Bette Davis

Bette Davis
1908 - 1989
Bette Davis  American Actress
5913
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Rank
4610
Age
81
Zodiac

Bette Davis dating history

Relationships

Bette Davis was previously married to Gary Merrill (1950 - 1960), William Grant Sherry (1945 - 1950), Arthur Farnsworth (i) (1940 - 1943) and Harmon Nelson (1932 - 1939).

Bette Davis was in relationships with Franchot Tone (1939), George Brent (1939 - 1940) and William Wyler (1937 - 1938).

Bette Davis had encounters with Robert S. Taplinger (1940), Howard Hughes (1938), Anatole Litvak and Robert Aldrich.

About

American Actress Bette Davis passed away on 6th Oct 1989 Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France aged 81. Born Ruth Elizabeth Davis on 5th April, 1908 (Aries) in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA and educated at Mariarden School of Dancing and Northfield Mt. Hermon High School, Bette Davis is most remembered for Of Human Bondage (1934), All About Eve. Her zodiac sign is Aries.

Bette Davis was in 17 on-screen matchups, including Charles Farrell in The Big Shakedown (1934), Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in Parachute Jumper (1933), Edward G. Robinson in Kid Galahad (1937), Gene Raymond in Ex-Lady (1933) and George Arliss in The Man Who Played God (1932).

Bette Davis is a member of the following lists: Emmy Award winners, American film actors and American television actors.

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Relationship Statistics

TypeTotalLongestAverageShortest
Married4 10 years, 6 months 7 years, 7 months 4 years, 7 months
Dating3 1 year 8 months, 3 days -
Encounter4 1 month 7 days -
Total11 10 years, 6 months 2 years, 11 months 1 month

Details

First Name Ruth
Middle Name Elizabeth (Bette)
Maiden Name Davis
Full Name at Birth Ruth Elizabeth Davis
Alternative Name Bet, The Fifth Warner Brother, The First Lady of Film, Ruth Elizabeth Davis, Bette Davis
Birthday 5th April, 1908
Birthplace Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
Died 6th October, 1989
Place of Death Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Cause of Death (metastasized Breast Cancer)
Buried Forest Lawn—Hollywood Hills Cemetery
Height 5' 5" (165 cm)
Weight 120lbs (54 kg)
Build Slim
Eye Color Blue
Hair Color Blonde
Distinctive Feature Eyes, New England accent
Zodiac Sign Aries
Sexuality Straight
Religion Anglican / Episcopalian
Ethnicity White
Nationality American
High School Cushing Academy, Mariarden School of Dancing, Northfield Mt. Hermon High School
Occupation Text Actress
Occupation Actress
Claim to Fame Of Human Bondage (1934), All About Eve
Year(s) Active 1929–1989
Brand Endorsement Lustre-Creme Shampoo (Magazine Advertisement) [1951], (1974) Print ad: Jim Beam Bourbon Whiskey - Herself (United States)
Bust (inches) 36
Cup Size C
Waist (inches) 25
Hips (inches) 35
Shoe Size 7
Official Websites www.bettedavis.com/, www.allmovie.com/artist/bette-davis-p17295, www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/bette_davis/
Father Harlow Morrell Davis
Mother Ruth Augusta Davis (nee Favor)
Sister Barbara Davis
Family Member Margot Merrill (Adopted Daughter), Michael Merrill (Adopted Son)
Friend Hedy Lamarr, Olivia De Havilland, Joan Blondell, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Jane Bryan, Marlene Dietrich, Peggy Shannon, Joan Fontaine, Debbie Reynolds, Thelma Ritter, Gladys Cooper, Claude Reins, Hattie McDaniel, Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, Ginger Rogers, Estelle Winwood, Donald Meek, Ruth Chatterton, Ann Dvorak, Countess Di Frasso, Mary Astor
Pets Boojum (Wired-Haired Terrier Dog Dec 1930)
Favorite Places France
Favorite Colors Pink, Blue

Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress. With a career spanning 60 years and 100 acting credits, she is regarded as one of the greatest actresses in film 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 accrue ten nominations.

