margo Channing, in All About Eve (1950). Claudette Colbert, for whom the part had been written, had severely injured her back, and although production had been halted for two months in the hope that she might recover, she was unable to continue. Davis read the script, described it as the best she had ever read, and accepted the role. Within days she joined the cast in San Francisco to begin filming. During production, she established what would become a life-long friendship with her costar, Anne Baxter, and a romantic relationship with her leading man, Gary Merrill, which led to marriage. The film's director Joseph L. Mankiewicz later remarked, "Bette was letter perfect. She was syllable-perfect. The director's dream: the prepared actress."^[51] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see All About Eve (disambiguation). ... Payment on Demand is a film released in 1951 directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Bette Davis and Barry Sullivan. ... Darryl Francis Zanuck (September 5, 1902–December 22, 1979) was a producer, writer, actor and director who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors (the length of his career being rivalled only by that of Adolph Zukor). ... For other uses, see All About Eve (disambiguation). ... Claudette Colbert (September 13, 1903 – July 30, 1996) was an Academy Award-winning French-born American actress. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... For the fictional soap opera character, see Anne Baxter (Neighbours). ... Gary Merrill (August 2, 1915 - March 5, 1990) was a U. S. film and television actor whose credits included more than fifty feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of TV guest appearances. ... Joseph Leo Mankiewicz (February 11, 1909 – February 5, 1993) was an American screenwriter, director and producer. ...

Critics responded positively to Davis's performance and several of her lines became well-known, particularly, "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night." She was again nominated for an Academy Award and critics such as Gene Ringgold described her Margo as her "all-time best performance".^[52] Pauline Kael wrote that much of Mankiewicz's vision of "the theater" was "nonsense" but commended Davis, writing "[the film is] saved by one performance that is the real thing: Bette Davis is at her most instinctive and assured. Her actress – vain, scared, a woman who goes too far in her reactions and emotions – makes the whole thing come alive."^[53] Pauline Kael (June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for The New Yorker magazine from 1968 to 1991. ...

Davis won a "Best Actress" award from the Cannes Film Festival, and the New York Film Critics Circle Award. She also received the San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award as "Best Actress", having been named by them as the "Worst Actress" of 1949 for Beyond the Forest. During this time she was invited to leave her handprints in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. The Best Actress Award (French: Prix dinterprétation féminine) is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. ... The Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival de Cannes), founded in 1939, is one of the worlds oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals. ... New York Film Critics Circle Awards are given annually to honor excellence in cinema worldwide by an organization of film reviewers from New York City-based publications. ... San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards are given annually to honor fine achievements in filmmaking by an organisation of film reviewers from San Francisco-based publications. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

On July 3, 1950 Davis's divorce from William Sherry was finalized, and on July 28 she married Gary Merrill. With Sherry's consent, Merrill adopted B.D., Davis's daughter with Sherry, and in 1950, Davis and Merrill adopted a baby girl they named Margot. The family traveled to England, where Davis and Merrill starred in a murder-mystery film, Another Man's Poison. When it received lukewarm reviews and failed at the box office, Hollywood columnists wrote that Davis's comeback had petered out, and an Academy Award nomination for The Star (1952) did not halt her decline. is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 209th day of the year (210th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... DVD cover for Another Mans Poison Another Mans Poison is a 1952 black-and-white film starring Bette Davis. ... The Star can refer to a film from 1952 a Malaysian newspaper The Star an abbreviation for many newspapers with Star in the title, such as The Irish Star, the Daily Star, the Toronto Star etc. ...

Davis and Merrill adopted a baby boy, Michael, in 1952, and Davis appeared in a Broadway revue, Two's Company. She was uncomfortable working outside of her area of expertise; she had never been a musical performer and her limited theater experience had been more than 20 years earlier. She was also severely ill and was operated on for osteomyelitis of the jaw. Margot was diagnosed as severely brain damaged due to an injury sustained during or shortly after her birth, and was eventually placed in an institution. Davis and Merrill began arguing frequently, with B.D. later recalling episodes of alcohol abuse and domestic violence.^[54] For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... A revue is a type of theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches that satirize contemporary figures, news, or literature. ... Twos Company was a musical revue with principal sketches by Charles Sherman and Peter DeVries, principal lyrics by Ogden Nash and Sammy Cahn, and principal music by Vernon Duke. ... Osteomyelitis is an infection of bone, usually caused by pyogenic bacteria or mycobacteria. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Domestic disturbance redirects here. ...

