Davis, Bette (1908-1989), was an American motion-picture actress known for her portrayals of strong-willed women. Davis won Academy Awards as best actress for her performances in Dangerous (1935) and Jezebel (1938). She received eight other Academy Award nominations.
Ruth Elizabeth Davis was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, on April 5, 1908. She studied acting in New York City and appeared in several plays before beginning her film career.
Davis made her first film, Bad Sister, in 1931. She made 85 movies, including Of Human Bondage (1934), Dark Victory (1939), The Letter (1940), Now, Voyager (1942), The Corn Is Green (1945), All About Eve (1950), and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), and The Whales of August (1987). Davis wrote two autobiographies, The Lonely Life (1962) and This ‘n That (1987, with Michael Herskowitz). She also collaborated on the memoir Mother Goddam: The Story of the Career of Bette Davis (1974, with Whitney Stine).
See also All About Eve.
