Bette Davis  

Bette Davis is one of those famous Hollywood actresses famous during the film capitol’s golden age, and still widely discussed today. 

Also a talented stage actress that appeared in a number of Broadway productions, she was known for her flamboyant character in life and while performing. 

Some of her most famous movies include ‘Dangerous’ (1935), ‘Jezebel’ (1938), ‘Now, Voyager’ (1942), and ‘The Star’ (1952).  She was nominated for Oscars 11 times, and won two.

Ruth Elizabeth Davis was born on April 5th, 1908 in Lowell, Massachusetts to parents Harlow Davis and Ruth Favor. 

When she was ten years old, her father left Betty and her sister Barbara to be raised solely by their mother, and her early life was marked with financial struggle. Following her mother’s dream to be an actress, Betty enrolled in John Murray Anderson’s school of drama where she immediately excelled. 

Betty’s first professional performance was in the Off-Broadway stage production of ‘The Earth Between’ in 1923.  She appeared on Broadway in ‘Broken Dishes’ and ‘Solid South’ in 1929. 

She signed on with Warner Brothers and starred in ‘The Man Who Played God’ and several other movies that were only moderately successful. 

 When she starred in ‘Of Human Bondage’ in 1934 she garnered more attention and critical acclaim.  It wasn’t until her leading role in ‘Dangerous’ in 1935 that she would become a star.  She won the Oscar for best actress for her performance in ‘Dangerous’, and won another one three years later for ‘Jezebel’.  That period in the later 1930’s is considered by many to be the peak of her career. 

The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 2

Her career continued to blossom in the early 1940s, with her roles in the movies ‘The Letter’ (1940), ‘The Little Foxes’ (1941), ‘Now, Voyager’ (1942), and ‘Mr. Skeffington’ (1944) all receiving critical acclaim.  After a short decline in her career, Davis starred in the 1950 movie ‘All About Eve’, which did very well in the box office.  Unfortunately, the rest of the movies she appeared in that decade failed to meet the same success. 

Her next and final success came with the 1962 movie ‘What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?’, where she starred alongside Joan Crawford.  She would appear in several other movies in her life, but none met with the success of her early pictures.

Though her movie career was all but over, Bette Davis had firmly established herself as a Hollywood icon and was still idolized all around the world.  She won the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1977, the first woman to ever receive the honor. 

After a long and painful struggle with breast cancer, Davis passed away on October 6th, 1989.