Bette Davis, one of the most iconic figures in Hollywood’s Golden Age, was born as Ruth Elizabeth Davis on 5 April 1908 in Lowell, Massachusetts, United States. She grew up in a middle-class family, the eldest of two children. Her father, Harlow Morrell Davis, was a patent attorney, while her mother, Ruth Augusta Davis, was a portrait photographer. The family dynamic shifted dramatically when Bette was seven years old; her parents divorced, and her mother moved with Bette and her younger sister, Barbara, to New York City. This change marked the beginning of a challenging but transformative chapter in Bette’s life.
Bette’s early years were influenced by her mother’s love of the arts. Ruth Davis supported her daughters’ interests, encouraging them to explore creative outlets. Bette initially considered becoming a dancer, but her interest soon shifted to acting. She attended Cushing Academy, a private boarding school in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, where she first took an interest in performing and also met her future husband.
Bette’s career began on the stage, with her debut in 1929 in the Broadway play Broken Dishes. She later appeared in Solid South, catching the eye of talent scouts from Hollywood. In 1930, she moved to Hollywood to pursue her film career, signing a contract with Universal Studios. However, her early years in Hollywood were not easy. Her first screen test was unimpressive, and she was rejected for various roles, even being labelled as not photogenic enough for the silver screen. It was her determination, rather than her looks, that would eventually make her a star although she also once commented that she credited the actor George Arliss for her breakthrough in the movie industry after he chose her as the leading lady in 1932’s The Man Who Played God.
In the same year Bette signed with Warner Brothers Studios, where she found the creative opportunities that would shape her career. Her real breakthrough role came in 1934 with Of Human Bondage, where she portrayed Mildred, a cruel and manipulative waitress. Her performance received critical acclaim and, although she was not officially nominated for an Academy Award, it is said that a write-in campaign for her occurred, reflecting the public’s recognition of her talent.
Bette Davis went on to win two Academy Awards during her career. The first was for her role as a troubled actress in 1935’s Dangerous, and the second for her portrayal of the morally dubious Southern belle in 1938’s Jezebel. These roles solidified her status as one of Hollywood’s most compelling actresses, known for portraying complex and often unsympathetic characters. Bette’s performances were marked by her fierce intensity, and she quickly gained a reputation as a perfectionist who demanded the best from herself and her colleagues.
Throughout the 1940s, Bette Davis continued to captivate audiences with standout roles in films such as The Letter (1940), Now, Voyager (1942), and Mr. Skeffington (1944), all of which earned her Academy Award nominations. However, one of her most iconic roles came in 1950 when she starred as the ambitious and cynical theatre actress Margo Channing in All About Eve. The film was a commercial and critical success and earned Bette yet another Academy Award nomination. Her famous line, “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night,” became one of the most memorable in film history.
Bette’s career was not without its challenges, and her personal life was often tumultuous. She was married four times, and each marriage ended in divorce. Her first marriage to musician Harmon Nelson in 1932, and who she had met at Cushing Academy a few years earlier lasted seven years. Her second marriage to businessman Arthur Farnsworth was tragically cut short when he died unexpectedly in 1943. In 1945, she married artist William Grant Sherry, with whom she had her only child, Barbara Davis Sherry, nicknamed B.D. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1950. Her final marriage, to actor Gary Merrill in 1950, lasted ten years, and the couple adopted two children before their eventual divorce.
Bette’s relationship with her daughter, B.D., became increasingly strained over the years, culminating in B.D. publishing a controversial memoir titled My Mother’s Keeper in 1985, which painted Bette in a less-than-flattering light. This caused a rift between mother and daughter, which never fully healed. Despite the public nature of this family discord, Bette remained focused on her career, continuing to work in film and television into her later years.
As she aged, Bette’s health began to decline. In 1983, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. A year later, she suffered a series of strokes that left her partially paralysed, affecting her ability to speak. Despite these setbacks, Bette’s indomitable spirit pushed her to continue working. She appeared in several television films and even penned her own memoir, This ’n That (1987), in which she candidly discussed her health struggles and personal life.
During the American Cinema Awards in 1989, she collapsed, which led to the discovery that the cancer had returned. She subsequently travelled to Spain where she was honoured at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, but her health quickly declined during the trip resulting in her not being well enough to travel home. Instead, she travelled to France where, on 6 October 1989 at the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine, she died from metastasised breast cancer. She was 81 years old. Bette Davis’s legacy is one of extraordinary talent, resilience, and an unwavering dedication to her craft. She defied the conventional standards of Hollywood beauty and forged her own path as an actress known for playing strong, complex women. Over the course of her six-decade career, she starred in over 100 films, earning a record 10 Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. Her sharp wit, fiery personality, and unrelenting pursuit of excellence continue to inspire generations of actors and filmmakers. To this day, Bette Davis remains a symbol of strength and individuality in Hollywood, an industry that often demanded conformity, but never from her.
