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Bette Davis

Bette Davis

Birthday: 1908-04-05 | Place of Birth: Lowell, Massachusetts, USA

Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an 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 her roles in romantic dramas. 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 ladies, known for her forceful and intense style. Davis gained a reputation as a perfectionist who could be highly combative, and 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. 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 won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, was the first person to accrue 10 Academy Award nominations for acting, and was the first woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute. Her career went through several periods of eclipse, and she admitted that her success had often been at the expense of her personal relationships. Married four times, she was once widowed and thrice 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 films, television and theater roles to her credit. In 1999, Davis was placed second, after Katharine Hepburn, on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest female stars of all time.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

2015
Listen to Me Marlon

as    Self (archive footage)

2009
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

as    Self (archive footage)

2006
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story

as    Self (archive footage)

2003
Complicated Women

as    Self (archive footage)

1989
Wicked Stepmother

as    Miranda Pierpoint

1985
Murder with Mirrors

as    Carrie Louise Serrocold

1982
Little Gloria... Happy at Last

as    Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt

1981
Family Reunion

as    Elizabeth Winfield

1980
White Mama

as    Estelle Malone

1980
The Watcher in the Woods

as    Mrs. Aylwood

1978
Return from Witch Mountain

as    Letha Wedge

1978
Death on the Nile

as    Marie Van Schuyler

1976
Burnt Offerings

as    Aunt Elizabeth

1976
The Disappearance of Aimee

as    Minnie Kennedy

1973
Scream, Pretty Peggy

as    Mrs. Elliott

1971
Bunny O'Hare

as    Bunny O'Hare

1968
The Anniversary

as    Mrs. Taggart

1965
The Nanny

as    Nanny

1964
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte

as    Charlotte Hollis

1964
Dead Ringer

as    Margaret DeLorca / Edith Phillips

1964
Where Love Has Gone

as    Mrs. Gerald Hayden

1962
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

as    Baby Jane Hudson

1961
Pocketful of Miracles

as    Apple Annie

1959
The Scapegoat

as    Countess

1959
John Paul Jones

as    Empress Catherine the Great

1957
Suspicion

as    Mrs. Wilfred Ellis

1956
The Catered Affair

as    Mrs. Agnes Hurley