Bette Davis

At 81 years old, Bette Davis has this physical status:

For similarly-named women, see Elizabeth Davis (disambiguation).Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television and theater.

With a career spanning 60 years and 100 acting credits, she is regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history.

She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical films, suspense horror, and occasional comedies, although her greater successes were in romantic dramas.

A recipient of two Academy Awards, she was the first thespian to garner ten nominations. After appearing in Broadway plays, the 22-year old Davis moved to Hollywood in 1930.

After some unsuccessful films, she had her critical breakthrough playing a vulgar waitress in Of Human Bondage (1934), although, contentiously, she was not among the three nominees for the Academy Award for Best Actress that year.

The next year, her strong performance as a down-and-out actress in Dangerous (1935) did land her her first Best Actress nomination, and she won the award. In 1937, she tried to free herself from her contract with Warner Brothers; although she lost the legal case, it marked the start of more than a decade as one of the most celebrated leading ladies of US cinema, known for her forceful and intense style.

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Life and career

Ruth Elizabeth Davis, nicknamed "Betty" from childhood, was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, and later a patent prosecutor, and Ruth Augusta (née Favór, 1885-1991) from Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. Barbara Harriet, Davis' younger sister, was the subject.

Davis and her sister Barbara attended Crestalban, a spartan boarding school in Lanesborough, Massachusetts, in 1915. Ruth Davis' mother, Ruth Davis, moved to New York City in 1921 with a studio on 144th Street at Broadway. She then worked as a portrait photographer.

Bette Davis, the teen Bette Davis, changed the spelling of her first name to Bette after Bette Fischer, a character in Honoré de Balzac's La Cousine Bette. Davis became a Girl Scout in New York, where she became a patrol leader. Lou Hoover's squad parade at Madison Square Garden won a competitive dress parade.

Davis attended Cushing Academy, a boarding school in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, where she met her future husband, Harmon O. Nelson, who is also known as Ham. Blanche Yurka and Peg Entwistle's 1926 edition in Davis saw a revival of Henrik Ibsen's The Wild Duck. "I wanted to go into theater because of an actress named Peg Entwistle," Davis later remembered. Bette Davis sat down for her 14th Street theatre with Eva Le Gallienne to be a student. Davis, according to Eva Le Gallienne, was not interested enough to attend her kindergarten, and she described her attitude as "insincere" and "frivolous."

Davis tried to audition for George Cukor's stock theater company in Rochester, New York, although he wasn't all impressed, he gave Davis his first paid acting gig – a one-week stint as a chorus girl in the Broadway revival. Ed Sikov traces Davis' first professional appearance in Virgil Geddes' "The Earth Between" in 1929; however, the performance was postponed by a year. Davis was chosen by Blanche Yurka to portray Hedwig, the role she had seen Entwistle play in The Wild Duck in 1929. She appeared in Philadelphia, Washington, and Boston in 1929 and then went back to Broadway in Broken Dishes for her debut in 1929 and then with Solid South.

Davis, the 22-year-old Davis, who appeared on Broadway in New York, moved to Hollywood in 1930 for a film screening for Universal Studios. After seeing Mary Pickford in Little Lord Fauntleroy, she was inspired to pursue a film career. Davis and her mother took the train to Hollywood. She recalled later that nobody from the studio was there to greet her. In fact, a studio employee had waited for her but then departed because no one "looked like an actress." She failed her first screen test, but she was used in a number of other screen tests for other actors. "I was the most Yankee-est, most modest virgin who ever walked the earth" in a 1971 interview with Dick Cavett. I was laid on a couch and I tested fifteen guys... They all had to lie on top of me and give me a passionate kiss. Ah, I thought I'd die. Just thought I'd die." Davis was given a second trial for the 1931 film A House Divided. "What do you think of these dames who show their chests and think they can get jobs?" she said impatiently dressed in a poor fitting costume with a low neckline, before being dismissed by film producer William Wyler, who yelled to the assembled crew, "What do you think about these dames who show their chests and say they can't get jobs?" "I'm not a fan of football."

Carl Laemmle, the film director, considered ending Davis' employment, but cinematographer Karl Freund told him she had "lovely eyes" and would be suitable for Bad Sister (1931), which she later made her debut in 2004. She was even more worried when she told another executive that Carl Laemmle Jr., the film's director, had "about as much sex appeal as Slim Summerville." The film was not a hit, and her replacement in Seed (1931) was too short to grab attention.

