Bette Davis

Bette Davis

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.

Acting

2021

Madonna: Madame X
Movie

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

2019

Mike Wallace Is Here
Movie

(archive footage)

2015

Listen to Me Marlon
Movie

Self (archive footage)

2014

Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire
Movie

Self - Actress (archive footage)

2013

2013

Talking Pictures
Tv

Self (archive footage)

2009

The Travels of Kinuyo Tanaka
Movie

Self (archive footage)

2009

2006

Jezebel: Legend of the South
Movie

Self (archive footage)

2006

2006

2005

The Adventures of Errol Flynn
Movie

Queen Elizabeth (archive footage)

2001

2001

1989

Wicked Stepmother
Movie

Miranda Pierpoint

1986

As Summers Die
Movie

Hannah Loftin

1985

Murder with Mirrors
Movie

Carrie Louise Serrocold

1983

Right of Way
Movie

Miniature Dwyer

1983

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Movie

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

1982

Showbiz Goes to War
Movie

(archive footage)

1982

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Movie

(in "Deception") (archive footage)

1982

Showbiz Ballyhoo
Movie

Self (archive footage)

1982

A Piano for Mrs. Cimino
Movie

Esther McDonald Cimino

1981

Family Reunion
Tv

Elizabeth Winfield

1981

Family Reunion
Movie

Elizabeth Winfield

1980

Skyward
Movie

Billie Dupree

1978

Death on the Nile
Movie

Marie Van Schuyler

1977

Laugh-In
Tv

Guest Performer

1976

Burnt Offerings
Movie

Aunt Elizabeth

1974

1972

1972

Madame Sin
Movie

Madame Sin

1970

1968

1965

The Love Goddesses
Movie

(Archive Footage)

1964

Where Love Has Gone
Movie

Mrs. Gerald Hayden

1964

Dead Ringer
Movie

Margaret DeLorca / Edith Phillips

1959

1959

John Paul Jones
Movie

Empress Catherine the Great

1957

Perry Mason
Tv

Constant Doyle

1956

1956

The Catered Affair
Movie

Mrs. Agnes Hurley

1955

Gunsmoke
Tv

Etta Stone

1955

The Virgin Queen
Movie

Queen Elizabeth I

1953

1952

The Star
Movie

Margaret Elliot

1951

Hallmark Hall of Fame
Tv

Mrs. Minnie Kennedy, Aimee's mother

1951

Payment on Demand
Movie

Joyce Ramsey (nee Jackson)

1950

All About Eve
Movie

Margo Channing

1949

1948

June Bride
Movie

Linda Gilman

1948

1946

Deception
Movie

Christine Radcliffe

1946

A Stolen Life
Movie

Kate Bosworth / Patricia Bosworth

1945

The Corn Is Green
Movie

Miss Lilly Christabel Moffat

1944

1944

Golden Globe Awards
Tv

Self - Presenter

1943

1943

The Voice That Thrilled the World
Movie

Self (segment 'Dangerous') (archive footage)

1943

1942

Now, Voyager
Movie

Charlotte Vale

1942

In This Our Life
Movie

Stanley Timberlake Kingsmill

1941

Breakdowns of 1941
Movie

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

1941

The Little Foxes
Movie

Regina Hubbard Giddens

1941

The Great Lie
Movie

Maggie Patterson Van Allen

1940

The Letter
Movie

Leslie Crosbie

1940

All This, and Heaven Too
Movie

Henriette Deluzy-Desportes

1939

The Old Maid
Movie

Charlotte Lovell

1939

Juarez
Movie

Empress Carlotta von Hapsburg

1939

Dark Victory
Movie

Judith Traherne

1938

Breakdowns of 1938
Movie

Self (archive footage)

1938

The Sisters
Movie

Louise Elliott Medlin

1938

Jezebel
Movie

Julie Marsden

1937

1937

Kid Galahad
Movie

Louise 'Fluff' Phillips

1937

A Day at Santa Anita
Movie

Bette Davis (uncredited)

1937

Marked Woman
Movie

Mary Dwight Strauber

1936

Satan Met a Lady
Movie

Valerie Purvis

1936

1936

The Petrified Forest
Movie

Gabrielle "Gabby" Maple

1935

Dangerous
Movie

Joyce Heath

1935

Special Agent
Movie

Julie Gardner

1935

Front Page Woman
Movie

Ellen Garfield

1935

Bordertown
Movie

Mrs. Marie Roark

1934

Housewife
Movie

Patricia Berkeley

1934

Of Human Bondage
Movie

Mildred Rogers

1934

Fog Over Frisco
Movie

Arlene Bradford

1934

1934

1934

1933

Ex-Lady
Movie

Helen Bauer

1933

The Working Man
Movie

Jenny Hartland alias Jane Grey

1933

1933

Parachute Jumper
Movie

Patricia 'Alabama' Brent

1932

1932

So Big!
Movie

Miss Dallas O'Mara

1932

The Menace
Movie

Peggy Lowell

1931

1931

Seed
Movie

Margaret Carter

1931

The Bad Sister
Movie

Laura Madison

Production

1946

Infos

Full Name
Bette Davis
Gender
Female
Date of Birth
4/5/1908
Date of Death
10/6/1989
Website
https://www.bettedavis.com/
Also Known As

The First Lady of Film

Ruth Elizabeth Davis

The Fourth Warner Brother

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Μπέτι Ντέιβις

Бетт Дейвіс