Bette Davis
Acting
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.
Media of
Bette Davis
Photos (21)
Filmography of
Bette Davis
Self - Actor (archive footage)
... 2024
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
... 2024
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
... 2021
(archive footage)
... 2019
Self (archive footage)
... 2018
Self (archive footage)
... 2018
Self (archive footage)
... 2017
Self (archive footage)
... 2017
Self (archive footage)
... 2015
Self - Actress (archive footage)
... 2014
Self (archive footage)
... 2014
Self (archive footage)
... 2013
Margo Channing (archive footage)
... 2013
Self (archive footage)
... 2009
Self (archive footage)
... 2009
Self (archive footage)
... 2009
Self (archive footage)
... 2007
Self (archive footage)
... 2006
Self (archive footage)
... 2006
Self (archive footage)
... 2006
Self (archive footage)
... 2005
Queen Elizabeth (archive footage)
... 2005
Self (archive footage)
... 2003
Self (archive footage)
... 2002
Self (archive footage)
... 2001
Self (archive footage)
... 2000
Self (archive footage)
... 1997
Self (archive footage)
... 1997
Self (archive footage)
... 1996
Self (archive footage)
... 1996
Self (archive footage)
... 1994
Self
... 1994
Miranda Pierpoint
... 1989
Self [Archive Footage]
... 1989
Self (archive footage)
... 1988
Libby Strong
... 1987
(archive footage)
... 1987
Hannah Loftin
... 1986
... 1986
Self (from All About Eve [1950]) (archive footage)
... 1986
... 1986
Carrie Louise Serrocold
... 1985
Self (archive footage)
... 1985
(archive footage)
... 1984
Miniature Dwyer
... 1983
... 1983
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
... 1983
(archive footage)
... 1982
(in "Deception") (archive footage)
... 1982
Self
... 1982
Esther McDonald Cimino
... 1982
Self (archive footage)
... 1982
Elizabeth Winfield
... 1981
Billie Dupree
... 1980
Mrs. Aylwood
... 1980
Estelle Malone
... 1980
... 1979
(archive footage)
... 1979
Marie Van Schuyler
... 1978
Letha Wedge
... 1978
Marie Van Schuyler (archive footage)
... 1978
Minnie Kennedy
... 1976
Aunt Elizabeth
... 1976
... 1974
Mrs. Elliott
... 1973
Self (archive footage)
... 1973
Self
... 1972
Judge Meredith
... 1972
'A vecchia
... 1972
Madame Sin
... 1972
Bunny O'Hare
... 1971
Wanda Fleming
... 1970
Mrs. Taggart
... 1968
Nanny
... 1965
Liz
... 1965
(archive footage)
... 1965
Charlotte Hollis
... 1964
Mrs. Gerald Hayden
... 1964
(archive footage)
... 1964
Margaret DeLorca / Edith Phillips
... 1964
Dino's Mother
... 1963
... 1962
Baby Jane Hudson
... 1962
Apple Annie
... 1961
Countess
... 1959
Empress Catherine the Great
... 1959
Alicia Hull
... 1956
Mrs. Agnes Hurley
... 1956
Queen Elizabeth I
... 1955
Margaret Elliot
... 1952
Marie Hoke
... 1952
Janet Frobisher
... 1951
Joyce Ramsey (nee Jackson)
... 1951
Margo Channing
... 1950
Self
... 1949
Rosa Moline
... 1949
Linda Gilman
... 1948
Susan Grieve
... 1948
Christine Radcliffe
... 1946
Kate Bosworth / Patricia Bosworth
... 1946
Miss Lilly Christabel Moffat
... 1945
Self
... 1944
Self
... 1944
Fanny Trellis
... 1944
Mother
... 1943
Kit Marlowe
... 1943
Self (segment 'Dangerous') (archive footage)
... 1943
... 1943
Sara Müller
... 1943
Self
... 1943
... 1943
Self
... 1942
Charlotte Vale
... 1942
Stanley Timberlake Kingsmill
... 1942
Maggie Cutler
... 1941
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
... 1941
Regina Hubbard Giddens
... 1941
Joan Winfield
... 1941
... 1941
Maggie Patterson Van Allen
... 1941
Leslie Crosbie
... 1940
... 1940
Henriette Deluzy-Desportes
... 1940
Bette Davis
... 1940
Self
... 1939
Queen Elizabeth
... 1939
Charlotte Lovell
... 1939
Empress Carlotta von Hapsburg
... 1939
Judith Traherne
... 1939
Self (archive footage)
... 1938
Louise Elliott Medlin
... 1938
Julie Marsden
... 1938
Self
... 1937
Joyce Arden
... 1937
Mary Donnell/Mme Al Haines
... 1937
Louise 'Fluff' Phillips
... 1937
... 1937
Mary Dwight Strauber
... 1937
Self
... 1936
... 1936
Valerie Purvis
... 1936
Daisy Appleby
... 1936
Gabrielle "Gabby" Maple
... 1936
... 1935
Joyce Heath
... 1935
Julie Gardner
... 1935
Ellen Garfield
... 1935
Miriam A. Brady
... 1935
Mrs. Marie Roark
... 1935
Patricia Berkeley
... 1934
Mildred Rogers
... 1934
Arlene Bradford
... 1934
Joan Martin
... 1934
Lynn Mason
... 1934
Norma Nelson
... 1934
Norma Roberts
... 1933
Helen Bauer
... 1933
Jenny Hartland alias Jane Grey
... 1933
Self (uncredited)
... 1933
Patricia 'Alabama' Brent
... 1933
Ginger
... 1933
Fay Wilson
... 1932
Ruth Westcott
... 1932
Madge Norwood
... 1932
Kay Russell
... 1932
Malbro
... 1932
Miss Dallas O'Mara
... 1932
Grace Blair
... 1932
Peggy Gardner
... 1932
Peggy Lowell
... 1932
Mary Lucy Duffy
... 1931
Janet Cronin
... 1931
Margaret Carter
... 1931
Laura Madison
... 1931