Few of Davis's films of the 1950s were successful and many of her performances were condemned by critics. The Hollywood Reporter wrote of mannerisms "that you'd expect to find in a nightclub impersonation of [Davis]", while the London critic, Richard Winninger, wrote, "Miss Davis, with more say than most stars as to what films she makes, seems to have lapsed into egoism. The criterion for her choice of film would appear to be that nothing must compete with the full display of each facet of the Davis art. Only bad films are good enough for her."^[55] As her career declined, her marriage continued to deteriorate until she filed for divorce in 1960. The following year, her mother died.

Renewed success

Davis received her final Academy Award nomination for her role as Baby Jane Hudson in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), opposite Joan Crawford.

In 1962, Davis opened in the Broadway production, The Night of the Iguana to mostly mediocre reviews, and left the production after four months due to "chronic illness". She then joined Glenn Ford and Ann-Margret for the Frank Capra film A Pocketful of Miracles, based on a story by Damon Runyon. She accepted her next role, in the Grand Guignol horror film, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? after reading the script and believing it could appeal to the same audience that had recently made Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) a success. She negotiated a deal that would pay her 10 percent of the worldwide gross profits, in addition to her salary. The film became one of the year's biggest successes.^[56] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Bette Davis as Baby Jane Hudson, in the 1962 film adaption. ... What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 Warner Bros. ... For other persons named Joan Crawford, see Joan Crawford (disambiguation). ... For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... The Casa Iguana hotel in Mismaloya The Night of the Iguana is a play by Tennessee Williams about American tourists in Mexico. ... Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Glenn Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was an acclaimed Canadian-born actor from Hollywoods Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades. ... Ann-Margret Ann-Margret (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish-born actress and singer. ... This article is about the film director. ... Pocketful of Miracles is a 1961 film starring Glenn Ford, Hope Lange and Bette Davis. ... Damon Runyon Damon Runyon (October 4, 1884 – December 10, 1946) was a newspaperman and writer. ... Promotional poster for a Grand Guignol performance This article is about the Paris theatre. ... “Horror Movie” redirects here. ... What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 Warner Bros. ... Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (August 13, 1899 â€“ April 29, 1980) was an iconic and highly influential British-born film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... Psycho is a 1960 suspense/horror film directed by auteur Alfred Hitchcock from the screenplay by Joseph Stefano about a psychotic killer. ...

Davis and Joan Crawford played two aging sisters, former actresses forced by circumstance to share a decaying Hollywood mansion. The director, Robert Aldrich, explained that Davis and Crawford were each aware of how important the film was to their respective careers and commented, "It's proper to say that they really detested each other, but they behaved absolutely perfectly."^[57] After filming was completed, their public comments against each other allowed the tension to develop into a lifelong feud, and when Davis was nominated for an Academy Award, Crawford campaigned against her. Davis also received her only BAFTA Award nomination for this performance. For other persons named Joan Crawford, see Joan Crawford (disambiguation). ... Robert Aldrich (August 9, 1918 – December 5, 1983) was a United States film director, writer and producer notable for a number of films including What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte, and The Dirty Dozen. ... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organization that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ...

Daughter B.D. Hyman also played a small role in the film, and when she and Davis visited the Cannes Film Festival to promote it, she met Jeremy Hyman, an executive for Seven Arts Productions. After a short courtship, she married Hyman at the age of 16, with Davis's permission. The Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival de Cannes), founded in 1939, is one of the worlds oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals. ... Seven Arts Productions was founded in 1957 by Ray Stark and Eliot Hyman. ...

Davis sustained her comeback over the course of several years. Dead Ringer (1964) was a crime drama in which she played twin sisters and Where Love Has Gone (1964) was a romantic drama based on a Harold Robbins novel. Davis played the mother of Susan Hayward but filming was hampered by heated arguments between Davis and Hayward.^[58] Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) was Robert Aldrich's follow-up to What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, in which he planned to reunite Davis and Crawford, but when Crawford withdrew allegedly due to illness soon after filming began, she was replaced by Olivia de Havilland. The film was a considerable success and brought renewed attention to its veteran cast, which also included Joseph Cotten, Mary Astor and Agnes Moorehead. Dead Ringer, also known as Who is Buried in my Grave? is a 1964 thriller film made by Warner Bros. ... Where Love Has Gone is a 1962 novel by Harold Robbins. ... Harold Robbins (May 21, 1916-October 14, 1997) was an American author. ... For other persons named Hayward, see Hayward (disambiguation). ... Hush. ... Olivia Mary de Havilland (born July 1, 1916) is a two-time Academy Award winning actress in American motion pictures and is the last surviving principal cast member from Gone with the Wind. ... Joseph Cheshire Cotten (May 15, 1905–February 6, 1994) was an American stage and screen actor. ... Mary Astor (May 3, 1906 – September 25, 1987) was an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Agnes Robertson Moorehead (December 6, 1900 – April 30, 1994) was an Oscar-nominated American character actress. ...

