(5 April 1908, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA - 6 October 1989)
Unanimemente considerata una delle più grandi attrici della storia del cinema per il grande talento, il carisma e la sua forte presenza scenica, il suo mito sarà per sempre legato a personaggi di donne dal carattere forte e deciso, a cui aderì perfettamente con le sue straordinarie doti recitative.
La Davis esordì a Broadway, per poi approdare a Hollywood nei primi anni trenta. Nel 1934, grazie alla sua interpretazione nel film Schiavo d'amore, riuscì ad imporsi come stella di prima grandezza, scandendo il resto del decennio e la prima metà degli anni quaranta con grandissimi trionfi. A partire dalla seconda metà del decennio, la Davis alternò momenti di grande successo cinematografico a fasi di appannamento, durante le quali si dedicò maggiormente al teatro. A partire dalla metà degli anni sessanta, cominciò ad alternare regolarmente cinema, teatro e televisione con un certo successo, aggiudicandosi anche un Emmy Award per la sua interpretazione nella miniserie L'abisso - Storia di una madre e di una figlia (1979). Negli anni settanta le fu dedicata la canzone Bette Davis Eyes, interpretata da Jackie DeShannon, ma portata al successo da Kim Carnes nel 1981.
Filmography
[edit]1931–1940
Year Title Role Director Other cast members
1931 The Bad Sister Laura Madison Hobart Henley Conrad Nagel, Sidney Fox, Zasu Pitts, Slim Summerville, Humphrey Bogart
1931 Seed Margaret Carter John M. Stahl John Boles, Frances Dade, Raymond Hackett, Zasu Pitts
1931 Waterloo Bridge Janet Cronin James Whale Mae Clarke, Douglass Montgomery, Doris Lloyd
1932 Way Back Home Mary Lucy William A. Seiter Phillips Lloyd, Effie Palmer, Frank Albertson, Frankie Darro
1932 The Menace Peggy Lowell Roy William Neill H. B. Warner, Walter Byron, Natalie Moorhead
1932 Hell's House Peggy Gardner Howard Higgin Pat O'Brien
1932 The Man Who Played God Grace Blair John G. Adolfi George Arliss, Violet Heming
1932 So Big! Miss Dallas O'Mara William A. Wellman Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Dickie Moore
1932 The Rich Are Always with Us Malbro Alfred E. Green Ruth Chatterton, George Brent, John Miljan
1932 The Dark Horse Kay Russell Alfred E. Green Warren William, Guy Kibbee
1932 The Cabin in the Cotton Madge Norwood Michael Curtiz Richard Barthelmess, Dorothy Jordan, Hardie Albright
1932 Three on a Match Ruth Wescott Mervyn LeRoy Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak, Humphrey Bogart
1932 20,000 Years in Sing Sing Fay Wilson Michael Curtiz Spencer Tracy
1933 Just Around the Corner (promotional short film) Ginger Joan Blondell, Ruth Donnelly, Dick Powell
1933 Parachute Jumper Patricia "Alabama" Brent Alfred E. Green Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Claire Dodd
1933 The Working Man Jenny Harland (aka Jane Grey) John G. Adolfi George Arliss, Theodore Newton, Hardie Albright
1933 Bureau of Missing Persons Norma Roberts Roy Del Ruth Lewis Stone, Pat O'Brien, Glenda Farrell
1933 Ex-Lady Helen Bauer Robert Florey Gene Raymond, Frank McHugh, Claire Dodd
1934 The Big Shakedown Norma Nelson John Francis Dillon Charles Farrell, Ricardo Cortez, Glenda Farrell
1934 Fashions of 1934 Lynn Mason William Dieterle William Powell, Frank McHugh, Hugh Herbert, Verree Teasdale
1934 Jimmy the Gent Miss Joan Martin Michael Curtiz James Cagney, Allen Jenkins, Alice White, Mayo Methot