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Dating History

Partner Comparison

NameAgeZodiacOccupationNationality
Bette Davis81 AriesActress
American
Gary Merrill74 LeoActor
American
William Grant Sherry88 SagittariusArtist
American
Robert S. Taplinger66 PiscesPublicist
American
George Brent75 PiscesActor
Irish
Arthur Farnsworth34 Sagittarius
American
Franchot Tone63 PiscesActor
American
Howard Hughes70 CapricornBusiness
American
William Wyler79 CancerDirector
American
Harmon Nelson68 CancerMusician
American
Robert Aldrich65 LeoDirector
American
Anatole Litvak72 TaurusDirector
American
More Partners
Less Partners

Children

NameGenderBornAgeOther Parent
Michael (adopted)MaleGary Merrill
Margot (adopted)FemaleGary Merrill
Barbara DavisFemale1st May, 194776 years oldWilliam Grant Sherry

Filmography

FilmYearCharacterType
Wicked Stepmother1989Miranda Pierpont FisherMovie
The Whales of August1987Libby StrongMovie
As Summers Die1986Hannah LoftinTV Movie
Murder with Mirrors1985Carrie Louise SerrocoldTV Movie
Right of Way1983Mini DwyerTV Movie
Hotel1983Laura TrentTV Show
A Piano for Mrs. Cimino1982Esther McDonald CiminoTV Movie
Little Gloria... Happy at Last1982Alice Gwynne VanderbiltTV Show
Family Reunion1981Elizabeth WinfieldTV Movie
The Watcher in the Woods1980Mrs. AylwoodMovie
Skyward1980Billie DupreeTV Movie
White Mama1980Adele MaloneTV Movie
Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter1979Lucy MasonTV Movie
Death on the Nile1978Mrs. Van SchuylerMovie
Return from Witch Mountain1978LethaMovie
The Dark Secret of Harvest Home1978Widow FortuneTV Show
Laugh-In1977Guest PerformerTV Show
Burnt Offerings1976Aunt ElizabethMovie
"Hallmark Hall of Fame" The Disappearance of Aimee1976Minnie KennedyTV Movie
Hello Mother, Goodbye!1974TV Movie
Scream, Pretty Peggy1973Mrs. ElliottTV Movie
Madame Sin1972Madame SinMovie
Lo Scopone scientifico1972The MillionairessMovie
The Judge and Jake Wyler1972Judge MeredithTV Movie
Bunny O'Hare1971Bunny O'HareMovie
Connecting Rooms1970Wanda FlemingMovie
The Anniversary1968Mrs. TaggartMovie
It Takes a Thief1968Bessie GrindelTV Show
The Nanny1965NannyMovie
The Decorator1965LizTV Movie
Dead Ringer1964Edith Phillips, Margaret DeLorcaMovie
Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte1964Charlotte HollisMovie
Where Love Has Gone1964Mrs. Gerald HaydenMovie
The Empty Canvas1963Dino's motherMovie
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?1962Baby Jane HudsonMovie
The Virginian1962Celia MillerTV Show
Pocketful of Miracles1961Apple AnnieMovie
John Paul Jones1959Empress Catherine the GreatMovie
The Scapegoat1959CountessMovie
The DuPont Show with June Allyson1959Sarah WhitneyTV Show
Perry Mason1957Constant DoyleTV Show
Suspicion1957Mrs. Wilfred EllisTV Show
Wagon Train1957Bettina May, Ella Lindstrom, Madame Elizabeth McQueenyTV Show
Storm Center1956Alicia HullMovie
The Catered Affair1956Aggie HurleyMovie
Telephone Time1956Mrs. Beatrice EnterTV Show
The Virgin Queen1955Queen Elizabeth IMovie
Alfred Hitchcock Presents1955Miss FoxTV Show
Gunsmoke1955Etta StoneTV Show