By the end of the decade, Davis had also appeared in the British films The Nanny (1965), The Anniversary (1968), and Connecting Rooms (1970), but her career again stalled. The Nanny was a 1965 suspense film starring Bette Davis as a devoted nanny caring for a ten-year-old boy recently discharged from a mental hospital. ... The Anniversary is a 1968 British drama film directed by Roy Ward Baker, based on the play by Bill MacIlwraith. ...

Late career

Elizabeth Taylor and Davis in late 1981 during a show celebrating Taylor's life

In the early 1970s, Davis was invited to appear in New York, in a stage presentation, Great Ladies of the American Cinema. Over five successive nights, a different female star discussed her career and answered questions from the audience; Myrna Loy, Rosalind Russell, Lana Turner and Joan Crawford were the other participants. Davis was well received and was invited to tour Australia with the similarly themed, Bette Davis in Person and on Film, and its success allowed her to take the production to the United Kingdom.^[59] Image File history File links DavisTaylor. ... Image File history File links DavisTaylor. ... For other persons named Elizabeth Taylor, see Elizabeth Taylor (disambiguation). ... Myrna Loy (August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American motion picture actress. ... Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907 – November 28, 1976) was a four-time Academy Award nominated and Tony Award winning American film and stage actress, perhaps best known for her role as a fast-talking newspaper reporter in the Howard Hawks screwball comedy His Girl Friday. ... Lana Turner (February 8, 1921 – June 29, 1995) was an Academy award-nominated American film actress. ... For other persons named Joan Crawford, see Joan Crawford (disambiguation). ...

In 1972, she played the lead role in two television films that were each intended as a pilot for an upcoming series for NBC, Madame Sin with Robert Wagner, and The Judge and Jake Wyler, with Joan Van Ark, but in each case, NBC decided against producing a series. In the U.S., she appeared in the stage production, Miss Moffat, a musical adaptation of The Corn is Green, but after the show was panned by the Philadelphia critics during its pre-Broadway run, she cited a back injury and abandoned the show, which closed immediately. She played supporting roles in Burnt Offerings (1976) and The Disappearance of Aimee (1976), but she clashed with Karen Black and Faye Dunaway, respectively the stars of the two productions, because she felt that neither extended her an appropriate degree of respect, and that their behavior on the film sets was unprofessional.^[60] The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... For other persons named Robert Wagner, see Robert Wagner (disambiguation). ... Joan Van Ark (born June 16, 1943 in New York, New York, sometime credited as Joan Van Arc) is an actress who is best known for playing Larry Hagmans troubling sister-in-law and Michele Lees neighbor and best friend, Valene (Val) Clements Ewing Gibson Waleska Ewing on... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... Burnt Offerings is a 1976 horror film based on a novel of the same name by Robert Marasco. ... The Disappearance of Aimee is a 1976 telemovie drama. ... Karen Black (born July 1, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress, screenwriter, singer and songwriter. ... Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941, in Bascom, Florida) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ...

In 1977, Davis became the first woman to receive the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. The televised event included comments from several of Davis's colleagues including William Wyler who joked that given the chance Davis would still like to refilm a scene from The Letter to which Davis nodded. Jane Fonda, Henry Fonda, Natalie Wood and Olivia de Havilland were among the actors who paid tribute, with de Havilland commenting that Davis "got the roles I always wanted".^[61] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... William Wyler (July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a prolific, Oscar-winning motion picture director. ... Jane Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. ... Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was a highly acclaimed Academy Award-winning American film and stage actor, best known for his roles as plain-speaking idealists. ... Natalie Wood (July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was a three time Academy Award nominated American film actress. ... Olivia Mary de Havilland (born July 1, 1916) is a two-time Academy Award winning actress in American motion pictures and is the last surviving principal cast member from Gone with the Wind. ...