Universal Studios renewed her contract for three months, and she appeared in a small part in Waterloo Bridge (1931), before being lent to Columbia Pictures for The Menace (1931) and Hell's House (1932). After one year and six failed films, Laemmle opted not to renew her contract.

Davis was planning to return to New York when actor George Arliss selected Davis for the lead female role in the Warner Bros. film "The Man Who Played God (1932) and, for the remainder of her life, Davis credited with her "break" in Hollywood. "She is not only beautiful, but she bubbles with charm," the Saturday Evening Post said, comparing her to Constance Bennett and Olive Borden. Warner Bros. opted for a five-year contract, and she stayed with the studio for the next 18 years.

Harmon Oscar Nelson was married in Yuma, Arizona, on August 18, 1932. Their union was scrutinized by the media; his $100 in 2020 dollars ($1,885 in 2020 dollars) compared favourably with Davis's reported $1,000 a week ($18,850). In an interview, Davis discussed the issue, pointing out that many Hollywood wives earned more than their husbands, but Nelson, who refused to allow Davis to buy a house until he could afford to pay for it himself, was extremely difficult. During his marriage, Davis had multiple abortions.

Davis had her first big screen success in her role as the nimble and slatternly Mildred Rogers in RKO Radio's production of Of Human Bondage (1934), a film adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's book, earning Davis her first major critic recognition, although she was not one of the three contenders for the Academy Award for Best Actress this year. Many actresses feared playing unsympathetic characters, and some had passed on the role, but Davis saw it as a chance to showcase her acting abilities. Leslie Howard, her co-star, was initially dismissive of her, but as filming progressed, her attitude changed, and she soon spoke highly of her abilities. "I let Bette have her head," director John Cromwell expressed in her relative independence: "I trusted her intuitions." "I insist that the last stages of consumption, hunger, and neglect are not pretty, and she wanted to be convincing-looking."

Davis' characterization was a hit, and critics lauded her for her role as "probably the best movie by a US actress" in Life. Davis hoped that her appearance would encourage Warner Bros. to film her in more important roles, but instead she was disappointed when Jack L. Warner refused to lend her to Columbia Studios to be cast in It Happened One Night and instead cast her in the melodrama Housewife. Davis was not nominated for an Academy Award of Human Bondage, The Hollywood Citizen News challenged the nomination, and Norma Shearer, herself a nominee, campaigned to have Davis nominated. "Any voter... may write on the ballot his or her personal choice for the winners," Academy president Howard Estabrook said, prompting the consideration of a candidate not officially nominated for an award for the first time in the Academy's history. The uproar culminated in a change in academy voting procedures the following year, wherein nominations were based on votes from all eligible members of a particular branch rather than by a smaller committee, with results independently tabulated by the accounting company Price Waterhouse.

Davis' debut as a down-and-out struggling actress in Dangerous (1935) received raves and earned her her first Best Actress award, which she received.

In Picture Post, E. Arnot Robertson wrote: "Imagination Post" wrote by E. Arnot Robertson.

"Becoming one of the most interesting of our screen actresses," the New York Times described her as "becoming one of the most interesting of our film actresses." She received the Academy Award for Best Actress for the role but said Of Human Bondage that was delayed, earning the distinction a "consolation prize." Davis maintained that for the remainder of her life, she gave the statue the name "Oscar" because its posterior resembled that of her husband, whose middle name was Oscar, but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences actually refers to another tale.

Davis co-starred Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart in her forthcoming film, The Petrified Forest (1936).

She attempted to free herself from her Warner Brothers Studio job in 1937, but although she lost the court suit, she became one of the country's most well-known leading ladies of the film.

Davis, who was convinced that her career was being jeopardized by a string of poor films, accepted an invitation in 1936 to appear in two films in the United Kingdom. She knew she was in breach of her employment with Warner Bros. she fled to Canada in order to prevent legal charges from being served on her. Davis eventually took her case to court in the United Kingdom, attempting to get out of her job. She recalled the barrister's testimony, in which she begged the court to "come to the conclusion that this is rather a rude young lady and that what she wants is more money." Davis mocked Davis' description of her work as "slavery" by inadvertently claiming that she was being paid $1,350 per week. "I would be prepared to think about it if anyone wants to place me into permanent servitude on the basis of that remuneration." Davis received no assistance from the British media, and she was depicted as overpaid and ungrateful.