The 20th Century-Fox Hour1955Marie HokeTV Show
Studio 571954PaulaTV Show
G.E. True Theater1953Christine Marlowe, Miss BurrowsTV Show
Phone Call from a Stranger1952Marie HokeMovie
The Star1952Margaret ElliotMovie
The Ford Television Theatre1952Dolley MadisonTV Show
Another Man's Poison1951Janet FrobisherMovie
Payment on Demand1951Joyce RamseyMovie
Schlitz Playhouse1951Irene Van BurenTV Show
All About Eve1950MargoMovie
Beyond the Forest1949Rosa MolineMovie
Breakdowns of 19491949Short Film
June Bride1948Linda GilmanMovie
Winter Meeting1948Susan GrieveMovie
A Stolen Life1946Kate Bosworth, Patricia BosworthMovie
Deception1946Christine RadcliffeMovie
The Corn Is Green1945Miss Lilly MoffatMovie
Hollywood Canteen1944Bette DavisMovie
Mr. Skeffington1944Fanny Trellis SkeffingtonMovie
Old Acquaintance1943Katherine 'Kit' MarloweMovie
Thank Your Lucky Stars1943Bette DavisMovie
Watch on the Rhine1943Sara MullerMovie
In This Our Life1942Stanley TimberlakeMovie
Now, Voyager1942Charlotte ValeMovie
The Man Who Came to Dinner1942Maggie CutlerMovie
Shining Victory1941Nurse (uncredited)Movie
The Bride Came C.O.D.1941Joan WinfieldMovie
The Great Lie1941MaggieMovie
The Little Foxes1941Regina GiddensMovie
All This, and Heaven Too1940Henriette Deluzy-DesportesMovie
The Letter1940Leslie CrosbieMovie
If I Forget You1940Bette DavisShort Film
Dark Victory1939Judith TraherneMovie
Juarez1939CarlotaMovie
The Old Maid1939Charlotte LovellMovie
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex1939Queen ElizabethMovie
Jezebel1938Julie MarsdenMovie
The Sisters1938Louise ElliottMovie
It's Love I'm After1937Joyce ArdenMovie
Kid Galahad1937FluffMovie
Marked Woman1937MaryMovie
That Certain Woman1937Mary DonnellMovie
A Day at Santa Anita1937Bette Davis (uncredited)Short Film
Satan Met a Lady1936Valerie PurvisMovie
The Golden Arrow1936Daisy ApplebyMovie
The Petrified Forest1936Gabrielle MapleMovie
Bordertown1935Marie RoarkMovie
Dangerous1935Joyce HeathMovie
Front Page Woman1935Ellen GarfieldMovie
Special Agent1935Julie GardnerMovie
The Girl from 10th Avenue1935Miriam BradyMovie
Fashions of 19341934Lynn MasonMovie
Fog Over Frisco1934Arlene BradfordMovie
Housewife1934Patricia BerkeleyMovie
Jimmy the Gent1934Joan MartinMovie
Of Human Bondage1934MildredMovie
The Big Shakedown1934Norma NelsonMovie
Bureau of Missing Persons1933Norma RobertsMovie
Ex-Lady1933Helen BauerMovie
Parachute Jumper1933Patricia 'Alabama' BrentMovie
The Working Man1933Jane Grey, Jenny HartlandMovie
Just Around the Corner1933GingerShort Film
20, 000 Years in Sing Sing1932Fay WilsonMovie
Hell's House1932Peggy GardnerMovie
So Big!1932Miss Dallas O'MaraMovie
The Cabin in the Cotton1932Madge NorwoodMovie
The Dark Horse1932Kay RussellMovie
The Man Who Played God1932Grace BlairMovie
The Menace1932Peggy LowellMovie
The Rich Are Always with Us1932MalbroMovie
Three on a Match1932Ruth WestcottMovie
Seed1931Margaret CarterMovie
Bad Sister1931Laura MadisonMovie
Waterloo Bridge1931Janet CroninMovie
Way Back Home1931Mary LucyMovie
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Onscreen Matchups