Following the telecast she found herself in demand again, often having to choose between several offers. She accepted roles in the television miniseries The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (1978) and the film Death on the Nile (1978). For the rest of her career the bulk of her work was for television. She won an Emmy Award for Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter (1979) with Gena Rowlands, and was nominated for her performances in White Mama (1980) and Little Gloria... Happy at Last (1982). She also played supporting roles in two Disney films, Return from Witch Mountain (1978) and The Watcher in the Woods (1980). The Dark Secret of Harvest Home is a 1978 television miniseries thriller, produced by Universal TV. It was directed by Leo Penn and stars Bette Davis, David Ackroyd, Joanna Miles, Rosanna Arquette and Rene Auberjonois. ... Death on the Nile is a 1978 film based on an Agatha Christie mystery novel of the same title, directed by John Guillermin. ... An Emmy Award. ... Gena Rowlands (born June 19, 1930) is an American actress. ... White Mama is a 1980 television film drama directed by Jackie Cooper. ... Little Gloria. ... Old logo from 1985-2006 Walt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company: Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner, was established as a designation in 1983, prior to which Disney films since the death of Walt Disney were released under the name of the... Return from Witch Mountain released in (1978) is the sequel to Escape to Witch Mountain (1975). ... The Watcher in the Woods is a 1980 film best known as an atypical live action Disney movie that has become a cult classic. ...

Davis's name became well-known to a younger audience when Kim Carnes's song "Bette Davis Eyes" became a worldwide hit and the best-selling record of 1981 in the U.S., where it stayed at number one on the music charts for more than two months. Davis's grandson was impressed that she was the subject of a hit song and Davis considered it a compliment, writing to both Carnes and the songwriters, and accepting the gift of gold and platinum records from Carnes, and hanging them on her wall.^[62] Kim Carnes (born July 20, 1945 in Pasadena, California) is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter. ... Bette Davis Eyes is the name of a song, best known for being performed by Kim Carnes. ... “Golden record” redirects here. ...

She continued acting for television, appearing in Family Reunion (1981) opposite her grandson J. Ashley Hyman, A Piano for Mrs. Cimino (1982) and Right of Way (1983) with James Stewart. Family Reunion is a 1981 television miniseries drama directed by Fielder Cook. ... A Piano for Mrs. ... Look up Right of way in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other persons named James Stewart, see James Stewart (disambiguation). ...

Illness, conflict and death

Davis's final completed role in The Whales of August (1987) brought her acclaim during a period in which she was beset with failing health and personal trauma.

In 1983, after filming the pilot episode for the television series Hotel, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. Within two weeks of her surgery she suffered four strokes which caused paralysis in the right side of her face and in her left arm, and left her with slurred speech. She commenced a lengthy period of physical therapy and, aided by her personal assistant, Kathryn Sermak, gained partial recovery from the paralysis. Image File history File links BetteDavisTheWhalesofAugust. ... Image File history File links BetteDavisTheWhalesofAugust. ... The Whales of August is a 1987 film starring Bette Davis and Lillian Gish as elderly sisters. ... Hotel was based on the book of the same name by Arthur Hailey, which was also adapted into a 1967 movie, aired as a weekly prime-time soap opera on ABC from September 21st, 1983 to May 5th, 1988, in a timeslot that was aired immediately following, the immensely-popular... Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. ... In medicine, mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. ... For other uses, see Stroke (disambiguation). ... Paralysed redirects here. ...

During this time, her relationship with her daughter, B. D. Hyman, deteriorated when Hyman became a born-again Christian and attempted to persuade Davis to follow suit. With her health stable, she traveled to England to film the Agatha Christie mystery Murder with Mirrors (1985). Upon her return, she learned that Hyman had published a memoir, My Mother's Keeper, in which she chronicled a difficult mother-daughter relationship and depicted scenes of Davis's overbearing and drunken behavior. B. D. Hyman (born Barbara Davis Sherry, May 1, 1947 in Santa Ana, California) is an American pastor and author. ... Born again is a term used originally and mainly in Christianity, where it is associated with salvation, conversion and spiritual rebirth. ... Agatha Mary Clarissa, Lady Mallowan, DBE (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), commonly known as Agatha Christie, was an English crime fiction writer. ... Murder with Mirrors is a 1985 TV movie based on an Agatha Christie mystery novel set in a Youth detention centre run by a charitable American educationalist in England. ... My Mothers Keeper is a 1985 book about the legendary film star Bette Davis, written by her daughter. ...

