Known For
Acting
Born
Apr 05, 1908
Died
Oct 06, 1989
Place of Birth
Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
Credits
225 titles
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
Filmography
This Is Joan Collins
Self (Archive Footage)
Madonna: Madame X
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Morceaux de Cannes
Mike Wallace Is Here
(archive footage)
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
Bette Davis: Larger Than Life
Self (archive footage)
The Fabulous Allan Carr
Self (archive)
Bette and Joan
Self (archive footage)
Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave a Damn
Self (archive footage)
Listen to Me Marlon
Self (archive footage)
Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire
Self - Actress (archive footage)
Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored
Self (archive footage)
Talking Pictures
Self (archive footage)
Footsteps on the Ceiling
Margo Channing (archive footage)
Vito
Self (archive)
Marilyn at the Movies
Self (archive footage)
The Travels of Kinuyo Tanaka
Self (archive footage)
Queer Icon: The Cult of Bette Davis
Self (archive footage)
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Self (archive footage)
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
Self (archive footage)
Jezebel: Legend of the South
Self (archive footage)
Bette and Joan: Blind Ambition
Self (archive footage)
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
Self (archive footage)
The Petrified Forest: Menace in the Desert
Self (archive footage)
The Adventures of Errol Flynn
Queen Elizabeth (archive footage)
How Real is 'The Star'?
Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women
Self (archive footage)
Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Self (archive footage)
Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies
Self (archive footage)
Bride of Trailer Camp
(archive footage)
Backstory: 'All About Eve'
Self (archive footage)
All About My Mother
In Memory Of
The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender
Self (archive footage)
Frank Capra's American Dream
Self (archive footage)
Joan Crawford: Always the Star
Self (archive footage)
Intimate Portrait: Bette Davis
Self (archive footage)
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Self (archive footage)
Legends in Light: The Photography of George Hurrell
Self (archive footage)
Biography: Bette Davis — If Looks Could Kill
Self (archive footage)
The World of Hammer
Self (archive footage)
All About Bette
Self
Intimate Portrait
Self (archive footage)
Wicked Stepmother
Miranda Pierpoint
Hairway to the Stars
Self [Archive Footage]
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Self (archive footage)
South of Reno
The Whales of August
Libby Strong
Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood
(archive footage)
As Summers Die
Hannah Loftin
Directed by William Wyler
Self