Bette Davis

Full Name: Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis
Profession: Actress

Nationality:

Biography: Bette Davis was one of Hollywood's great actresses during its golden age. She was the first actor or actress to be nominated ten times, winning twice for "Dangerous" (1935) and "Jezebel" (1938).

Other significant roles during her career included her comeback film "All About Eve" (1950) and the horror "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" (1962) with Joan Crawford with whom she has a real life rivalry.

In 1941 she became the first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, In 1977 she was also the first woman to be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute.

Born: April 5, 1908
Birthplace: Lowell, Massachusetts, USA

Generation: Greatest Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Monkey
Star Sign: Aries

Died: October 6, 1989 (aged 81)
Cause of Death: Breast cancer

Married Life

1932-08-18 American actress Bette Davis (24) weds American musician Harmon Nelson (25) in Yuma, Arizona; divorce in 1938
1938-12-06 Actress Bette Davis (30) divorces musician Harmon Nelson (31) after more than 6 years of marriage
1940-12-31 Actress Bette Davis (32) weds New England innkeeper Arthur Farnsworth at 15,000-acre ranch in Lake Montezuma, Arizona
1945-11-30 Actress Bette Davis (37) weds artist William Grant Sherry
1950-07-05 Actress Bette Davis (42) divorces artist William Grant Sherry after more than 4 years of marriage
1950-07-28 Actress Bette Davis (42) weds actor Gary Merrill (34) in Mexico
1960-07-06 Actress Bette Davis (52) divorces actor Gary Merrill (46) after almost 10 years of marriage

Historical Events

1930-12-23 Bette Davis arrives in Hollywood under contract to Universal Studios
1936-03-05 8th Academy Awards: "Mutiny on the Bounty", Victor McLaglen & Bette Davis wins
1938-03-10 "Jezebel" film premieres directed by William Wyler, starring Bette Davis and Henry Fonda, from the play by Owen Davis
1939-02-23 11th Academy Awards: "You Can’t Take It With You", Spencer Tracy & Bette Davis wins
1942-10-22 "Now, Voyager" film directed by Irving Rapper, and starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains, premieres in New York; wins 3 Academy Awards
1950-10-13 "All About Eve" directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and starring Bette Davis and Anne Baxter premieres (Academy Awards Best Picture 1951)
1952-12-15 Vernon Duke, Ogden Nash and Sammy Cahn's musical revue "Two's Company", starring Bette Davis, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, opens at Alvin Theater, NYC; runs for 90 performances
1953-03-08 Vernon Duke, Ogden Nash and Sammy Cahn's musical revue "Two's Company", starring Bette Davis, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, closes at Alvin Theater, NYC; runs for, after 90 performances
1962-10-31 "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" horror film released directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, based on novel by Henry Farrell
1977-03-02 Bette Davis is 1st woman to receive American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award
1981-05-16 "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes hits #1 for next 9 weeks
1981-06-27 "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes returns to #1 slot