Davis won Oscars on her first two nominations for “Dangerous” in 1935 and “Jezebel” in 1938. Strangely Davis won for arguably the two least acclaimed and remembered films of her 10 nominations. The other bids were for: “Dark Victory” (1939), “The Letter” (1940), “The Little Foxes” (1941), “Now, Voyager” (1942), “Mr.
After all, she claimed credit for giving Oscar his nickname and had even served as the academy's president for a stormy few months in 1941. However, while she had prevailed with each of her first two official nominations – “Dangerous” (1935) and “Jezebel” (1938) – that third win forever eluded her.
To fulfill a dream, to be allowed to sweat over lonely labor, to be given a chance to create, is the meat and potatoes of life. The money is the gravy.
During production, Davis entered a relationship with director William Wyler. She later described him as the "love of my life", and said that making the film with him was "the time in my life of my most perfect happiness".
“I think it's more like Chubby Checker.” The audience laughed—though they had occasionally heard Davis sing in movies (like 1943's Thank Your Lucky Stars), the cigarette-puffing leading lady was far better known for her croak than her croon.
How old was Bette Davis when she made Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Aldrich's 1962 Hollywood adaptation of Henry Farrell's gothic novel would star Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, both then in their mid 50s, as quarrelling sisters, confined to the living tomb of a Los Angeles mansion that's filled with skeletons and a noxious resentment that lingers in the air.
Davis could be remarkably kind about other actors: She admired her friends Joan Blondell and Olivia de Havilland, worshiped Italian actor Anna Magnani, and admitted to being jealous of Katharine Hepburn (both were staunch, driven Yankees, and both would have affairs with Howard Hughes).
Who is the only black actress to win an Oscar for leading lady?
With her performance in "Monster's Ball" (2001), Halle Berry became the first, and so far only, African-American woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress.
For one, their characters in All About Eve hate each other. For another, Anne was a woman–a younger woman, two strikes against her as far as Bette Davis was concerned. Despite these factors, Anne and Bette not only got along during filming, they actually became friends.
Over the course of her storied career, Davis made some 100 films, for which she received 10 Academy Award nominations, and twice won the Best Actress trophy.
On May 10, 1977, Joan Crawford died from a heart attack at her New York City apartment. At the time, outlets reported Bette's response to her colleague's death as they quoted her: "You should never say bad things about the dead, only good… Joan Crawford is dead? Good."
Some suggest Davis's eyes were the result of the autoimmune thyroid condition, Graves' disease. Swelling the muscles around the eyes and surrounding tissues, the condition pushes the eyeballs forward, causing them to protrude, limiting their movement.
Who was better actress Bette Davis or Joan Crawford?
Their differences were equally striking: at Warner Brothers, Davis usually portrayed more grounded types, and was probably the better actress. Yet over at MGM, the Tiffany of studios in Hollywood's Golden Age, Crawford was undeniably sexier, projecting a more unstable, dangerous quality that made her riveting to watch.
Davis's net worth at the time of her death was $2 Million after adjusting for taxes and inflation. According to her last will and testament, Bette's estate was worth $1 Million. The bulk of the estate was left to her adopted son, Michael Merrill. The other beneficiary was her close friend and assistant Kathryn Sermack.
Michael Merrill, Bette's son, and Kathryn Sermak, Bette's personal assistant and friend, are now the executors of her estate. In her memory, they have created The Bette Davis Foundation, which provides financial assistance to promising young actors and actresses.
Davis starred in her final film Wicked Stepmother, although she felt that the script was poor. The film had production problems, with Davis often quarreling with Larry Cohen, and she withdrew from the film shortly after production began. After fifty-eight years of acting, she made her final appearance.
It was recorded by DeShannon that year but made popular by American singer Kim Carnes in 1981 when it spent nine non-consecutive weeks at the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
While in her freshmen year of high school, Bette abandoned plans to become a dancer in favor of an acting career. After performing in school productions, summer stock and with semi-professional groups, she went to New York for an interview with Eva Le Gallienne.