Davis explained her reaction to a journalist: "I knew that if I continued to appear in any more mediocre photographs, I would have no career left to fight for." Her counsel advised the court that she might be barred from work for refusing a part of her service, that she may be barred from being disciplined from employment, that she could be asked to endorse a political party against her convictions, and that her image and image could be displayed in any way deemed appropriate by the studio. "Whatever part you choose to call upon her to play, if she believes she can play it, whether it is disgustful and cheap," Jack Warner testified. "Yes, she must play it," Warner replied. Davis dropped the lawsuit and returned to Hollywood, in debt and without money to resume her career. Olivia de Havilland had a similar battle in 1943 and won.

She appeared in Marked Woman (1937), a contemporary gangster drama based on Lucky Luciano's story, which was considered one of her first films in her early career. For her appearance at the 1937 Venice Film Festival, she was awarded the Volpi Cup.

Davis' portrayal of a strong-willed southern belle in Jezebel (1938) received her second Academy Award for Best Actress, and it was the first of five years in which she received the Best Actress award in a row. Davis began a friendship with director William Wyler during his filming. She later described him as the "love of my life" and that screening him with him was "the moment in my life of my most beautiful happiness." Davis' role as a spoiled Southern belle earned her her second Academy Award, and the film was a success.

In Gone with the Wind, the actress sparked rumors in the media that she would be selected to play Scarlett O'Hara, a similar character. Davis expressed her desire to perform Scarlett, and although David O. Selznick was on the lookout for the actress to play the part, a radio poll revealed her as the audience favorite. Warner extended her assistance to Selznick as part of an agreement that also included Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, but Selznick refused to accept Davis as valid and declined the offer, while Davis did not want Flynn to be Rhett Butler. Vivien Leigh, the young actress, debuted as Scarlett O'Hara, de Havilland, and both of them were nominated for the Oscars, with Leigh winning.

Jezebel's career was the start of her career, and over the next two years, she was listed in the annual Quigley Poll of the Top ten Money-Making Stars, which was compiled from the votes of movie exhibitors throughout the United States for the actors who earned the most money in their theaters over the previous year.

Ham Nelson, Davis' husband, had failed to establish a career for himself, and their relationship soured. Nelson discovered evidence that Davis was involved in a sexual affair with Howard Hughes and then filed for divorce, quoting Davis' "cruel and inhuman demeanor."

During the production of her next film, Dark Victory (1939), Davis was emotional, but she didn't consider ending it until producer Hal B. Wallis convinced her to channel her angst into acting. The film was one of the year's top grossing films, and Judith Traherne's role earned her an Academy Award nomination. Davis referred to this performance as her personal favorite in later years. Ronald Reagan and Humphrey Bogart appeared in supporting roles in Dark Victory.

Errol Flynn appeared in three other box-office hits in 1939: The Old Maid, Juarez with Paul Muni, and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. The last was her first color film and her first color film made during her career. Davis shaved her hairline and eyebrows to play Elizabeth I of England.

She was on the set of actor Charles Laughton's filming. To which Laughton replied, she had a "nerve" playing a woman in her 60s, she had a "nerve" playing a woman in her 60s, "never dare to hang yourself." That's the only way you can advance in your field. If you get into a complete rut, you must keep doing things that you don't like, or you go into a complete rut." Davis recalled the incident many years later, remarking that Laughton's words had influenced her throughout her career.

Davis was Warner Bros.' most popular female leading roles by this time, and she was given the most prominent of their female leading roles by this time. Her image was considered with increasing care; though she continued to perform character roles, she was often caught in close-ups that emphasized her distinctive eyes. All This, and Heaven Too (1940) was Davis' most financially successful film until that time.

The Letter (1940) was named "one of the year's best pictures of the year," by The Hollywood Reporter, and Davis received praise for her portrayal of an adulterous killer, a role that Katharine Cornell originated onstage. She was in a relationship with her ex co-star George Brent, who suggested marriage at the time. Davis turned down Arthur Farnsworth, a New England restaurateur and the son of a Vermont dentist, who had met him. Davis and Farnsworth were married at Home Ranch, Arizona, in December 1940, her second marriage.

Davis, the first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in January 1941, antagonized the committee members with her brash demeanor and radical recommendations. Davis denied the suggestion that she was only "a figurehead girl" and dismissed the possibility. Davis resigned, but her predecessor Walter Wanger took over, faced with the committee's disapproval and resistance.