Several of Davis's friends commented that Hyman's depictions of events were not accurate; one said, "so much of the book is out of context". Mike Wallace rebroadcast a 60 Minutes interview he had filmed with Hyman a few years earlier in which she commended Davis on her skills as a mother, and said that she had adopted many of Davis's principles in raising her own children. Critics of Hyman noted that Davis had financially supported the Hyman family for several years and had recently saved them from losing their house. Despite the acrimony of their divorce years earlier, Gary Merrill also defended Davis. Interviewed by CNN, Merrill said that Hyman was motivated by "cruelty and greed". Davis's adopted son, Michael Merrill, ended contact with Hyman and refused to speak to her again, as did Davis, who also disinherited her.^[63] Mike Wallace (born Myron Leon Wallace on May 9, 1918) is a former American game show host, television personality, and journalist. ... This article is about the CBS news magazine. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ...

In her second memoir, This 'N That (1987), Davis wrote, "I am still recovering from the fact that a child of mine would write about me behind my back, to say nothing about the kind of book it is. I will never recover as completely from B.D.'s book as I have from the stroke. Both were shattering experiences." Her memoir concluded with a letter to her daughter, in which she addressed her several times as "Hyman", and described her actions as "a glaring lack of loyalty and thanks for the very privileged life I feel you have been given". She concluded with a reference to the title of Hyman's book, "If it refers to money, if my memory serves me right, I've been your keeper all these many years. I am continuing to do so, as my name has made your book about me a success."^[64] This N That is a memoir written by the actress Bette Davis and Michael Herskovitz, first published in 1987. ...

Davis with President Ronald Reagan at the Kennedy Center on December 6, 1987. Davis and Reagan had once acted together in Hollywood.

Davis appeared in the television film, As Summers Die (1986) and Lindsay Anderson's The Whales of August (1987), in which she played the blind sister of Lillian Gish. The film earned good reviews, with one critic writing, "Bette crawls across the screen like a testy old hornet on a windowpane, snarling, staggering, twitching – a symphony of misfired synapses."^[65] Her last performance was the title role in Larry Cohen's Wicked Stepmother (1989). By this time her health was failing, and after disagreements with Cohen she walked off the set. The script was rewritten to place more emphasis on Barbara Carrera's character, and the reworked version was released after Davis's death. Reagan redirects here. ... The Kennedy Center as seen from the Potomac River. ... is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... As Summers Die is a 1986 television movie drama directed by Jean-Claude Tramont. ... Lindsay Gordon Anderson (April 17, 1923 - August 30, 1994), was a Scottish film critic, and a film, theatre and documentary director. ... The Whales of August is a 1987 film starring Bette Davis and Lillian Gish as elderly sisters. ... Lillian Diana de Guiche (October 14, 1893 – February 27, 1993), was an Oscar-nominated American actress, better known as Lillian Gish. ... The Larry Cohen Collection Larry Cohen (born 15 July 1941, Kingston, New York, USA) is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. ... Wicked Stepmother is the title of a 1989 film by writer/director/producer Larry Cohen. ... Barbara Carrera on the February, 1972 cover of Playboy Barbara Carrera (born 31 December 1951) is a film and TV actress. ...

After abandoning Wicked Stepmother and with no further film offers, Davis appeared on several talk shows and was interviewed by Johnny Carson, Joan Rivers, Larry King and David Letterman, discussing her career but refusing to discuss her daughter. Her appearances were popular; Lindsay Anderson observed that the public enjoyed seeing her behaving "so bitchy". He commented, "I always disliked that because she was encouraged to behave badly. And I'd always hear her described by that awful word, feisty."^[66] Wicked Stepmother is the title of a 1989 film by writer/director/producer Larry Cohen. ... For other persons named John Carson, see John Carson (disambiguation). ... Joan Rivers (born June 8, 1933) is an American comedian, actress, talk show host, businesswoman, and celebrity. ... This article is about the television show host. ... David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947, in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.) is an award-winning American comedian, late night talk show host, television producer, philanthropist, and IRL IndyCar Series car owner. ...

