American actress Bette Davis: biography, filmography and interesting facts

Hollywood star Bette Davis was born on April 5, 1908. The childhood of the actress was complicated, when the girl was several years old, her father left the family. Mother brought up the future actress and her sister Barbara on their own. The family lived poorly, and money constantly was not enough, but, despite the difficulties, they were very friendly and tried to support each other in almost everything. The future actress was very fond of her sister, after many years the actress would call her daughter in her honor - Barbara. After a while, Bette will devote the book to his beloved mother, who remained her friend for life.

The first steps in art

Bette Davis was very difficult at the beginning of the creative path. Since childhood, the girl dreamed of a big stage and decidedly went to her goal. In the theatrical school, she was told that she did not have the talent, but Davis did not stop this statement - she continued to knock on the closed doors. She had to get a job as a ticket-taker. At the same time, Bette began to occasionally receive small roles. After a while, Davis was invited to the troupe of a small theater in New York. After the success of the performance "Wild Duck" actress Bette Davis believed in their strength and dared to conquer Hollywood.

At first Hollywood rejected the actress, assuring her that she had no future in the movie, but after a while the director, who made such an unpleasant statement, had to publicly apologize to the star.

The debut of the talented and beautiful actress took place in 1931. After only a year, she played her first significant role. Due to her bright appearance and bad character, the actress, as a rule, offered roles of fatal women and seductresses. A significant breakthrough in the career occurred three years after the debut picture. At a time when the world of cinema was just beginning to develop, the actors were very difficult - they needed to be able to do things that no one had ever done. Such burden has also fallen on the shoulders of young actress Bette Davis - a more complex psychological role than she got, it was hard to imagine.

Academy Award"

Actress Bette Davis, whose films were very popular, was nominated 11 times for the Oscar, and twice she received her cherished statuette. The first prestigious award the actress received for the role of a drunkard in the film "Dangerous." Strengthened at a stellar level, Davis began to demand from her film studio, with which she was signed a contract, more independence in the choice of roles. To emphasize the seriousness of her intention, the actress left Los Angeles and went to London.

After a while, Davis Bette returned, but her act did not go unnoticed - her heroines turned into independent and powerful women who can stand up for themselves, and do not hide behind a man. One of these roles, Bette played in the film "Jezebel", for which she received the second award "Oscar".

Thanks to the films "The burden of the passions of men", "Defeat darkness", "Letter", "Chanterelles", "Forward, traveler", "Mr. Skeffington", "Everything about Eve", "Star" and "What happened to Baby Jane?" Actress Bette Davis was nominated for an Oscar.

The top of the career

In the forties of the last century, the actress was at the peak of her popularity. The studio considered her opinion and listened to her remarks. Black-and-white cinema was replaced by color, and Bette took an active part in the development of motion picture art, which further consolidated her stellar status. In 41, she was elected president of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts.

Ten years later, when the actress was over forty, Davis Bette was difficult to compete with the young and talented actresses of Hollywood. Criticism began to emphasize her inappropriate compressed postures and unjustified gestures in some film works.

Personal life B. Davis

The actress first married in 1932. Her husband was a jazz musician and childhood friend Harmon Oskar Nelson. The marriage lasted seven years. The chosen one could not stand Bette's popularity. He was known only for being her husband, but as any creative person, the musician wanted fame and recognition.

The second marriage with businessman Arthur gave Davis many tragic moments. Under mysterious circumstances, her husband died. Two years later, Bette left for the third time to marry the artist William Sherry. After a while they had a daughter, Barbara. At the time of the daughter's birth, the actress was 39 years old. After some time, the spouse throws the actress, and marry the daughter's nurse.

On the wave of success after the triumphant "All About Eve", Davis suddenly marries her partner in the film - Gary Merrill, who is much younger. But this fact does not bother the actress. Gary adopted his daughter Bette, and after a while the couple will adopt two more children.

The daughter of the actress

The daughter of Bette Davis - Barbara, was born when her mother turned almost forty years old. The actress named her daughter after her sister, with whom they had very warm and intimate relations. Barbara appeared several times on the screen: the first time she was an infant, and the second - she played a small role in the film "What happened to Baby Jane?". In this picture also played by her mother and actress Joan Clowford, with whom she was enmity Davis.

Barbara wrote two books in which she did not speak very well about her own mother. By the time the second book was published, the actress's health had deteriorated sharply. The first work became a bestseller, the second - did not have much success.

Joan Crawford and Bette Davis

Hollywood composed legends about the feud between Joan and Bette. Two legendary actresses could not share a fame, no men, no set. In the vicissitudes of fate they had to work together in the film "What happened to Baby Jane?". At moments when there should have been a staging conflict on the site - there was one continuous naturalism with the most vivid outbursts of anger. In the film they played two aging movie stars. Davis was nominated for the Oscar for participation in the film, and after that the conflict grew even stronger.

When Joan died, Bette's attitude to his rival did not change. Knowing that one can not speak ill of the dead, she said: "Joan Clowford died. Good".

Diseases B. Davis

In the early 60's, Bette tried to return to Broadway, but her health deteriorated sharply. Davis was always unwell, but she played the last of her strength in the movies. In 1983, the actress was diagnosed with breast cancer. After removal of oncogenes, Bette suffered 4 strokes. They caused paralysis. Davis had to recover for a long time after the illness. But, despite the disgusting state of health, Bette continued to work in the movies. After the partial cessation of paralysis, the actress again diagnosed with cancer, which took away her last vestiges of health. After a while, Davis dies at the age of 81.

Bett Davis: Filmography (excerpts)

During her career, the actress performed more than a hundred roles in the cinema. Her talent led her to the best masters of the era, who created masterpieces of American and world cinema.

The debut work of the actress was in the film "Bad sister", which was released in 1931. The plot of the film tells the story of two sisters. One of them is a capricious beauty, who absolutely got away with everything, and the second - a quiet woman, who constantly answered for any errors. The capricious girl in the film was Davis.

The role in the film "The burden of human passions" brought an unthinkable success to the actress. Her game became a real revelation and took her to a new level of acting. For the role of the waitress in this film for the prestigious Oscar for the first time put forward Bette Davis.

Films "Dangerous" (1935) and "Jezebel" (1939) presented actress with two figurines "Oscar".

The legendary film "All About Eve," in which Bette played the role of an aging Broadway actress, became the best film for the career of a genius actress. The film received six statuettes of the "Oscar" award, including, in the nomination "Best film". The masterpiece took 16 place in the category "One Hundred Best Movies", and is considered a classic in the world cinema. In addition to the legendary Davis, another world-famous woman was shot in the film. The painting was almost the debut work of the inimitable Marilyn Monroe.

"What happened to Baby Jane?" - an incredible psychological thriller with Bette Davis and Joan Clowford. The real enmity of the legendary Hollywood actresses was transferred to film. Bright conflicts and female sarcasm gave a picture of amazing colors of naturalism. Despite the brilliant game, Joan was not nominated for an Oscar, and Bette was nominated again. This fact unpleasantly affected the already complicated relationship of actresses.

Bette played her last role in the movie "Whales of August". The plot of the film develops around two sisters who are in old age. The heroine Bette is a sarcastic Libby, who is widowed and blind. She finds it hard to take care of herself, so she is cared for by her cheerful sister Sarah. The film illustrates one day in the life of women.

Quotes of the beautiful and talented actress B. Davis

"If you never knew what the hatred of your own child is, then you have never been a mother."

"When a man expresses his opinion, he is a man. When a woman expresses her opinion, she is a bitch. "

"Strong women marry only weak men."