Davis appeared in three films in 1941, the first being The Great Lie with George Brent. Davis played a sympathetic, sympathetic role in this radically different role.

William Wyler directed Davis for the third time in Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes (1941), but the two actors clashed over Regina Giddens' character, which was previously performed on Broadway by Tallulah Bankhead (Davis had played in film before). Davis was encouraged to imitate Bankhead's interpretation of the role, but Davis wanted to make the role her own. She received another Academy Award nomination for her work, but she never worked with Wyler again.

Davis was known for her elth and strong style of acting, and she established a reputation as a perfectionist in her art. She could be combative and tense with studio executives and film producers, as well as her co-stars, who are hoping for the same high level of success and commitment from them as she did from them. Her forthright demeanor, idiosyncratic discourse, and a ubiquitous cigarette all contributed to a public persona that has been often imitated.

Davis spent the first months of 1942 selling war bonds following the Pearl Harbor attack. She reminded Jack Warner that her audiences responded most strongly to her "bitch" performances after he mocked her urge to lure crowds into buying. She sold $2 million worth of bonds in two days, as well as a snapshot of herself in Jezebel for $250,000. She also performed for black regiments as the only white member of an acting troupe created by Hattie McDaniel, which also included Lena Horne and Ethel Waters.

With the support of Warner, Cary Grant, and Jule Styne, John Garfield's proposal to open a servicemen's club in Hollywood, Davis, a retired nightclub converted an old nightclub into the Hollywood Canteen, which opened on October 3, 1942. The most well-known celebrities in Hollywood took time to entertain servicemen. Davis promised that every night, a few key "names" would be present for the visiting soldiers to visit.

She appeared in the film Hollywood Canteen (1944), which used the canteen as the setting for a fictional tale. "There are few achievements in my life that I am particularly proud of," Davis said later. The Hollywood Canteen is one of them. For her work with the Hollywood Canteen in 1980, she was given the Distinguished Civil Service Medal, the highest civilian award from the US Department of Defense, for her 1980 work with the Hollywood Canteen.

Davis had no interest in the film Now, Voyager (1942), until Hal Wallis advised her that female audiences needed romance to distract them from the reality of their lives. It became one of her "women's pictures" that became more well known. Paul Henreid lights two cigarettes as he gazes into Davis' eyes and passes one to her in one of the film's most awaited scenes. Film critics praised Davis for her performance, while the National Board of Review said she gave the film "a dignity not fully justified by the script."

Many of Davis' film choices in the early 1940s were influenced by the war, including Watch on the Rhine (1943), by Lillian Hellman, and Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943), a lighthearted all-star musical cavalcade, with each of the featured stars donating their fees to the Hollywood Canteen. After the film's release, Davis performed "They're Either Too Young or Too Old" a novelty song, which became a hit hit song.

Old Acquaintance (1943) reunited her with Miriam Hopkins in a tale about two old friends who must deal with the tensions that arise when one of them becomes a good writer. Davis believed that Hopkins attempted to upstage her throughout the film. Director Vincent Sherman recalled the ferocious rivalry and animosity between the two actors, and Davis often joked that she kept back nothing in a scene in which she was ordered to shake Hopkins out of frustration.

Arthur Farnsworth, Davis' husband, died two days later after suffering on a Hollywood highway in August 1943. An autopsy revealed that his fall was triggered by a skull fracture he had suffered two weeks before. Davis testified at an inquest that she was aware of no occurrence that might have caused the accident. A accidental death was discovered. Davis, who was terribly distraught, tried to separate from her next film Mr. Skeffington (1944), but Jack Warner, who had halted work after Farnsworth's death, begged her not to continue.

Although she had a reputation for being forthright and demanding, Mr. Skeffington's behaviour during his filming was erratic and out of character. She alienated Vincent Sherman by refusing to film certain scenes and insisting that certain scenes be restored. She improved dialogue, sparking confusion among other actors, and enraged writer Julius Epstein, who was ordered to rewrite scenes at her own volition, she reacted angrily. "I was more ill, I struck out rather than whined," Davis described her behavior later. Some commentators chastised Davis for the excess of her appearance; James Agee wrote that "democentricity on a marathonic scale" she "demonstrates the terrors of egocentricity.

Davis married artist William Grant Sherry, her third husband who also worked as a masseur, in 1945. She had been drawn to him because he had never heard of her and was, therefore, not threatened by her. Davis withdrew the title in Mildred Pierce (1945), a film for which Joan Crawford received an Academy Award, but instead created The Corn Is Green (1945), based on a play by Emlyn Williams.