Discussions

Posted commentsView all comments (26)

cboothe977cboothe977Apr 5, 2021

6225 Hollywood Blvd. 6335 Hollywood Blvd. http://www.latimes.com/includes/projects/hollywood/wof_stars/bette_davis_motion_pictures.jpg

DarkMarcDarkMarcSep 10, 2018

Bette Davis had a contentious relationship with her home studio of Warner Brothers and especially with Jack Warner who was head of production. Davis would find herself going to battle over the entrenched Warner's system and traditional male ethics but somehow managing to reshape her screen image into a "Star" persona that was as powerful and provocative and distinctly feminine as any in the industry. Her struggles with Jack Warner extended throughout her eighteen-year tenure at Warner, from 1931 to 1949. The release of Bordertown in January 1935 bolstered the image that Davis established a few months earlier in Of Human Bondage (RKO, 1934), the image of an intense, ruthless, sexually aggressive woman who relied on her will and wits to get what she wanted had struck a cord with the public. But Jack Warner and Hal B. Wallis failed to exploit these qualities, casting Davis in a second-rate woman's picture and then two routine crime thrillers after Bordertown. Not until late 1935 was she given roles that she could really work with: an alcoholic, self-destructive actress in Dangerous, and a naive love-struck waitress in The Petrified Forest. Dangerous was released in December while Davis was filming The Petrified Forest, and though it brought her an Academy Award nomination it scarcely improved her stature at the studio. Her next film assignment was in Satan Met A Lady (1936), a cut-rate version of Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon. Davis found both the part and the film unacceptable and refused to report. A suspension changed her mind and she did the film under duress. Her next film assignment The Golden Arrow was so weak that Kay Francis had taken a suspension to avoid it. When production closed in February 1936 Davis resolved not to start another film without a new contract and the assurance of better roles. This was not an unreasonable endeavor, considering Davis' market value, which climbed even higher in late February 1936 when Davis was awarded the "Best Actress" academy award for her performance in Dangerous. Not too long after this triumph, Davis was offered the lead role in Mary, Queen of Scots and set to direct was John Ford, who himself just won an Academy Award for "Best Director" and "Best Picture" for The Informer. Davis desperately wanted the role, but when Jack Warner received a memo on RKO's request to borrow Davis, he simply returned it with "Not interested" scrawled across the bottom. For Davis that was the last straw: Davis resolved to stay out of film making until her status at her home studio changed. While Davis was in New York, her agent sent Warner a list of her desires for a new contract on these terms: five years, with salaries escalating from $100,000 to $220,000 per year (she was then earning $64,000 per year); a maximum of four films annually, star or costar billing with her name above the title and in type size equal to that of her costar, the services of Tony Gaudio, Sol Polito, or Ernest Haller as cinematographer, three months' consecutive vacation each year with the right to do one outside film. Davis refused to start another film without the new pact, so she was promptly put on suspension. After receiving a vague promise of better roles she still held out. In mid-August Davis sailed to England to work for an independent company, Toeplitz Productions. Warners sued to prevent Davis from signing and the case was tried in London in October 1936, with Warner Brothers prevailing. But soon, Jack realized that he was the victor in one skirmish but Davis would continue to fight him until she was satisfied. Jack Warner soon realized he'd been without a lead actress for over a year and was ready to compromise. Jack had all ready set several Davis projects in motion beginning with Marked Woman (1937), a crime thriller based on true events, he also bought Davis a property that he knew she wanted, one that featured a difficult role he now believed she could pull off (which would be Jezebel). Davis expressed her appreciation to Warner in a hand-written note in January 1937, "I am thrilled to death about Jezebel," she wrote. "I think it can be great, if not greater than