Bette Davis
Born Ruth Elizabeth Davis on
April 5, 1908
in Lowell, MA
Died
Oct. 6, 1989
of breast cancer in American Hospital, France
Bette Davis was a tempestuous actress whose fiery talent and celebrated toughness made her one of Hollywood's most acclaimed and enduring stars. Davis' career spanned half a century of American film. The two-time Academy Award winner began her career on the stage and later made the transition from movies to television. During her career, the staccato-voiced Davis made 86 movies, won two Academy Awards as best actress and was nominated for eight more. Her last movie was the 1987 "Whales of August," a film she made despite being in failing health after suffering two strokes and a bout with breast cancer. In her heyday—from the mid-1930s to the close of World War II—Davis was the highest-paid woman in America. She was called "the first lady of the screen" and the "fourth Warner brother" and she was a regular on Oscar night. She was nominated as best actress in 1939 ("Dark Victory"), 1940 ("The Letter"), 1941 ("The Little Foxes"), 1942 ("Now, Voyager"), 1944 ("Mr. Skeffington"), as well as in 1950 ("All About Eve"), 1952 ("The Star") and 1962 ("Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?"). In the 1970s, she turned to television and garnered showcase roles, more than holding her own with a newer generation of actresses. She won an Emmy in 1979 for "Strangers," playing the mother of an estranged daughter (Gena Rowlands) who has come home to die.
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Academy Awards
| Year | Category | Work | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Best Actress | Of Human Bondage | Nomination |
| 1935 | Best Actress | Dangerous | Win |
| 1938 | Best Actress | Jezebel | Win |
| 1939 | Best Actress | Dark Victory | Nomination |
| 1940 | Best Actress | The Letter | Nomination |
| 1941 | Best Actress | The Little Foxes | Nomination |
| 1942 | Best Actress | Now, Voyager | Nomination |
| 1944 | Best Actress | Mr. Skeffington | Nomination |
| 1950 | Best Actress | All About Eve | Nomination |
| 1952 | Best Actress | The Star | Nomination |
| 1962 | Best Actress | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? | Nomination |
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Two thoughts about Bette Davis
Bette Davis received 10 Oscar nominations during her career - not 11 as indicated above. The Academy allowed write-in nominations in 1934, when she was not officially recognized for "Of Human Bondage". But that was not an official nomination.
It is well known for die-hard fans of The First Lady of the silver screen, like myself, we know the 1934 nomination deserves to be included. Especially since 2 of the "official" nominees, Claudette Colbert and Norma Shearer agreed with of all the supporters who wrote in nominating Bette Davis and the fact that it was announced Bette Davis came in third, after Colbert and Shearer, and ahead of Grace Moore the other official nominee.
Queen Bette rules, 11 nominations within the first 33 years of OSCAR gold.
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