During 1988 and 1989, Davis was feted for her career achievements, receiving the Kennedy Center Honor, the Legion of Honor from France, the Campione d'Italia from Italy and the Film Society of Lincoln Center Lifetime Achievement Award. She collapsed during the American Cinema Awards in 1989 and later discovered that her cancer had returned. She recovered sufficiently to travel to Spain where she was honored at the Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival, but during her visit her health rapidly deteriorated. Too weak to make the long journey back to the U.S., she travelled to France where she died on October 6, 1989, at the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine. This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Medal for the officer class, decorated with a rosette Napoleon wearing the Grand Cross The President of France is the Grand Master of the Legion. ... Map showing the location of the Campione enclave near the center. ... The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. ... The Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival is an annual FIAPF A category film festival which originated in 1953 and is held in the Spanish town of San Sebastián (officially Donostia-San Sebastián). ... is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Neuilly-sur-Seine is a commune in the Hauts-de-Seine département in France. ...

She was interred in Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California, alongside her mother, Ruthie, and sister, Bobby. On her tombstone is written: "She did it the hard way", an epitaph that she suggested in This 'N That and that had been suggested to her by Joseph L. Mankiewicz shortly after they had filmed All About Eve.^[67] Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery is located at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in Los Angeles, California, on the south edge of the San Fernando Valley by Burbank (and on the north side of the Santa Monica Mountains from Hollywood). ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... For other uses, see Epitaph (disambiguation). ... This N That is a memoir written by the actress Bette Davis and Michael Herskovitz, first published in 1987. ...

In 1997, the executors of her estate, Michael Merrill, her son, and Kathryn Sermak, her former assistant, established "The Bette Davis Foundation" which awards college scholarships to promising actors and actresses.^[34] An executor is a person named by a maker of a will to carry out the directions of the will. ...

Comments and criticism

In 1964, Jack Warner spoke of the "magic quality that transformed this sometimes bland and not beautiful little girl into a great artist",^[67] and in a 1988 interview, Davis remarked that, unlike many of her contemporaries, she had forged a career without the benefit of beauty.^{[unreliable source?][68]} She admitted she was terrified during the making of her earliest films and that she became tough by necessity. "Until you're known in my profession as a monster, you are not a star", she said, "[but] I've never fought for anything in a treacherous way. I've never fought for anything but the good of the film."^[69] During the making of All About Eve, Joseph L. Mankiewicz told her of the perception in Hollywood that she was difficult, and she explained that when the audience saw her on screen, they did not consider that her appearance was the result of numerous people working behind the scenes. If she was presented as "a horse's ass ... forty feet wide, and thirty feet high", that is all the audience "would see or care about".^[70]

While lauded for her achievements, Davis and her films were sometimes derided; Pauline Kael described Now, Voyager as a "shlock classic",^[71] and by the mid-1940s her sometimes mannered and histrionic performances had become the subject of caricature. Reviewers such as Edwin Schallert for the Los Angeles Times praised Davis's performance in Mr. Skeffington (1944), while observing, "the mimics will have more fun than a box of monkeys imitating Miss Davis", and Dorothy Manners writing for the Los Angeles Examiner said of her performance in the poorly received Beyond the Forest, "no night club caricaturist has ever turned in such a cruel imitation of the Davis mannerisms as Bette turns on herself in this one". Time magazine noted that Davis was compulsively watchable even while criticizing her acting technique, summarizing her performance in Dead Ringer (1964) with the observation, "her acting, as always, isn't really acting: it's shameless showing off. But just try to look away!"^[72] Pauline Kael (June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for The New Yorker magazine from 1968 to 1991. ... Now, Voyager is a 1942 film which tells the story of a middle-aged spinster who, repressed by the domination of her mother, winds up in a sanatorium, where her self-confidence is boosted by an understanding psychiatrist. ... This just IN !!!:paris hiltons new dog. ... Mr. ... Beyond the Forest is a 1949 film starring Bette Davis. ... “TIME” redirects here. ... A dead ringer is slang term for having a very strong resemblence. See also doppelgänger. ...

She attracted a gay following and was frequently imitated by female impersonators such as Charles Pierce.^[73] Attempting to explain her popularity with gay audiences, the journalist Jim Emerson wrote, "Was she just a camp figurehead because her brittle, melodramatic style of acting hadn't aged well? Or was it that she was 'Larger Than Life,' a tough broad who had survived? Probably some of both."^{[unreliable source?][68]} GAY can mean: Gay, a term referring to homosexual men or women The IATA code for Gaya Airport Category: ... Drag queens are performers - usually gay men, sometimes transgendered women - who dress in drag, clothing associated with the female gender, usually highly exaggerated versions thereof. ... This article is about Charles Pierce, not to be confused with the mathematician and philosopher Charles Peirce. ...