Miss Moffat, an English teacher who saves a young Welsh miner (John Dall) from a life in the coal pits by giving him education, was played by Corn Is Green Davis. The role had been performed in the theatre by Ethel Barrymore (who was 61 at the time), but Warner Bros. felt that the film version should portray the woman as a younger woman. Davis disagreed, and pressed on doing the role as written, wearing a gray wig and padding under her clothing to create a dowdy appearance. Critics loved the film, and it earned $2.2 million. E. Arnot Robertson, a writer, said: "I hated him"" says the critic.

"The subtle interpretation she insisted on giving" continued to keep the focus on the teacher's "sheer joy in imparting knowledge" until the teacher's "sheer joy in imparting wisdom."

Davis' next film, A Stolen Life (1946), was the first film she made with her own production company, BD Productions. Davis had two roles as twins in both directions. The film received poor reviews and was described by Bosley Crowther as "a sad and lonely piece"; however, with a net loss of $2.5 million, it was one of her biggest box office triumphs. Davis was named as the country's highest-paid woman in 1947, with her share of the film's profit accounting for the majority of her income. Deception (1946), the first of her films to lose money, was her next film.

Possessed (1947) had been tailor-made for Davis, and it was expected to be her next project after Deception. However, she was pregnant and went on maternity leave. Joan Crawford appeared in Possessed and has been nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actress. Davis gave birth to daughter Barbara Davis Sherry (known as B.D.) in 1947, at the age of 39. She later expressed disappointment in her memoir that she became involved in motherhood and considered ending her career. However, her B.D. relationship with her daughter B.D. stayed as she continued filming. Her image began to decline, and her following among viewers steadily dwindled.

Rose Sayer in The African Queen (1951) was one of Davis' film roles after she returned to film-making. Davis denied that the film was going to be shot in Africa, telling Jack Warner, "If you can't shoot the picture in a boat on the back lot, then I'm not interested." Katharine Hepburn appeared in the film and was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actress.

Davis was cast in the melodrama Winter Meeting in 1948. Although she was excited initially, Warner soon learned that she would later discover that "softer" lighting would be used to mask her age. "On the sets of Ruth Chatterton and Kay Francis, I knew what they meant." To add to her dissatisfaction, she was not confident in her leading man, James Davis, in his first major screen role. She disagreed with the script's changes because of censorship controls, and discovered that several of the aspects of the role that first appealed to her had been removed. "Interminable" was portrayed by Bosley Crowther, and he said, "of all the frustrating dilemmas in which Miss Davis has been involved... this one is probably the worst." The box office was unable to close, and the studio's loss of nearly $1 million was devastating.

Davis clashed with co-star Robert Montgomery in June 2004, becoming "a male Miriam Hopkins" later in life as an excellent actor but "addicted to scene stealing." The film was her first comedy in many years and gained her some good reviews, but it was not particularly popular with audiences and only made a small profit.

Despite poor box-office returns from her more recent films, she negotiated a four-film deal with Warner Bros., making her the highest-paid woman in the United States. Jack Warner, on the other hand, refused to allow her script approval and instead cast her in Beyond the Forest (1949). Davis reportedly loothed the script and begged Warner to recast the role but refused. After the film was completed, she requested to be released from her job.

The film's critiques were critical. Dorothy Manners, a Los Angeles Examiner reporter, characterized the film as "an unfortunate conclusion to her brilliant career." "If Bette had deliberately set out to ruin her career, she may not have chosen a more appropriate vehicle," Hedda Hopper wrote. The film began with the caption "What a dump!" "In Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," impersonators began using it in their performances. Arthur Blake, a well-known female impersonator of the post-war II period who was best known for his appearances as Bette Davis, particularly impersonating her in the 1952 film Diplomatic Courier.

Davis filmed The Story of a Divorce (rKO Radio Pictures, 1951) as Payment on Demand (PoD). She appeared in All About Eve (1950), earning her another Oscar nomination and the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. Davis read the script, described it as the best she's ever read, and accepted the role. She arrived in San Francisco in days and started filming. During production, she formed what became a lifelong friendship with her co-star Anne Baxter as well as a romantic friendship with her leading man Gary Merrill, which culminated in marriage. Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the film's director, later expressed: "Bette was letter perfect." She was syllable-perfect. The director's aspiration: the fully prepared actor."

