Bette Davis

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

209

Gender

Female

Birthday

1908-04-05

Day of death

1989-10-06 (81 years old)

Place of Birth

Lowell, Massachusetts, USA

Bette Davis

Biography

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

  • The Mike Douglas Show

    The Mike Douglas Show

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

  • Golden Globe Awards

    Golden Globe Awards

  • Perry Mason

    Perry Mason

  • The Virginian

    The Virginian

  • The Dick Cavett Show

    The Dick Cavett Show

  • What's My Line?

    What's My Line?

  • Wagon Train

    Wagon Train

  • Wagon Train

    Wagon Train

  • The Merv Griffin Show

    The Merv Griffin Show

  • Intimate Portrait

    Intimate Portrait

  • The Oscars

    The Oscars

  • Gunsmoke

    Gunsmoke

  • The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

    The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • The Ford Television Theatre

    The Ford Television Theatre

  • Dinah!

    Dinah!

  • The Kennedy Center Honors

    The Kennedy Center Honors

  • The 20th Century Fox Hour

    The 20th Century Fox Hour

  • The DuPont Show with June Allyson

    The DuPont Show with June Allyson

  • Parachute Jumper

    Parachute Jumper

  • It Takes a Thief

    It Takes a Thief

  • Juarez

    Juarez

  • Dangerous

    Dangerous

  • The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour

    The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour

  • White Mama

    White Mama

  • The Scapegoat

    The Scapegoat

  • Three on a Match

    Three on a Match

  • So Big!

    So Big!

  • Beyond the Forest

    Beyond the Forest

  • June Bride

    June Bride

  • Special Agent

    Special Agent

  • Telephone Time

    Telephone Time

  • Wicked Stepmother

    Wicked Stepmother

  • In This Our Life

    In This Our Life

  • V.I.P. Schaukel

    V.I.P. Schaukel

  • 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

    1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

  • Suspicion

    Suspicion

  • Jimmy the Gent

    Jimmy the Gent

  • Scream, Pretty Peggy

    Scream, Pretty Peggy

  • The American Film Institute Salute to ...

    The American Film Institute Salute to ...

  • Breakdowns of 1942

    Breakdowns of 1942

  • Deception

    Deception

  • Hollywood Canteen

    Hollywood Canteen

  • The World of Hammer

    The World of Hammer

  • John Paul Jones

    John Paul Jones

  • Madonna: Madame X

    Madonna: Madame X

  • Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood

    Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood

  • Mr. Skeffington

    Mr. Skeffington

  • Front Page Woman

    Front Page Woman

  • Housewife

    Housewife

  • The Disappearance of Aimee

    The Disappearance of Aimee

  • Madame Sin

    Madame Sin

  • Connecting Rooms

    Connecting Rooms

  • Breakdowns of 1949

    Breakdowns of 1949

  • Reflets de Cannes

    Reflets de Cannes

  • Death on the Nile

    Death on the Nile

  • All About Eve

    All About Eve

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • The Hollywood Palace

    The Hollywood Palace

  • Payment on Demand

    Payment on Demand

  • Satan Met a Lady

    Satan Met a Lady

  • Breakdowns of 1938

    Breakdowns of 1938

  • Breakdowns of 1941

    Breakdowns of 1941

  • Directed by William Wyler

    Directed by William Wyler

  • Breakdowns of 1944

    Breakdowns of 1944

  • Night of 100 Stars

    Night of 100 Stars

  • Talking Pictures

    Talking Pictures

  • Hello Mother, Goodbye!

    Hello Mother, Goodbye!

  • The Bad Sister

    The Bad Sister

  • Way Back Home

    Way Back Home

  • Breakdowns of 1936

    Breakdowns of 1936

  • What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

    What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

  • Breakdowns of 1939

    Breakdowns of 1939

  • Bordertown

    Bordertown

  • Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored

    Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored

  • Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

    Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

  • Breakdowns of 1937

    Breakdowns of 1937

  • Bette Davis

    Bette Davis

  • Pocketful of Miracles

    Pocketful of Miracles

  • A Stolen Life

    A Stolen Life

  • The Catered Affair

    The Catered Affair

  • Now, Voyager

    Now, Voyager

  • The Letter

    The Letter

  • Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte

    Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte

  • The Little Foxes

    The Little Foxes

  • Return from Witch Mountain

    Return from Witch Mountain

  • Footsteps on the Ceiling

    Footsteps on the Ceiling

  • The Horror Show

    The Horror Show

  • Dead Ringer

    Dead Ringer

  • Burnt Offerings

    Burnt Offerings

  • Jezebel

    Jezebel

  • The Big Shakedown

    The Big Shakedown

  • Little Gloria... Happy at Last

    Little Gloria... Happy at Last

  • Hell's House

    Hell's House

  • The Watcher in the Woods

    The Watcher in the Woods

  • Of Human Bondage

    Of Human Bondage

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

    Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

  • The Dark Secret of Harvest Home

    The Dark Secret of Harvest Home

  • Laugh-In

    Laugh-In

  • The Man Who Came to Dinner

    The Man Who Came to Dinner

  • Murder with Mirrors

    Murder with Mirrors

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • Bureau of Missing Persons

    Bureau of Missing Persons

  • The Scopone Game

    The Scopone Game

  • Dark Victory

    Dark Victory

  • The Nanny

    The Nanny

  • The Great Lie

    The Great Lie

  • Listen to Me Marlon

    Listen to Me Marlon

  • Just Around the Corner

    Just Around the Corner

  • The Whales of August

    The Whales of August

  • The Old Maid

    The Old Maid

  • Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

    Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

  • Waterloo Bridge

    Waterloo Bridge

  • The Petrified Forest

    The Petrified Forest

  • Fashions of 1934

    Fashions of 1934

  • The Rich Are Always with Us

    The Rich Are Always with Us

  • The Bride Came C.O.D.