Her film choices were often unconventional; she sought roles as manipulators and killers in an era when actresses usually preferred to play sympathetic characters, and she excelled in them. She favored authenticity over glamour and was willing to change her own appearance if it suited the character. Claudette Colbert commented that Davis was the first actress to play roles older than herself, and therefore did not have to make the difficult transition to character parts as she aged.^[69] Claudette Colbert (September 13, 1903 – July 30, 1996) was an Academy Award-winning French-born American actress. ...

As she entered old age, Davis was acknowledged for her achievements. John Springer, who had arranged her speaking tours of the early 1970s, wrote that despite the accomplishments of many of her contemporaries, Davis was "the star of the thirties and into the forties", achieving notability for the variety of her characterizations and her ability to assert herself, even when her material was mediocre.^[74] Individual performances continued to receive praise; in 1987, Bill Collins analyzed The Letter (1941), and described her performance as "a brilliant, subtle achievement", and wrote, "Bette Davis makes Leslie Crosbie one of the most extraordinary females in movies."^[75] In a 2000 review for All About Eve, Roger Ebert noted, "Davis was a character, an icon with a grand style, so even her excesses are realistic."^[76] William Bill Roderick Collins (born December 4, 1934 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian film critic and television presenter. ...

A few months before her death in 1989, Davis was one of several actors featured on the cover of Life. In a film retrospective that celebrated the films and stars of 1939, Life concluded that Davis was the most significant actress of her era, and highlighted Dark Victory as one of the most important films of the year.^[77] Her death made front-page news throughout the world as the "close of yet another chapter of the Golden Age of Hollywood". Angela Lansbury summed up the feeling of those of the Hollywood community who attended her memorial service, commenting after a sample from Davis's films were screened, that they had witnessed "an extraordinary legacy of acting in the twentieth century by a real master of the craft", that should provide "encouragement and illustration to future generations of aspiring actors".^[78] Philippe Halsmans famous portrait of Marilyn Monroe Life generally refers to two American magazines: A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936; A publication created by Time founder Henry Luce in 1936, with a strong emphasis on photojournalism. ... DVD cover showing Bette Davis. ... Angela Lansbury CBE (born October 16, 1925) is a four-time Tony-winning, six-time Golden Globe-winning, three-time Oscar-nominated, and eighteen-time Emmy-nominated English actress. ...

Davis was one of many Hollywood stars mentioned in Madonna's 1990 song "Vogue", with the line, "Bette Davis, we love you." This article is about the American entertainer. ... For the song by KMFDM, see Vogue (single). ...

In 1999, the American Film Institute published its list of the "AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars", which was the result of a film industry poll to determine the "50 Greatest American Screen Legends" in order to raise public awareness and appreciation of classic film. Of the 25 actresses listed, Davis was ranked at number two, behind Katharine Hepburn.^[79] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Part of the AFI 100 Years. ... Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an iconic American actress of film, television and stage. ...

The United States Postal Service will honor Davis with a commemorative postage stamp in 2008, marking the 100th anniversary of her birth.^[80] USPS and Usps redirect here. ...

Academy Awards and nominations

Bette Davis became the first woman to secure 10 nominations for the Best Actress Oscar, and in the intervening years, only Katharine Hepburn and Meryl Streep have surpassed this figure. Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an iconic American actress of film, television and stage. ... Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is a two-time Academy Award, Cannes Best Actress, Berlin Best Actress winning American actress who has worked in theatre, television, and film. ...

Steven Spielberg purchased Davis's Oscars for Dangerous (1935) and Jezebel (1938) when they were offered for auction, and returned them to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Steven Allan Spielberg (born December 18, 1946)[1] is an American film director and producer. ... Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study in Hollywood, California Founded on May 11, 1927 in California, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures. ...

