Bette Davis
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- April 5, 1908
- Died
- October 6, 1989
- Birthplace
- 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
This Is Joan Collins 2022
as Self (Archive Footage)
Madonna: Madame X 2021
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Morceaux de Cannes 2021
as Self (archive footage)
Mike Wallace Is Here 2019
as (archive footage)
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood 2018
as Self (archive footage)
Bette Davis: Larger Than Life 2017
as Self (archive footage)
The Fabulous Allan Carr 2017
as Self (archive footage)
Bette and Joan 2017
as Self (archive footage)
Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave a Damn 2015
as Self (archive footage)
Listen to Me Marlon 2015
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire 2014
as Self - Actress (archive footage)
Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored 2013
as Self (archive footage)
Footsteps on the Ceiling 2013
as Margo Channing (archive footage)
Vito 2011
as Self (archive footage)
Marilyn at the Movies 2011
as Self (archive footage)
The Travels of Kinuyo Tanaka 2009
as Self (archive footage)
Queer Icon: The Cult of Bette Davis 2009
as Self (archive footage)
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year 2009
as Self (archive footage)
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema 2007
as Self (archive footage)
Jezebel: Legend of the South 2006
as Self (archive footage)
Bette and Joan: Blind Ambition 2006
as Self (archive footage)
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story 2006
as Self (archive footage)
The Petrified Forest: Menace in the Desert 2005
as Self (archive footage)
The Adventures of Errol Flynn 2005
as Queen Elizabeth (archive footage)
How Real is 'The Star'? 2005
as Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women 2003
as Self (archive footage)
Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour 2002
as Self (archive footage)
Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies 2001
as Self (archive footage)
- Bride of Trailer Camp
Bride of Trailer Camp 2001
as (archive footage)
Backstory: 'All About Eve' 2000
as Self (archive footage)
All About My Mother 1999
In Memory Of
The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender 1997
as Self (archive footage)
Frank Capra's American Dream 1997
as Self (archive footage)
Joan Crawford: Always the Star 1996
as Self (archive footage)
Intimate Portrait: Bette Davis 1996
as Self (archive footage)
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies 1995
as Self (archive footage)
- Legends in Light: The Photography of George Hurrell
Legends in Light: The Photography of George Hurrell 1995
as Self (archive footage)
Biography: Bette Davis — If Looks Could Kill 1994
as Self (archive footage)
All About Bette 1994
as Self
Wicked Stepmother 1989
as Miranda Pierpoint
Hairway to the Stars 1989
as Self [Archive Footage]
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind 1988
as Self (archive footage)
South of Reno 1988
Actor
The Whales of August 1987
as Libby Strong
Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood 1987
as (archive footage)
As Summers Die 1986
as Hannah Loftin
Directed by William Wyler 1986
as Self
Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend 1986
as archive footage
Bette Davis at the Cinémathèque Française 1986
as Self
Murder with Mirrors 1985
as Carrie Louise Serrocold
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers 1985
as Self (archive footage)
Going Hollywood: The '30s 1984
as (archive footage)
Right of Way 1983
as Miniature Dwyer
Bette Davis: The Benevolent Volcano 1983
as Self
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage 1983
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Showbiz Goes to War 1982
as (archive footage)
Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady 1982
as Self
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid 1982
as (in "Deception") (archive footage)
Showbiz Ballyhoo 1982
as Self (archive footage)
Night of 100 Stars 1982
as Self
A Piano for Mrs. Cimino 1982
as Esther McDonald Cimino
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers! 1982
as Self (archive footage)
Family Reunion 1981
as Elizabeth Winfield
Skyward 1980
as Billie Dupree
The Watcher in the Woods 1980
as Mrs. Aylwood
White Mama 1980
as Estelle Malone
Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter 1979
as Lucy Mason
The Horror Show 1979
as (archive footage)
Mickey's 50 1978
as Self
- Death on the Nile: Making of Featurette
Death on the Nile: Making of Featurette 1978
as Marie Van Schuyler
Death on the Nile 1978
as Marie Van Schuyler
Return from Witch Mountain 1978
as Letha Wedge
The Disappearance of Aimee 1976
as Minnie Kennedy
Burnt Offerings 1976
