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 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. 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.
This book is your ultimate resource for Bette Davis. Here you will find the most up-to-date information, photos, and much more.
In easy to read chapters, with extensive references and links to get you to know all there is to know about her Early life, Career and Personal life right away: Bette Davis filmography, The Bad Sister, Seed (1931 film), Waterloo Bridge (1931 film), Way Back Home (film), The Menace (film), Hell's House, The Man Who Played God, So Big! (1932 film), The Rich Are Always with Us, The Dark Horse (film), The Cabin in the Cotton, Three on a Match, 20,000 Years in Sing Sing, Just Around the Corner, Parachute Jumper, The Working Man, Bureau of Missing Persons, Ex-Lady, The Big Shakedown, Fashions of 1934, Jimmy the Gent (film), Fog Over Frisco, Of Human Bondage (1934 film), Housewife (film), Bordertown (1935 film), The Girl from 10th Avenue, Front Page Woman, Special Agent (1935 film), Dangerous (film), The Petrified Forest, The Golden Arrow, Satan Met a Lady, Marked Woman, Kid Galahad (1937 film), That Certain Woman, It's Love I'm After, Jezebel (film), The Sisters (1938 film), Dark Victory, Juarez (film), The Old Maid (1939 film), The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, All This, and Heaven Too, The Letter (1940 film), The Great Lie, Shining Victory, The Bride Came C.O.D., The Little Foxes (film), The Man Who Came to Dinner (film), In This Our Life, Now, Voyager, Watch on the Rhine, Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943 film), Old Acquaintance, Mr. Skeffington, Hollywood Canteen (film), The Corn Is Green (1945 film), A Stolen Life, Deception (1946 film), Winter Meeting, June Bride, Beyond the Forest, All About Eve, Payment on Demand, Another Man's Poison, Phone Call from a Stranger, The Star (1952
