The Letter
1940
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Ruth Elizabeth " Bette " Davis ( / ˈbɛti /; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic, sardonic characters and was known for her performances in a range of film genres, from ...
IMDb provides an extensive overview of the life and career of Bette Davis, one of the greatest actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age. Learn about her early stage roles, her Oscar wins and nominations, her marriages and affairs, her comebacks and controversies, and her legacy.
- January 1, 1
- Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
- January 1, 1
- Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France
- Who Was Bette Davis?
- Early Life
- Broadway Debut and Early Film Career
- Career Highlights
- Later Work
- Personal Life
American actress Bette Davis was born on April 5, 1908, in Lowell, Massachusetts. After a brief theater career, she became one of the biggest stars in the Hollywood studio system, appearing in nearly 100 films before her death in 1989. Davis is still considered an icon for her performances in such films as All About Eve and Dark Victory, as well as...
Davis was born Ruth Elizabeth Davis on April 5, 1908, in Lowell Massachusetts, to Ruth (Favor) and Harlow Morrell Davis. When she was seven years old, her father divorced her mother, who was left to raise Bette and younger daughter Barbara on her own. As a teen, Davis began acting in school productions at the Cushing Academy in Massachusetts. After...
Davis began to audition for theater parts in New York, and in 1929 she made her stage début at Greenwich Village's Provincetown Playhouse in The Earth Between. Later that year, at the age of 21, she made her first Broadway appearance in the comedy Broken Dishes. A screen test landed Davis a contract with Hollywood's Universal Pictures, where she wa...
In 1934, Warner Brothers loaned Davis to RKO Pictures for Of Human Bondage, a drama based on a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. Davis received her first Academy Award nomination for her performance as the vulgar, cold-hearted waitress Mildred. Throughout the rest of her career, she would portray many other strong-willed, even unlikable, women who defi...
Davis depicted Elizabeth I again in The Virgin Queen (1955) and appeared in Tennessee Williams's The Night of the Iguana on Broadway in 1961. Some of her other work during this time was more lurid, however. In the horror movie (and camp classic) What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), she co-starred with Joan Crawford as a former child star caring...
Davis married four times. Her first marriage, to bandleader Harmon Oscar Nelson Jr., ended in divorce; her second husband, businessman Arthur Farnsworth, died in 1943. With third husband William Grant Sherry, Davis had a daughter named Barbara. While married to Gary Merrill, her co-star in All About Eve, she adopted two children, Margot and Michael...
Learn about the life and career of Bette Davis, one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history. From her early stage debut to her Oscar-winning roles and comeback films, discover her achievements, awards, and personal relationships.
- April 5, 1908
- October 6, 1989
Jul 29, 2021 · Bette Davis was on her final stretch in this Agatha Christie vehicle, with a gallery of A-listers phoning in a souped-up version of their existing screen personae. The scene is a 1930s paddle ...
- 1 min
- Peter Bradshaw
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Apr 1, 2024 · Bette Davis (born April 5, 1908, Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.—died October 6, 1989, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) was a versatile, volatile American actress, whose raw, unbridled intensity kept her at the top of her profession for 50 years. Davis developed a taste for acting while attending her mother’s alma mater, Cushing Academy in Massachusetts.
Sep 12, 2017 · Explore the life and legacy of Bette Davis, the legendary actress and icon of Hollywood. Find out about her books, her foundation, her news and her upcoming events.