as Aunt Elizabeth
Miss Moffat 1974
as Miss Moffat
Hello Mother, Goodbye! 1974
as Mother
Scream, Pretty Peggy 1973
as Mrs. Elliott
The Men Who Made the Movies: King Vidor 1973
as Self (archive footage)
- Bette Davis
Bette Davis 1972
as Self
The Judge and Jake Wyler 1972
as Judge Meredith
The Scopone Game 1972
as 'A vecchia
Madame Sin 1972
as Madame Sin
Bunny O'Hare 1971
as Bunny O'Hare
Connecting Rooms 1970
as Wanda Fleming
The Anniversary 1968
as Mrs. Taggart
The Nanny 1965
as Nanny
The Decorator 1965
as Liz
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte 1964
as Charlotte Hollis
Where Love Has Gone 1964
as Mrs. Gerald Hayden
Dead Ringer 1964
as Margaret DeLorca / Edith Phillips
The Empty Canvas 1963
as Dino's Mother
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? 1962
as Baby Jane Hudson
Pocketful of Miracles 1961
as Apple Annie
The Scapegoat 1959
as Countess
John Paul Jones 1959
as Empress Catherine the Great
Storm Center 1956
as Alicia Hull
The Catered Affair 1956
as Agnes Hurley
The Virgin Queen 1955
as Queen Elizabeth I
The Star 1952
as Margaret Elliot
Phone Call from a Stranger 1952
as Marie Hoke
Another Man's Poison 1951
as Janet Frobisher
Payment on Demand 1951
as Joyce Ramsey (nee Jackson)
All About Eve 1950
as Margo Channing
Breakdowns of 1949 1949
as Self
Beyond the Forest 1949
as Rosa Moline
June Bride 1948
as Linda Gilman
Winter Meeting 1948
as Susan Grieve
Deception 1946
as Christine Radcliffe
A Stolen Life 1946
as Kate Bosworth / Patricia Bosworth, Producer
The Corn Is Green 1945
as Miss Lilly Christabel Moffat
Breakdowns of 1944 1944
as Self
Hollywood Canteen 1944
as Self
Mr. Skeffington 1944
as Fanny Trellis
- A Present with a Future
A Present with a Future 1943
as Mother
Old Acquaintance 1943
as Kit Marlowe
The Voice That Thrilled the World 1943
as Self (segment 'Dangerous') (archive footage)
Thank Your Lucky Stars 1943
as Self
Watch on the Rhine 1943
as Sara Müller
Show-Business at War 1943
as Self
Stars on Horseback 1943
Actor
Breakdowns of 1942 1942
as Self
Now, Voyager 1942
as Charlotte Vale
In This Our Life 1942
as Stanley Timberlake Kingsmill
The Man Who Came to Dinner 1941
as Maggie Cutler
Breakdowns of 1941 1941
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Little Foxes 1941
as Regina Hubbard Giddens
The Bride Came C.O.D. 1941
as Joan Winfield
Shining Victory 1941
Actor
The Great Lie 1941
as Maggie Patterson Van Allen
The Letter 1940
as Leslie Crosbie
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards 1940
as Self
All This, and Heaven Too 1940
as Henriette Deluzy-Desportes
- If I Forget You
If I Forget You 1940
as Bette Davis
Breakdowns of 1939 1939
as Self
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex 1939
as Queen Elizabeth
The Old Maid 1939
as Charlotte Lovell
Juarez 1939
as Empress Carlotta von Hapsburg
Dark Victory 1939
as Judith Traherne
Breakdowns of 1938 1938
as Self (archive footage)
The Sisters 1938
as Louise Elliott Medlin
Jezebel 1938
as Julie Marsden
Breakdowns of 1937 1937
as Self
It's Love I'm After 1937
as Joyce Arden
That Certain Woman 1937
as Mary Donnell
Kid Galahad 1937
as Louise 'Fluff' Phillips
A Day at Santa Anita 1937
as Bette Davis (uncredited)
Marked Woman 1937
as Mary Dwight Strauber
Breakdowns of 1936 1936
as Self
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1) 1936
as Self
Satan Met a Lady 1936
as Valerie Purvis
The Golden Arrow 1936
as Daisy Appleby
The Petrified Forest 1936
as Gabrielle "Gabby" Maple
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 1, From beginning" 1936
Actor
A Dream Comes True 1935
Actor
Dangerous 1935
as Joyce Heath
Special Agent 1935
as Julie Gardner
Front Page Woman 1935
as Ellen Garfield
The Girl from 10th Avenue 1935
as Miriam A. Brady
Bordertown 1935
as Mrs. Marie Roark
Housewife 1934
as Patricia Berkeley
Of Human Bondage 1934
as Mildred Rogers
Fog Over Frisco 1934
as Arlene Bradford
Jimmy the Gent 1934
as Joan Martin
Fashions of 1934 1934
as Lynn Mason
The Big Shakedown 1934
as Norma Nelson
Bureau of Missing Persons 1933
as Norma Roberts
Ex-Lady 1933
as Helen Bauer
The Working Man 1933
as Jenny Hartland alias Jane Grey
The 42nd Street Special 1933
as Self (uncredited)
Parachute Jumper 1933
as Patricia 'Alabama' Brent
Just Around the Corner 1933
as Ginger
20,000 Years in Sing Sing 1932
as Fay Wilson
Three on a Match 1932
as Ruth Westcott
The Cabin in the Cotton 1932
as Madge Norwood
The Dark Horse 1932
as Kay Russell
The Rich Are Always with Us 1932
as Malbro
So Big! 1932
as Miss Dallas O'Mara
The Man Who Played God 1932
as Grace Blair
Hell's House 1932
as Peggy Gardner
The Menace 1932
as Peggy Lowell
Way Back Home 1931
as Mary Lucy Duffy
Waterloo Bridge 1931
as Janet Cronin
Seed 1931
as Margaret Carter
The Bad Sister 1931
as Laura Madison
Credits from TMDB.