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Bette Davis

Bette Davis

Acting · Crew

Born April 5, 1908, 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.

Filmography

Appearances as themselves (84)
  • 2022This Is Joan Collins — Self (Archive Footage)
  • 2021Madonna: Madame X — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
  • 2021Morceaux de Cannes — Self (archive footage)
  • 2018Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood — Self (archive footage)
  • 2017Bette Davis: Larger Than Life — Self (archive footage)
  • 2017Bette and Joan — Self (archive footage)
  • 2017The Fabulous Allan Carr — Self (archive footage)
  • 2015Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave a Damn — Self (archive footage)
  • 2015Listen to Me Marlon — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
  • 2014Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire — Self - Actress (archive footage)
  • 2013Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored — Self (archive footage)
  • Talking Pictures — Self (archive footage)
  • 2011Marilyn at the Movies — Self (archive footage)
  • 2011Vito — Self (archive footage)
  • 20091939: Hollywood's Greatest Year — Self (archive footage)
  • 2009Queer Icon: The Cult of Bette Davis — Self (archive footage)
  • 2009The Travels of Kinuyo Tanaka — Self (archive footage)
  • 2007Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema — Self (archive footage)
  • 2006Bette and Joan: Blind Ambition — Self (archive footage)
  • 2006Jezebel: Legend of the South — Self (archive footage)
  • 2006Stardust: The Bette Davis Story — Self (archive footage)
  • 2005How Real is 'The Star'? — Self (archive footage)
  • 2005The Petrified Forest: Menace in the Desert — Self (archive footage)
  • 2003Complicated Women — Self (archive footage)
  • 2002Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour — Self (archive footage)
  • 2001Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies — Self (archive footage)
  • 2000Backstory: 'All About Eve' — Self (archive footage)
  • 1997Frank Capra's American Dream — Self (archive footage)
  • 1997The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender — Self (archive footage)
  • 1996Intimate Portrait: Bette Davis — Self (archive footage)
  • 1996Joan Crawford: Always the Star — Self (archive footage)
  • 1995Legends in Light: The Photography of George Hurrell — Self (archive footage)
  • 1995The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies — Self (archive footage)
  • 1994All About Bette — Self
  • 1994Biography: Bette Davis — If Looks Could Kill — Self (archive footage)
  • The World of Hammer — Self (archive footage)
  • Intimate Portrait — Self (archive footage)
  • 1989Hairway to the Stars — Self [Archive Footage]
  • 1988The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind — Self (archive footage)
  • 1986Bette Davis at the Cinémathèque Française — Self
  • 1986Directed by William Wyler — Self
  • 1985Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers — Self (archive footage)
  • 1983Bette Davis: The Benevolent Volcano — Self
  • 1983Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
  • Late Night with David Letterman — Self - Guest
  • 1982Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady — Self
  • 1982Night of 100 Stars — Self
  • 1982Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers! — Self (archive footage)
  • 1982Showbiz Ballyhoo — Self (archive footage)
  • 1978Mickey's 50 — Self
  • The Kennedy Center Honors — Self
  • Dinah! — Self
  • The American Film Institute Salute to ... — Self
  • 1973The Men Who Made the Movies: King Vidor — Self (archive footage)
  • 1972Bette Davis — Self
  • Film '72 — Self
  • V.I.P. Schaukel — Self
  • The Dick Cavett Show — Self - Guest
  • The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour — Self
  • The Hollywood Palace — Self
  • The Merv Griffin Show — Self
  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self
  • The Mike Douglas Show — Self - Co-Host
  • The Dinah Shore Chevy Show — Self
  • Tony Awards — Self - Presenter
  • Reflets de Cannes — Self
  • The Oscars — Self
  • What's My Line? — Self
  • 1949Breakdowns of 1949 — Self
  • 1944Breakdowns of 1944 — Self
  • Golden Globe Awards — Self - Presenter
  • 1944Hollywood Canteen — Self
  • 1943Show-Business at War — Self
  • 1943Thank Your Lucky Stars — Self
  • 1943The Voice That Thrilled the World — Self (segment 'Dangerous') (archive footage)
  • 1942Breakdowns of 1942 — Self
  • 1941Breakdowns of 1941 — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
  • 1940Cavalcade of the Academy Awards — Self
  • 1939Breakdowns of 1939 — Self
  • 1938Breakdowns of 1938 — Self (archive footage)
  • 1937Breakdowns of 1937 — Self
  • 1936Breakdowns of 1936 — Self
  • 1936Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1) — Self
  • 1933The 42nd Street Special — Self (uncredited)
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