• 1962: Nominated for What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
• 1952: Nominated for The Star
• 1950: Nominated for All About Eve
• 1944: Nominated for Mr. Skeffington
• 1942: Nominated for Now, Voyager
• 1941: Nominated for the Little Foxes
• 1940: Nominated for The Letter
• 1939: Nominated for Dark Victory
• 1938: Won for Jezebel
• 1935: Won for Dangerous
• 1934: Davis's performance in Of Human Bondage (1934) was widely acclaimed and when she was not nominated for an Academy Award, several influential people mounted a campaign to have her name included. The Academy relaxed its rules for that year only to allow for the consideration of any performer nominated in a write-in vote, therefore any performance of the year was technically eligible for consideration. Given the well-publicized hoopla, some sources still consider this as a nomination for Davis; however, the Academy does not officially record this as a nomination.^[81]

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 Warner Bros. ... The Star is a 1952 film which tells the story of a washed up actress who tries anything to restart her career, even at the risk of alienating her husband and daughter. ... For other uses, see All About Eve (disambiguation). ... Mr. ... Now, Voyager is a 1942 film which tells the story of a middle-aged spinster who, repressed by the domination of her mother, winds up in a sanatorium, where her self-confidence is boosted by an understanding psychiatrist. ... The Letter is a 1940 film noir which tells the story of a woman who murders her lover, and then must face his widow and her husband. ... DVD cover showing Bette Davis. ... Jezebel is a 1938 film that tells the story of a headstrong young Southern woman during the years prior to the American Civil War, and how her actions cost her the love of the man she truly loves. ... Dangerous is a 1935 drama film starring Bette Davis as an alcoholic actress who has fallen on hard times and is helped back to her feet by a fan (Franchot Tone), whose own engagement is threatened by his relationship with the actress. ... The 1934 film Of Human Bondage was the first film adaptation of the 1915 novel of the same name by the British author W. Somerset Maugham. ...

Filmography

For a full chronology of Bette Davis's film and television work, see Bette Davis filmography.

References

• Bret, David (2006). Joan Crawford: Hollywood Martyr. Carroll & Graf Publishers. ISBN 978-0786718689. 
• Carr, Larry (1979). More Fabulous Faces: The Evolution and Metamorphosis of Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Dolores del Rio, Carole Lombard and Myrna Loy. Doubleday and Company. ISBN 0-385-12819-3. 
• Chandler, Charlotte (2006). The Girl Who Walked Home Alone : Bette Davis, A Personal Biography. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-6208-8. 
• Collins, Bill (1987). Bill Collins Presents "The Golden Years of Hollywood". The MacMillan Company of Australia. ISBN 0-333-45069-8. 
• Considine, Shaun (2000). Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud. Backinprint.com. ISBN 978-0595120277. 
• Davis, Bette; Michael Herskowitz (1987). This 'N That. G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0-345-34453-7. 
• Guiles, Fred Lawrence (1995). Joan Crawford, The Last Word. Conrad Goulden Books. ISBN 1-85793-268-4. 
• Haver, Ronald (1980). David O. Selznick's Hollywood. Bonanza Books. ISBN 0-517-47665-7. 
• Kael, Pauline (1982). 5001 Nights at the Movies. Zenith Books. ISBN 0-09-933550-6. 
• Ringgold, Gene (1966). The Films of Bette Davis. Cadillac Publishing Co. 
• Shipman, David (1988). Movie Talk. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-03403-2. 
• Sikov, Ed (2007). Dark Victory: The Life of Bette Davis. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0805075488. 
• Spada, James (1993). More Than a Woman. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-90880-0. 
• Springer, John; Jack Hamilton (1978). They Had Faces Then. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-0657-1. 
• Staggs, Sam (2000). All About "All About Eve". St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-27315-0. 
• Stine, Whitney; Bette Davis (1974). Mother Goddam: The Story of the Career of Bette Davis. W.H. Allen and Co. Plc.. ISBN 1-56980-157-6. 
• Wiley, Mason; Damien Bona (1987). Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-34453-7. 

Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an iconic American actress of film, television and stage. ... Dolores Del Rio Dolores del Río (August 3, 1905 - April 11, 1983) was a Mexican film actress. ... Carole Lombard (October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress. ... Myrna Loy (August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American motion picture actress. ...

Notes

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 162nd day of the year (163rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A cover of Life Magazine from 1911 Life has been the name of two notable magazines published in the United States. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (362nd in leap years). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Bette Davis

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Bette Davis

• Bette Davis at the Internet Movie Database
• Bette Davis at the TCM Movie Database
• Bette Davis at the Internet Broadway Database
• Bette Davis official website
• Bette Davis at Find A Grave
• Bette Davis photographs and bibliography

Nickname: Motto: Art is the Handmaid of Human Good Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Middlesex Settled 1653 Incorporated 1826 A city 1836 Government  - Type Manager-City council  - Mayor William F. Martin, Jr. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... Neuilly-sur-Seine is a commune in the Hauts-de-Seine département in France. ...