Acting
Bette Davis
1908-04-05 · 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.
Known for
All About My Mother
All About Eve
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Death on the Nile
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte
Burnt Offerings
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
The Letter
Return from Witch Mountain
Now, Voyager
Jezebel
The Petrified Forest
The Little Foxes
Pocketful of Miracles
Listen to Me Marlon
Movie credits · 184
This Is Joan Collins
Madonna: Madame X
Morceaux de Cannes
Mike Wallace Is Here
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
Bette Davis: Larger Than Life
The Fabulous Allan Carr
Bette and Joan
Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave a Damn
Listen to Me Marlon
Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire
Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored
Footsteps on the Ceiling
Vito
Marilyn at the Movies
The Travels of Kinuyo Tanaka
Queer Icon: The Cult of Bette Davis
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
Bette and Joan: Blind Ambition
Jezebel: Legend of the South
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
The Petrified Forest: Menace in the Desert
The Adventures of Errol Flynn
How Real is 'The Star'?
Complicated Women
Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies
Bride of Trailer Camp
Backstory: 'All About Eve'
All About My Mother
The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender
Frank Capra's American Dream
Joan Crawford: Always the Star
Intimate Portrait: Bette Davis
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Legends in Light: The Photography of George Hurrell
Biography: Bette Davis — If Looks Could Kill
All About Bette
Wicked Stepmother
TV credits · 42
1939: Secrets of Hollywood's Golden Year
Talking Pictures
The World of Hammer
Intimate Portrait
Little Gloria... Happy at Last
Hotel
Late Night with David Letterman
Family Reunion
The Kennedy Center Honors
The Dark Secret of Harvest Home
Laugh-In
Dinah!
Hello Mother, Goodbye!
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Film '72
V.I.P. Schaukel
The Dick Cavett Show
It Takes a Thief
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
The Hollywood Palace
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Merv Griffin Show
The Virginian
The Mike Douglas Show
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Suspicion
Perry Mason
Wagon Train
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Telephone Time
Tony Awards
The 20th Century Fox Hour
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Gunsmoke
Reflets de Cannes
The Oscars
General Electric Theater
The Ford Television Theatre
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
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