Miss Bette Davis

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Miss Bette Davis

Television Appearances for April 2007

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Bette Davis' Television Appearances for April 2007

Death on the Nile
April 19 on Cinemax

Fog Over Frisco
April 9 on Turner Classic Movies

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte
April 10 on Fox Movie Channel

The Letter
April 5 on Turner Classic Movies

The Little Foxes
April 5 on Turner Classic Movies

Now, Voyager
April 5 & 25 on Turner Classic Movies

Of Human Bondage
April 26 on Turner Classic Movies

The Petrified Forest
April 26 on Turner Classic Movies

Phone Call from a Stranger
April 7 & 16 on Fox Movie Channel

Return from Witch Mountain
April 1 & 2 on Hallmark Channel

The Virgin Queen
April 7 on Fox Movie Channel

Check your local listing for showtimes.

About Bette

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BIOGRAPHY

Often referred to as "The First Lady of the American Screen," Bette Davis created a new kind of screen heroine. She was a liberated woman in an industry dominated by men. She was known as an actress that could play a variety of difficult and powerful roles, and because of this she set a new standard for women on the big screen. Independent off-screen as well, her battles with studio bigwigs were legendary. With a career spanning six decades, few in the history of film rival her longevity and appeal.

Bette Davis was born Ruth Davis on April 5, 1908 in Lowell, Massachusetts. Just before her tenth birthday, Bette's father, Harlow, left the family. Although she had little money, her mother, Ruthie, sent Bette and her sister to boarding school. Upon graduating Cushing Academy, Bette enrolled in John Murray Anderson's Dramatic School. In 1929, she made her Broadway debut in "Broken Dishes." She also landed a role in "Solid South." In 1930, she moved to Hollywood to screen test for Universal.

Six small films later, Bette's contract with Universal was not renewed. She wanted to go back to Broadway, but a phone call from Warner Brothers quickly changed her mind. In 1932, she signed a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers. The film "The Man Who Played God" (1932) landed Bette on the path to stardom. She was a smash when she was lent out to RKO for the role of Mildred in "Of Human Bondage" (1934), her first critically acclaimed hit. Her role in "Dangerous" (1935) led to her nomination for a Best Actress Oscar. She became the first Warner Brothers actress to win the coveted award.

Despite her success, Warner Brothers continued to offer Bette unsatisfactory roles. In 1936, she challenged the studio by going to England to make pictures. Jack Warner sued her, and she was forced to honor her contract. Upon her return, however, Bette was offered a new contract and better roles. In 1939, Bette won her second Oscar for "Jezebel" (1938). She also received Oscar nominations the next five years in a row.

Although she earned a reputation for being difficult to work with, Bette set a new precedent for women. By 1942, she was the highest paid woman in America. Bette contributed to the war effort by helping to organize the Hollywood Canteen during World War II for soldiers passing through Los Angeles. Inspired by New York's Stage Door Canteen, Bette transformed a once-abandoned nightclub into an inspiring entertainment facility. "There are few accomplishments in my life that I am sincerely proud of. The Hollywood Canteen is one of them," Bette later commented. In 1980, she was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, the Defense Department's highest civilian award, for running the Hollywood Canteen.

Bette made a roaring comeback with her role as Margo Channing in "All About Eve" (1950), and she received her eighth Academy Award nomination. Her career was resuscitated again in 1962 with "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" Soon after, Bette began her second career as a horror maven and continued to welcome new opportunities with television appearances. In 1987, Bette played a blind woman in "The Whales of August," co-starring Lillian Gish.

Davis's personal life was as dramatic as her acting. She was married four times. She had a daughter, B.D., with her third husband, William Grant Sherry. She adopted two children, Margot and Michael, while married to her fourth husband, Gary Merrill.

With a career total of more than 100 films, Bette changed the way Hollywood looked at actresses. In 1977, she was the first woman to be honored with the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. She was also the first woman to be president of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. At the age of 75, Bette had a mastectomy due to breast cancer. Nine days later, she suffered a stroke. Despite her failing health, she continued to act until her death. Bette passed away October 6, 1989 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.