    The Bride Came C.O.D.

  • The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

    The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

  • The Travels of Kinuyo Tanaka

    The Travels of Kinuyo Tanaka

  • The Decorator

    The Decorator

  • The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender

    The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender

  • Showbiz Goes to War

    Showbiz Goes to War

  • The Judge and Jake Wyler

    The Judge and Jake Wyler

  • The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

    The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

  • All This, and Heaven Too

    All This, and Heaven Too

  • Kid Galahad

    Kid Galahad

  • Thank Your Lucky Stars

    Thank Your Lucky Stars

  • Frank Capra's American Dream

    Frank Capra's American Dream

  • The Working Man

    The Working Man

  • The Empty Canvas

    The Empty Canvas

  • Skyward

    Skyward

  • 20,000 Years in Sing Sing

    20,000 Years in Sing Sing

  • Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

    Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

  • Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers

    Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers

  • Mickey's 50

    Mickey's 50

  • Where Love Has Gone

    Where Love Has Gone

  • As Summers Die

    As Summers Die

  • A Dream Comes True

    A Dream Comes True

  • Watch on the Rhine

    Watch on the Rhine

  • Family Reunion

    Family Reunion

  • Marked Woman

    Marked Woman

  • The Star

    The Star

  • Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

    Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

  • Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema

    Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema

  • Storm Center

    Storm Center

  • Mike Wallace Is Here

    Mike Wallace Is Here

  • Phone Call from a Stranger

    Phone Call from a Stranger

  • The Sisters

    The Sisters

  • The Virgin Queen

    The Virgin Queen

  • Going Hollywood: The '30s

    Going Hollywood: The '30s

  • Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!

    Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!

  • The Adventures of Errol Flynn

    The Adventures of Errol Flynn

  • Ex-Lady

    Ex-Lady

  • The Anniversary

    The Anniversary

  • Another Man's Poison

    Another Man's Poison

  • Family Reunion

    Family Reunion

  • The Voice That Thrilled the World

    The Voice That Thrilled the World

  • The Men Who Made the Movies: King Vidor

    The Men Who Made the Movies: King Vidor

  • Complicated Women

    Complicated Women

  • The Golden Arrow

    The Golden Arrow

  • Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire

    Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire

  • Fog Over Frisco

    Fog Over Frisco

  • It's Love I'm After

    It's Love I'm After

  • Old Acquaintance

    Old Acquaintance

  • Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)

    Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)

  • Backstory: 'All About Eve'

    Backstory: 'All About Eve'

  • The Cabin in the Cotton

    The Cabin in the Cotton

  • Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter

    Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter

  • Bunny O'Hare

    Bunny O'Hare

  • The Man Who Played God

    The Man Who Played God

  • Show-Business at War

    Show-Business at War

  • Jezebel: Legend of the South

    Jezebel: Legend of the South

  • That Certain Woman

    That Certain Woman

  • Hello Mother, Goodbye!

    Hello Mother, Goodbye!

  • Seed

    Seed

  • Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour

    Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour

  • Hairway to the Stars

    Hairway to the Stars

  • Right of Way

    Right of Way

  • Showbiz Ballyhoo

    Showbiz Ballyhoo

  • The Girl from 10th Avenue

    The Girl from 10th Avenue

  • Joan Crawford: Always the Star

    Joan Crawford: Always the Star

  • Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies

    Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies

  • The Corn Is Green

    The Corn Is Green

  • A Day at Santa Anita

    A Day at Santa Anita

  • All About Bette

    All About Bette

  • The Menace

    The Menace

  • A Piano for Mrs. Cimino

    A Piano for Mrs. Cimino

  • The Petrified Forest: Menace in the Desert

    The Petrified Forest: Menace in the Desert

  • Shining Victory

    Shining Victory

  • The Dark Horse

    The Dark Horse

  • Stars on Horseback

    Stars on Horseback

  • The 42nd Street Special

    The 42nd Street Special

  • Stardust: The Bette Davis Story

    Stardust: The Bette Davis Story

  • Bride of Trailer Camp

    Bride of Trailer Camp

  • Bette and Joan: Blind Ambition

    Bette and Joan: Blind Ambition

  • Biography: Bette Davis — If Looks Could Kill

    Biography: Bette Davis — If Looks Could Kill

  • If I Forget You

    If I Forget You

  • Bette Davis: Larger Than Life

    Bette Davis: Larger Than Life

  • Intimate Portrait: Bette Davis

    Intimate Portrait: Bette Davis

  • Winter Meeting

    Winter Meeting

  • Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 1, From beginning"

    Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 1, From beginning"

  • Bette Davis: The Benevolent Volcano

    Bette Davis: The Benevolent Volcano

  • A Present with a Future

    A Present with a Future

  • Miss Moffat

    Miss Moffat

  • Bette and Joan

    Bette and Joan

  • Queer Icon: The Cult of Bette Davis

    Queer Icon: The Cult of Bette Davis

  • Bette Davis at the Cinémathèque Française

    Bette Davis at the Cinémathèque Française