Critics responded positively to Davis' appearance, and many of her lines, including "Fasten your seat belts, will be a bumpy night," she sang. Her Margo was once more nominated for an Academy Award, and critics such as Gene Ringgold characterized her as her "all-time best effort." Pauline Kael said that much of Mankiewicz's "the theater" was "nonsense," but Davis praised Davis, saying "the film is] saved by a single appearance that is the authentic thing: Bette Davis is at her most intuitive and assured. The whole thing comes alive when her actress – vain, afraid, a woman who goes too far in her reactions and emotions – makes it come alive."

Davis received the Best Actress Award from the Cannes Film Festival and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for her work. She was also named by the San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award as the Best Actress of 1949 for Beyond the Forest. In the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, she was encouraged to leave her hand prints.

Davis' divorce from William Sherry was finalized on July 3, 1950, and she married Gary Merrill, her fourth and final husband, on July 28, 2007. Merrill adopted B.D. Davis' daughter with Sherry with Sherry's permission. Davis and Merrill adopted Margot Mosher Merrill, a five-day-old baby girl who died on May 5, 2022), after the character Margo Channing. Davis and Merrill lived with their three children in 1952. Michael (born February 5, 1952) was the first child to be born on a Cape Elizabeth, Maine estate. (Davis and Merill stayed at Homewood Inn in Yarmouth, Maine, for six months.) Davis appeared in numerous films during her Maine time, including The Virgin Queen (1955), in which she played Queen Elizabeth I.

Davis and Merrill appeared in the murder-mystery film Another Man's Poison (1951), which took the family to England. Davis' comeback had faded out, according to Hollywood columnists, and her Academy Award nomination for The Star (1952) did not halt her decline at the box office, despite lukewarm reviews and disappointment at the box office.

Davis appeared in the Broadway revue Two's Company, directed by Jules Dassin in 1952. She was uncomfortable performing outside of her field of expertise; she had never been a singer; and her limited theater experience had been more than 20 years ago. She was also very sick and was in danger of osteomyelitis of the jaw. Margot was diagnosed with a brain injury caused by her birth or shortly after her birth and was thrown into a hospital around the age of 3. Davis and Merrill began arguing on a regular basis, and B.D. has emerged. Later, I remembered instances of alcohol use and domestic violence.

Few of Davis' films of the 1950s were well-received, and many of her appearances were sluggish by critics. "You'd like to find in a nightclub impersonation of [Davis]," the Hollywood Reporter wrote, while London critic Richard Winninger wrote about mannerisms.

Storm Center (1956) and The Catered Affair (1956) were two of her actresses of the time. Her marriage continued to decline as her work suffered until she applied for divorce in 1960. Her mother died in the ensuing year. She tried television for the first time in 1959 and 1961; her first appearance on television had been on February 25, 1956, on GE.

Davis, a registered Democrat, appeared at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, where she met future President John F. Kennedy, whom she greatly admired. Davis was a very active Episcopalian and a great actor outside of acting and politics.

Davis premiered The Night of the Iguana in 1961 to mainly mediocre reviews, and the show was stopped after four months due to "chronic illness." She then joined Glenn Ford and Hope Lange in Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles (1961), a reimagining of Capra's 1933 film Lady for a Day based on a tale told by Damon Runyon. Exhibitors protested her celebrity as it would negatively impact the box office's success, and despite Ford's appearance, the film failed at the box office.

Her last Academy Award was for the Grand Guignol horror film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), which also starred Joan Crawford. Joan Crawford expressed interest in the script and considered Davis for the part of Jane. Davis hoped that it would appeal to the same audience that had made Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) a hit. She negotiated a deal that would pay her ten percent of the worldwide gross profits in lieu of her salary. The film became one of the year's biggest hits.

Davis and Crawford played two elderly sisters, former actors who were forced by fate to share a decaying Hollywood mansion. Davis and Crawford were both aware of how important the film was to their respective careers, according to director Robert Aldrich, who added: "They may have detested each other, but they did everything possible." "Irma" is the product of the 'Dosage of the Dog."