Michael Merrill, Bette's son, and Kathryn Sermak, Bette's personal assistant and friend, are now the executors of her estate. In her memory, they have created The Bette Davis Foundation, which provides financial assistance to promising young actors and actresses. Meryl Streep received the first Bette Davis Lifetime Achievement Award at Boston University in 1998.

Bette Davis UK TV Interview 1970s

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all about eve

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Dark Victory Trailer

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bette davis eyes

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bette davis the legend tribute

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Bette Davis

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Tribute to Bette Davis

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Bette Davis Eyes

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What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Trailer

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Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? - sung by Bette Davis

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Photos

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The Awards

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Academy Awards and nominations

Bette Davis became the first woman to secure 10 nominations for the Best Actress Oscar, and in the intervening years, only Katharine Hepburn and Meryl Streep have surpassed this figure.
Steven Spielberg purchased Davis's Oscars for Dangerous (1935) and Jezebel (1938) when they were offered for auction, and returned them to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

1962: Nominated for What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
1952: Nominated for The Star
1950: Nominated for All About Eve
1944: Nominated for Mr. Skeffington
1942: Nominated for Now, Voyager
1941: Nominated for The Little Foxes
1940: Nominated for The Letter
1939: Nominated for Dark Victory
1938: Won for Jezebel
1935: Won for Dangerous

1934: Davis's performance in Of Human Bondage (1934) was widely acclaimed and when she was not nominated for an Academy Award, several influential people mounted a campaign to have her name included. The Academy relaxed its rules for that year only to allow for the consideration of any performer nominated in a write-in vote. Therefore any performance of the year was technically eligible for consideration. Though some sources incorrectly attribute this as a nomination for Davis, it is not considered to be a nomination by the Academy.

Films

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Year Film
1989 Wicked Stepmother
1987 The Whales of August
1986 As Summer Die
1984 Murder with Mirrors
1983 Right of Way
1982 A Piano for Mrs. Cimino
Little Gloria
Hotel
1981 Family Reunion
1980 The Watcher in the Woods
White Mama
Skyward
1979 Strangers: The Story of a Mother and a Daughter
1978 Death on the Nile
Return from Witch Mountain
The Dark Secret of Harvest Home
1976 Burnt Offerings
The Disappearance of Aimee
1973 Scream, Pretty Peggy
1972 The Scientific Cardplayer
Connecting Rooms
Madame Sin
The Judge and Jake Wyler
1971 Bunny O'Hare
1968 The Anniversary
1965 The Nanny
1964 Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte
Where Love Has Gone
The Empty Canvas
Dead Ringer
1962 Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
1961 Pocketful of Miracles
1959 The Scapegoat
John Paul Jones
1957 Stranded
1956 Storm Center
The Catered Affair
1955 The Virgin Queen
1952 Phone Call from a Stranger
Another Man's Poison
The Star
1951 Payment on Demand
1950 All About Eve
1949 Beyond the Forest
1948 June Bride
Winter Meeting
1946 Deception
A Stolen Life
1945 The Corn is Green
1944 Mr. Skeffington
Hollywood Canteen
1943 Old Acquaintance
Watch on the Rhine
Thank Your Lucky Stars
1942 Now, Voyager
In This Our Life
1941 The Little Foxes
The Bride Came C.O.D.
The Great Lie
The Man Who Came to Dinner
Shining Victory
1940 The Letter
All This, and Heaven Too
1939 Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
The Old Maid
Juarez
Dark Victory
A Day at Santa Anita
1938 The Sisters
Jezebel
1937 It's Love I'm After
That Certain Woman
Kid Galahad
Marked Woman
1936 Satan Met a Lady
The Golden Arrow
The Petrified Forest
1935 Dangerous
Special Agent
Front Page Woman
The Girl from 10th Avenue
Bordertown
A Dream Comes True
1934 Housewife
Of Human Bondage
Fog Over Frisco
Jimmy the Gent
Fashions of 1934
The Big Shakedown
1933 Bureau of Missing Persons
Ex-Lady
The Working Man
Parachute Jumper
20,000 Years in Sing Sing
1932 Three on a Match
Cabin in the Cotton
The Rich Are Always with Us
So Big
The Man Who Played God
Hell's House
The Menace
The Dark Horse
1931 Waterloo Bridge
Seed
Bad Sister
Way Back Home