Gone With The Wind - thank you for buying it for me." Jack Warner decided to look for an outside director for Jezebel and so William Wyler who was under contract with Samuel Goldwyn was hired. Still in his mid-thirties he had recently handled such A-class Goldwyn projects as These Three and Dodsworth (both 1936), and had a reputation as a good script doctor. Wyler had some help from John Huston who was staying with Wyler at his home and would discuss his views on the film. Bette Davis was also seeing Wyler at night and soon the two began an affair. With Huston and Davis working evenings rewriting the script and polishing the dialogue, and blocking out each day's camera set-ups. Wyler was a thorough and deliberate director which the studio thought he could work faster. There was talk about bring another director William Dieterle to film Henry Fonda's scenes but Davis refused to work with anyone else but Wyler, so the matter was dropped. Jack Warner and some other executives did not want to upset both their temperamental star or director, who clearly was getting from Davis a performance of her career. Her Julie Marsden struck the perfect balance of b*tchery and captivating charm, of euphoria and barely subdued hysteria, evoking both sympathy and grating irritation. It was equally evident as the rough cut came together to see how important Wyler's skills as a director were to the film Marsden to life, shaping the moviegoer's conception of both character and story. Cinematographer Ernest Haller was capturing Davis' physical beauty as no previous filmmaker had done before. Wyler use of point-of-view shots, reaction shots, glance-object cutting, and shot/reverse exchanges, had orchestrated the viewer's identification with and the audience could sympathize for Julie which was so essential if the film was to succeed. To watch Jezebel was to be wedded to Julie Marsden's consciousness, to adopt her way of seeing and perverse logic in making sense of her world and her plight. A huge success commercially and critically after its March 1938 release, Jezebel brought Davis her second Academy Award and solidified Warner's commitment to Bette Davis. Bette Davis over the next few years starred in some of the greatest dramas in Hollywood's history and made Davis into a legend for these films: The Sisters (1938), Dark Victory (1939), Juarez (1939), The Old Maid (1939), Elizabeth and Essex (1939), All This, and Heaven Too (1940), The Letter (1940), The Great Lie (1941), The Little Foxes (1941, with director Wyler for the third and final film together), Now, Voyager (1942), In This Our Life (1942) The Man Who Came To Dinner (1942), Old Acquaintance (1943), Watch On The Rhine (1943), and Mr. Skeffington (1944), and finally A Stolen Life (1946). Davis fought hard for Jezebel and Jack Warner to his credit went with it, but the process of struggle and negotiation was fairly dramatic in Davis' case, since her transformation went against Warner's traditional male principles. Almost all of the major stars at Warner's: Davis, Gagney, Flynn, Robinson, de Havilland, Bogart and Sheridan by the end of the 1940s proved to the studio that they had an ideal balance between efficiency and excess, convention and innovation, administrative constraint and creative freedom. They proved to Warner Brothers that after two decades of struggle and perseverance the studio had come of age.

halfgoofyhalfgoofyAug 23, 2018

shared a link: http://www.nndb.com/people/457/000026379/

halfgoofyhalfgoofyAug 23, 2018

shared a link: https://www.allmovie.com/artist/bette-davis-p17295

halfgoofyhalfgoofyAug 23, 2018

shared a link: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=258

wjerryzwjerryzJun 22, 2016

One of the greatest. Love all your movies.

thejcaulfieldJul 23, 2014

The greatest actress to have ever lived.

Paris098Nov 11, 2013

OMGGGGG I love her so much! She's so cute!

JBellaJBellaSep 30, 2011

She really had stunning eyes. So large and blue. Great actress. Wish they made them like her nowadays.

ALIApr 30, 2011

I LIKE HER VERY MUCH BETTE DEVIS SHE IS NOT A DIED SHE IS IN MY HEART.

LITTLE KOJAKJun 23, 2010

Bette`s real claim to fame is her eyes...because she has `Bette Davis Eyes.`

anaMar 2, 2009

it seems to me that eddie fisher is everywhere.BY THE WAY BETTE U R A GREAT ACTRESS ENJOY YOU`RE FILMS OVER AND OVER. BLESS YOU;;


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