1934 Fog Over Frisco Arlene Bradford William Dieterle Donald Woods, Margaret Lindsay, Lyle Talbot
1934 Of Human Bondage Mildred Rogers John Cromwell Leslie Howard, Frances Dee, Kay Johnson, Reginald Denny, Alan Hale
1934 Housewife Patricia "Pat" Berkeley Alfred E. Green George Brent, Ann Dvorak, John Halliday, Ruth Donnelly
1935 Bordertown Mrs Marie Roark Archie Mayo Paul Muni, Margaret Lindsay, Eugene Pallette
1935 The Girl from 10th Avenue Miriam A. Brady Alfred E. Green Ian Hunter, Colin Clive, Alison Skipworth
1935 Front Page Woman Ellen Garfield Michael Curtiz George Brent, Roscoe Karns
1935 Special Agent Julie Gardner William Keighley George Brent, Ricardo Cortez
1935 Dangerous Joyce Heath Alfred E. Green Franchot Tone, Margaret Lindsay, Alison Skipworth
1936 The Petrified Forest Gabrielle "Gabby" Maple Archie Mayo Leslie Howard, Genevieve Tobin, Dick Foran, Humphrey Bogart
1936 The Golden Arrow Daisy Appleby Alfred E. Green George Brent, Eugene Pallette, Dick Foran
1936 Satan Met a Lady Valerie Purvis William Dieterle Warren William, Alison Skipworth
1937 Marked Woman Mary Dwight Strauber Lloyd Bacon Humphrey Bogart, Lola Lane, Isabel Jewell, Eduardo Ciannelli, Rosalind Marquis, Mayo Methot, Jane Bryan
1937 Kid Galahad Louise "Fluff" Phillips Michael Curtiz Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, Wayne Morris, Jane Bryan
1937 That Certain Woman Mary Donnell (aka Mrs Al Haines) Edmund Goulding Henry Fonda, Anita Louise, Ian Hunter, Donald Crisp
1937 It's Love I'm After Joyce Arden Archie Mayo Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Eric Blore, Patric Knowles, Spring Byington, Bonita Granville
1938 Jezebel Julie Marsden William Wyler Henry Fonda, George Brent, Margaret Lindsay, Fay Bainter, Donald Crisp, Spring Byington
1938 The Sisters Louise Elliott Medlin Anatole Litvak Errol Flynn, Anita Louise, Ian Hunter, Donald Crisp, Beulah Bondi, Jane Bryan
1939 Dark Victory Judith Traherne Edmund Goulding George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ronald Reagan
1939 Juarez Empress Carlotta William Dieterle Paul Muni, Brian Aherne, Claude Rains, John Garfield, Donald Crisp, Joseph Calleia, Gale Sondergaard
1939 The Old Maid Charlotte Lovell Edmund Goulding Miriam Hopkins, George Brent, Donald Crisp, Jane Bryan, Louise Fazenda
1939 The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex Elizabeth I of England Michael Curtiz Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Crisp, Alan Hale
1940 All This, and Heaven Too Henriette Deluzy-Desportes Anatole Litvak Charles Boyer, Jeffrey Lynn, Barbara O'Neil, Virginia Weidler
1940 The Letter Leslie Crosbie William Wyler Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson, Frieda Inescort, Gale Sondergaard
[edit]1941–1950
Year Title Role Director Other cast members
1941 The Great Lie Maggie Patterson Van Allen Edmund Goulding George Brent, Mary Astor, Lucile Watson, Hattie McDaniel
1941 Shining Victory (uncredited cameo role) Nurse Irving Rapper James Stephenson, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Donald Crisp, Barbara O'Neil
1941 The Bride Came C.O.D. Joan Winfield William Keighley James Cagney, Stuart Erwin, Eugene Pallette, Jack Carson, George Tobias
1941 The Little Foxes Regina Giddens William Wyler Herbert Marshall, Teresa Wright, Richard Carlson, Dan Duryea, Patricia Collinge
