Bette Davis (April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989), full name Ruth Elizabeth Davis, was an American actress of the stage, cinema and television. She was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. She was nicknamed "The Queen of Hollywood" or the "First Lady of the American Screen" and "The Fifth Warner Brother" during her career.
Davis had held the most Academy Award nominations for any actress (with ten) until Katharine Hepburn took her place with twelve.
Bette Davis made over 100 films across 60 years. Some of the most popular films include:[1][2] Of Human Bondage (1934), Marked Woman (1937), Jezebel (1938), Dark Victory (1939), The Letter (1940), The Little Foxes (1941), Now, Voyager (1942), Watch on the Rhine (1943), Mr. Skeffington (1944), All About Eve (1950), The Virgin Queen (1955), The Catered Affair (1956), Pocketful of Miracles (1961), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), Death on the Nile (1978) and The Whales of August (1987).
In 1981 Kim Carnes sang the hit song "Bette Davis Eyes".[3] Davis liked the song. Carnes gave Davis a gold record. Davis hung the gold record on a wall.[4]
The Kennedy Center honored Davis in 1987.[5] She died of breast cancer in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.