After filming was finished, their public remarks against each other fueled the tension to escalate into a lifelong feud. When Davis was nominated for an Academy Award, Crawford contacted the other Best Actress candidates (who were unable to attend the ceremony) and asked them to accept the award on their behalf if they win. Crawford accepted the award on Bancroft's behalf when Anne Bancroft was announced as the winner. Despite their mutual dislike for each other, Davis and Crawford talked highly of each other's acting abilities. Crawford referred to Davis as a "fascinating actress," but they were never able to become friends because they were only together on one film. Crawford, Davis, was also a good, mature actress, but she was also concerned about her appearance and her vanity. Ryan Murphy's wildly popular feud was eventually turned into the 2017 limited series Feud.

Davis's appearance earned her her first BAFTA award. Barbara (b.D.) is the daughter of a B.E. Merrill (Jason) appeared in the film for a small amount, and Barbara met Jeremy Hyman, an executive with Seven Arts Productions, when she and Davis went to Cannes Film Festival to promote it. She married Hyman at the age of 16, with Davis' permission.

In October 1962, it was announced that four episodes of the CBS-TV drama Perry Mason would feature special guest stars who would cover for Raymond Burr during his convalescence from surgery. Davis, a Perry Mason fan, was the first of the guest stars. On December 12, 1962, "The Case of Constant Doyle" began filming, and it was broadcast on January 31, 1963.

In 1962, Davis appeared as Celia Miller on "The Accomplice," a TV western in The Commonwealth of Virginia.

Davis' "Situations are insecure – women artists" was advertised in Variety in September 1962, which read: "Mother of three – 10, 11, and 15 – divorcees. American. In Motion Pictures, the actress spent thirty years as an actor. And that's better than rumors that it would have it. Wants stable employment in Hollywood. (Had had Broadway.)" Davis said she intended it as a joke and that she maintained her comeback over the course of many years.

Dead Ringer (1964) was a crime drama in which she appeared with twin sisters. The film was an American adaptation of La Otra, starring Dolores del Ro. Love Has Gone (1964), a romantic romance based on a Harold Robbins book, was a romantic tragedy. Davis played Susan Hayward's mother, but filming was hampered by tense discussions between Davis and Hayward.

Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) was Robert Aldrich's follow-up to What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. Aldrich had intended to reunite Davis and Crawford, but the former suffered with a mysterious illness shortly after filming began. Olivia de Havilland was the one who brought her back to life. The film was a huge success, and it brought back to its veteran cast, which included Joseph Cotten, Mary Astor, Agnes Moorehead, and Cecil Kellaway.

Davis was portrayed as the lead in Aaron Spelling's comedy The Decorator, which was released in 1981. A pilot episode was shot but it was not shown, and the scheme was ended. Davis had appeared in British films The Nanny (1965), The Anniversary (1968), and Connecting Rooms (1970), none of which had been discussed particularly, by the end of the decade, and her career was stalled.

Davis was invited to appear in New York City in the early 1970s as part of a stage performance titled Great Ladies of the American Cinema. Myrna Loy, Rosalind Russell, Lana Turner, Sylvia Sidney, and Joan Crawford were among the audience members on five nights as different female celebrities discussed her career and answered questions from the audience. Davis was well-received and was invited to tour Australia with Bette Davis in Person and on Film; the film's success inspired her to return to the United Kingdom.

Davis appeared in two television films that were each supposed as pilots for ABC and NBC, Madame Sin, with Robert Wagner, and Judge and Jake Wyler, with Doug McClure and Joan Van Ark, but in each case, the network decided against producing a series.

She appeared in Miss Moffat, a musical adaptation of her film The Corn Is Green, but she canceled the performance immediately after the show was panned by Philadelphia critics during its pre-Broadway run.

She appeared in Joseph Cotten and Italian actor Alberto Sordi and Silvano (1976), a Dan Curtis film, and Aimee (1976), but she and Karen Black and Faye Dunaway, the actors of the two previous respective films, disagreed, and their behaviour on the film sets was unethical.

Davis received the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1977, making her the first woman to receive the award. Davis' colleagues, including William Wyler, joked that Davis might even re-film a scene from The Letter to which Davis nodded, were included in the televised performance. Among the performers who paid their respects to Davis were Jane Fonda, Henry Fonda, Natalie Wood, and Olivia de Havilland, with de Havilland saying that Davis "got the roles I always wanted."

Following the telecasting of her show, she found herself in demand once more, often having to choose from multiple offers. She appeared in the television series The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (1978) and the theatrical film Death on the Nile (1978), which was an Agatha Christie murder mystery. The bulk of her remaining work was for television. She received an Emmy Award for Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter (1979) with Gena Rowlands, and was nominated for her appearances in White Mama (1980) and Little Gloria (1980). Happy at Last (1982). She appeared in the Disney films Return from Witch Mountain (1978) and The Watcher in the Woods (1980).

When Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes" (written by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon) became a top-selling song in the United States and the highest-selling record of 1981, where it remained at number one on the charts for more than two months, his name became well-known to a younger audience. Davis' granddaughter was delighted that she was the subject of a hit song, and Davis considered it a compliment, writing to both Carnes and the songwriters, and hanging them on her wall.

She continued to perform on television, appearing in Family Reunion (1981) with her grandson J. Ashley Hyman, A Piano for Mrs. Cimino (1982), and Right of Way (1983) with James Stewart. She was named the Women in Film Crystal Award in 1983.

Despite a long period of illness, her career continued to film and television until just before she died from breast cancer in 1989. She confessed that her triumphs had often been at the expense of her personal relationships. She had married four times, divorcing three times, and widowed once. She raised her children largely as a single parent.

Davis was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy in 1983, after filming the pilot episode for the television series Hotel. She had four strokes within two weeks of her surgery, causing paralysis in the left eye and in her left arm, and left her with sluggish speech. Kathryn Sermak, her personal assistant, started a lengthy period of physical therapy, and she assisted her with partial recovery from the paralysis. Davis used to smoke 100 cigarettes per day even as late in life.

During this period, B.D.'s relationship with her daughter B.D. As Hyman became a born-again Christian and tried to convince Davis to follow suit, he deteriorated. With her health intact, she travelled to England to film the Agatha Christie mystery Murder with Mirrors (1985). On her return to work, she learned that Hyman had written My Mother's Keeper, in which she chronicled a difficult mother-daughter relationship and depicted scenes of Davis' overbearing and drunken behavior.

Several of Davis' friends commented that Hyman's description of events was inaccurate; one said, "So much of the book is out of context." Mike Wallace re-broadcast a 60 Minutes interview in which she praised Davis on her abilities as a parent and said that she had adopted many of Davis' principles in raising her own children.

Davis had financially sponsored the Hyman family for many years, but had recently prevented them from losing their house, according to a Hyman. Gary Merrill defended Davis amid the sarcasm of their divorce years earlier. Merrill, who was interviewed by CNN, said that Hyman was motivated by "cruelty and greed." Michael Merrill, Davis' adopted son, lost touch with Hyman and declined to see her again, as did Davis, who disinherited her.

Davis' second book This Is It (1987) wrote: "I am still recovering from the fact that a child of mine would write about me behind my back, but not the type of book." I will never recover completely from B.D. The book is about as I remember from the stroke. Both were shattering experiences." "A glaring lack of loyalty and appreciation for the very wealthy life I'm given" in her memoir, which she wrote to her daughter in which she repeatedly referred to her as Hyman, and a letter describing her behavior as "a glaring lack of trust and appreciation for the very privileged life I'm given." "If it refers to money, if my memory serves me correctly, I've been your keeper all these years," Hyman's book ended with a quote. "I am continuing to do so because my name has made your book about me a success."

Davis appeared in As Summers Die (1986) and in Lindsay Anderson's film The Whales of August (1987), in which she played the blind sister of Lillian Gish. Davis, despite being in poor health at the time, remembered her own and others' lines as she always did. The film received rave reviews, with one critic noting "Bette crawls across the screen like a testy old hornet on a windowpane," one observer wrote: "A symphony of misfired synapses." Davis received an award from the Kennedy Center Honors for her contribution to films in 1987.

In Larry Cohen's Wicked Stepmother (1989), she was the title role. By this time, her health was in danger, and she walked away from the octagons with Cohen. The script was rewritten to place more emphasis on Barbara Carrera's character, and the reworked version was published shortly after Davis's death.

Davis appeared on several talk shows after denying to talk about her daughter after abandoning Wicked Stepmother and finding no more film opportunities (although she was keen to play the centenarian in Craig Calman's The Turn of the Century and worked with him on converting the stage play to a feature-length screenplay). Lindsay Anderson said the public liked her behaving "so bitchy": "I never wished she had to act badly." And, I'd still remember her being described as feisty.

Davis was honoured for her career, including the Legion of Honor from France, the Campione d'Italia from Italy, and the Film Society of Lincoln Center Lifetime Achievement Award during 1988 and 1989. In a special broadcast from the South Bank Centre, she appeared on British television addressing film and her work, with the other guest being Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky.

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