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Bette Davis (April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989), born Ruth Elizabeth
Davis, was a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress of film, television
and theatre.
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 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 Brothers 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 actresses, known for her forceful and intense style. Davis
gained a reputation as a perfectionist who could be highly combative, and her
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 was the first
actress to receive ten Academy Award nominations and the first woman to receive a
Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute.
Her career went through several periods of decline, 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, however she continued acting until shortly before her death
from breast cancer, with more than one hundred film, television and theater roles
to her credit.
Source : Some of the information on
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Bette Davis -
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