This page will contain wikis about Bette Davis, as they become available.Bette DavisThis article is about Bette Davis the actress, the article about Betty Davis the singer can be found here Ruth Elizabeth Davis (April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989), better known as Bette Davis, was an Academy Award winning American actress. Davis was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. Her parents divorced when she was 7, and she and her sister were raised by their mother, who aspired to be an actress. Davis was denied admission to Eva LeGallienne's Manhattan Civic Repertory because she was considered insincere. So, she enrolled in John Murray Anderson's dramatic school (who sent her classmate Lucille Ball home because she was "too shy"), and became a star. Her first professional stage performance was The Earth Between, Off-Broadway in 1923. Her first Broadway performance was in 1929, in Broken Dishes and later in Solid South. The next year, she was hired by Universal Studios, but they felt she was not star material, and in 1932, they let her sign with Warner Brothers. Her first starring role was in The Man Who Played God, and she became a star in Of Human Bondage. The Motion Picture Academy failed to nominate Davis for this tour de force and such was the outrage that she received many write in votes from disgruntled Academy members, the eventual winner was longtime rival Katharine Hepburn. After a much publicised legal battle with Warners, to stop them putting her in inferior movies, led to a dramatic improvement in the quality of her films (although she lost the case). She went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for Dangerous (1936) and Jezebel (1938), and was able to name her own roles, with the exception of Gone With the Wind in 1939. Her career began to stagnate through the 1940s, but her performance in All About Eve (1950), for which she received another Oscar nomination, put her back on top. When her career began to fade again, in 1961, she placed a notorious ad for "job wanted" in the trade papers. Her role in 1962's over-the-top What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, in which she played a parody of herself opposite her long-time rival Joan Crawford, earned her another Oscar nomination. In 1977, Davis became the first woman to receive the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 1979 she won a Best Actress Emmy. She wrote a biography, The Lonely Life, in the 1960s, and Mother Goddam in 1975. In 1985, her daughter, B.D. Hyman (born Barbara Sherry), wrote a tell-all book, My Mother's Keeper, in which she savaged her mother. Davis admitted that her career always came first, and, although she married four times, and had sveral affairs, including ones with George Brent and William Wyler, it should be pointed out that many who knew both her and her daughter claimed that this book was largely fiction and that Davis, although in some ways difficult, was really a loving mother and grandmother. Davis wrote another book, This N That, in the late 1980s, and Bette Davis, The Lonely Life, which appeared the year after her death, updating what had happened since her first biography had been published. On July 19, 2001, Steven Spielberg purchased Davis' Oscar statuette for Jezebel at a Christie's auction and returned it to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This was to protect an Oscar from commercial exploitation. Bette Davis died, aged 81, in 1989 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, following a long battle with breast cancer, and after having suffered at least one serious stroke. On Davis's tombstone is written, "She did it the hard way." She walked out of her last film, "Wicked Stepmother," which was released posthumously with her still included in 1989. She is also credited with many famous quotes about acting often about Hollywood and rivals like Crawford and Hepburn. After the song "Bette Davis Eyes" became a hit single, Davis wrote letters to songwriters Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon, and singer Kim Carnes to ask them how they knew so much about her. One of the reasons Davis loved the song is that her granddaughter thought her grandmother was "cool" because she had a hit song written about her. Academy Awards and Nominations
Filmography
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One of the reasons Davis loved the song is that her granddaughter thought her grandmother was "cool" because she had a hit song written about her. She has also produced many TV productions during her career. After the song "Bette Davis Eyes" became a hit single, Davis wrote letters to songwriters Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon, and singer Kim Carnes to ask them how they knew so much about her. She worked on the Woody Allen classic Annie Hall in 1977, alongside Allen himself, giving a performance as his one-night stand. She is also credited with many famous quotes about acting often about Hollywood and rivals like Crawford and Hepburn. She has starred in numerous films, most notably The Shining with Jack Nicholson in 1980. She walked out of her last film, "Wicked Stepmother," which was released posthumously with her still included in 1989. Her acting talents were discovered in 1970 by acclaimed director Robert Altman. On Davis's tombstone is written, "She did it the hard way.". Shelley Duvall was born July 7, 1949 in Houston, Texas. Bette Davis died, aged 81, in 1989 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, following a long battle with breast cancer, and after having suffered at least one serious stroke. Brewster McCloud (1970). This was to protect an Oscar from commercial exploitation. Miller (1971). On July 19, 2001, Steven Spielberg purchased Davis' Oscar statuette for Jezebel at a Christie's auction and returned it to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. McCabe & Mrs. Davis wrote another book, This N That, in the late 1980s, and Bette Davis, The Lonely Life, which appeared the year after her death, updating what had happened since her first biography had been published. Thieves Like Us (1974). Hyman (born Barbara Sherry), wrote a tell-all book, My Mother's Keeper, in which she savaged her mother. Davis admitted that her career always came first, and, although she married four times, and had sveral affairs, including ones with George Brent and William Wyler, it should be pointed out that many who knew both her and her daughter claimed that this book was largely fiction and that Davis, although in some ways difficult, was really a loving mother and grandmother. Nashville (1975). In 1985, her daughter, B.D. Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976). She wrote a biography, The Lonely Life, in the 1960s, and Mother Goddam in 1975. Bernice Bobs Her Hair (1976) (TV). In 1977, Davis became the first woman to receive the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 1979 she won a Best Actress Emmy. Annie Hall (1977). Her role in 1962's over-the-top What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, in which she played a parody of herself opposite her long-time rival Joan Crawford, earned her another Oscar nomination. 3 Women (1977). When her career began to fade again, in 1961, she placed a notorious ad for "job wanted" in the trade papers. The Shining (1980). Her career began to stagnate through the 1940s, but her performance in All About Eve (1950), for which she received another Oscar nomination, put her back on top. Rumpelstiltskin (1980)(TV). She went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for Dangerous (1936) and Jezebel (1938), and was able to name her own roles, with the exception of Gone With the Wind in 1939. Popeye (1980). After a much publicised legal battle with Warners, to stop them putting her in inferior movies, led to a dramatic improvement in the quality of her films (although she lost the case). Time Bandits (1981). The Motion Picture Academy failed to nominate Davis for this tour de force and such was the outrage that she received many write in votes from disgruntled Academy members, the eventual winner was longtime rival Katharine Hepburn. Rapunzel (1981)(TV). Her first starring role was in The Man Who Played God, and she became a star in Of Human Bondage. Frankenweenie (1984) (voice). The next year, she was hired by Universal Studios, but they felt she was not star material, and in 1932, they let her sign with Warner Brothers. Booker (1984) (TV). Her first Broadway performance was in 1929, in Broken Dishes and later in Solid South. Roxanne (1987). Her first professional stage performance was The Earth Between, Off-Broadway in 1923. Frog (1987) (TV). So, she enrolled in John Murray Anderson's dramatic school (who sent her classmate Lucille Ball home because she was "too shy"), and became a star. Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (1990)(TV). Davis was denied admission to Eva LeGallienne's Manhattan Civic Repertory because she was considered insincere. Suburban Commando (1991). Her parents divorced when she was 7, and she and her sister were raised by their mother, who aspired to be an actress. Frogs! (1991). Davis was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. Underneath (1995). Ruth Elizabeth Davis (April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989), better known as Bette Davis, was an Academy Award winning American actress. The Portrait of a Lady (1996). This article is about Bette Davis the actress, the article about Betty Davis the singer can be found here. Twilight of the Ice Nymphs (1997). The Bad Sister (1931). Rocket Man (1997). Seed (1931). Horton Foote's Alone (1997). Waterloo Bridge (1931). My Teacher Ate My Homework (1997). Way Back Home (1931). Changing Habits (1997). The Menace (1932). Tale of the Mummy (1998). Hell's House (1932). Casper Meets Wendy (1998)(TV). The Man Who Played God (1932). Home Fries (1998). So Big! (1932). Boltneck (2000). The Rich Are Always with Us (1932). The 4th Floor (1999). The Dark Horse (1932). Dreams in the Attic (2000). Cabin in the Cotton (1932). Manna From Heaven (2001). Three on a Match (1932). Under the Mimosa (2001). 20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932). Parachute Jumper (1933). The Working Man (1933). Ex-Lady (1933). Bureau of Missing Persons (1933). The Big Shakedown (1934). Fashions of 1934 (1934). Jimmy the Gent (1934). Fog Over Frisco (1934). Of Human Bondage (1934). Housewife (1934). Bordertown (1935). The Girl from 10th Avenue (1935). Front Page Woman (1935). Special Agent (1935). Dangerous (1935). The Petrified Forest (1936). The Golden Arrow (1936). Satan Met a Lady (1936). Marked Woman (1937). Kid Galahad (1937). That Certain Woman (1937). It's Love I'm After (1937). Jezebel (1938). The Sisters (1938). Dark Victory (1939). Juarez (1939). The Old Maid (1939). The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939). All This and Heaven Too (1940). The Letter (1940). The Great Lie (1941). The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941). The Little Foxes (1941). Shining Victory (1941). The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942). In This Our Life (1942. Now, Voyager (1942). Watch on the Rhine (1943). Old Acquaintance (1943). Skeffington (1944). Mr. The Corn Is Green (1945). A Stolen Life (1946). Deception (1946). Winter Meeting (1948). June Bride (1948). Beyond the Forest (1949). All About Eve (1950). Payment on Demand (1951). Another Man's Poison (1952). Phone Call from a Stranger (1952). The Star (1952). The Virgin Queen (1955). The Catered Affair (1956). Storm Center (1956). John Paul Jones (1959). The Scapegoat (1959). Pocketful of Miracles (1961). What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). The Empty Canvas (1964). Dead Ringer (1964). Where Love Has Gone (1964). Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964). The Nanny (1965). The Anniversary (1968). Bunny O'Hare (1971). Madame Sin (1972). The Scientific Cardplayer (1972). The Judge and Jake Wyler (1972). Connecting Rooms (1972). Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973). Burnt Offerings (1976). The Disappearance of Aimee (1976). Dark Secret of Harvest Home (1978). Death on the Nile (1978). Return from Witch Mountain (1978). Strangers, The Story of a Mother and Daughter (1979). White Mama (1980). The Watcher in the Woods (1980). Skyward (1980). Family Reunion (1981). Cimino (1982). A Piano for Mrs. Little Gloria, Happy at Last (1982). Hotel (1982). Right of Way (1983). Murder with Mirrors (1985). As Summers Die (1986). The Whales of August (1987). Wicked Stepmother (1989). Mina Tannenbaum (1994). Nominated Of Human Bondage (1934). Won Dangerous (1935). Won Jezebel (1938). Nominated Dark Victory (1939). Nominated The Letter (1940). Nominated The Little Foxes (1941). Nominated Now, Voyager (1942). Skeffington (1944). Nominated Mr. Nominated All About Eve (1950). Nominated The Star (1952). Nominated What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). |