1942 The Man Who Came to Dinner Maggie Cutler William Keighley Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolley, Richard Travis, Jimmy Durante, Billie Burke, Mary Wickes
1942 In This Our Life Stanley Timberlake Kingsmill John Huston Olivia de Havilland, George Brent, Dennis Morgan, Charles Coburn, Billie Burke, Hattie McDaniel, Lee Patrick
1942 Now, Voyager Charlotte Vale Irving Rapper Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Gladys Cooper, Bonita Granville, John Loder, Ilka Chase, Lee Patrick, Mary Wickes
1943 Watch on the Rhine Sara Muller Herman Shumlin Paul Lukas, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Lucile Watson, Beulah Bondi
1943 Thank Your Lucky Stars Herself David Butler Humphrey Bogart, Eddie Cantor, Olivia de Havilland, Errol Flynn, John Garfield, Joan Leslie, Ida Lupino, Dennis Morgan, Ann Sheridan, Dinah Shore, Alexis Smith, Jack Carson, Alan Hale, Edward Everett Horton, Hattie McDaniel
1943 Old Acquaintance Kit Marlowe Vincent Sherman Miriam Hopkins, John Loder, Gig Young
1944 Mr. Skeffington Fanny Trellis Vincent Sherman Claude Rains, Walter Abel, George Coulouris
1944 Hollywood Canteen Herself Delmer Daves Jack Benny, Joe E. Brown, Eddie Cantor, Kitty Carlisle, Jack Carson, Joan Crawford, John Garfield, Sydney Greenstreet, Alan Hale, Paul Henreid, Peter Lorre, Ida Lupino, Dennis Morgan, Janis Paige, Eleanor Parker, Roy Rogers & Trigger, Zachary Scott, Alexis Smith, Barbara Stanwyck, Jane Wyman
1945 The Corn Is Green Miss Lilly Moffat Irving Rapper John Dall, Nigel Bruce, Rhys Williams, Mildred Dunnock, Joan Lorring
1946 A Stolen Life Kate and Patricia Bosworth (dual role) Curtis Bernhardt Glenn Ford, Dane Clark, Walter Brennan
1946 Deception Christine Radcliffe Irving Rapper Paul Henreid, Claude Rains
1948 Winter Meeting Susan Grieve Bretaigne Windust Janis Paige, Jim Davis, John Hoyt, Florence Bates
1948 June Bride Linda Gilman Bretaigne Windust Robert Montgomery, Fay Bainter, Betty Lynn, Mary Wickes, Barbara Bates
1949 Beyond the Forest Rosa Moline King Vidor Joseph Cotten, David Brian, Ruth Roman
1950 All About Eve Margo Channing Joseph L. Mankiewicz Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Hugh Marlowe, Thelma Ritter, Marilyn Monroe
[edit]1951–1960
Year Title Role Director Other cast members
1951 Payment on Demand Joyce Ramsey Curtis Bernhardt Barry Sullivan, Jane Cowl, Betty Lynn, Kent Taylor
1952 Another Man's Poison Janet Frobisher Irving Rapper Gary Merrill, Emlyn Williams, Anthony Steel, Barbara Murray
1952 Phone Call from a Stranger Bianca Carr Jean Negulesco Shelley Winters, Gary Merrill, Michael Rennie, Keenan Wynn, Beatrice Straight
1952 The Star Margaret Elliot Stuart Heisler Sterling Hayden, Natalie Wood
1955 The Virgin Queen Queen Elizabeth I of England Henry Koster Richard Todd, Joan Collins, Herbert Marshall, Dan O'Herlihy
1956 The Catered Affair Agnes Hurley Richard Brooks Ernest Borgnine, Debbie Reynolds, Barry Fitzgerald, Rod Taylor
1956 Storm Center Alicia Hull Daniel Taradash Brian Keith, Kim Hunter
1959 John Paul Jones Catherine the Great John Farrow Robert Stack, Marisa Pavan, Charles Coburn, MacDonald Carey, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Peter Cushing
1959 The Scapegoat The Countess Robert Hamer Alec Guinness, Nicole Maurey, Irene Worth
[edit]1961–1970
Year Title Role Director Other cast members
1961 Pocketful of Miracles Apple Annie Frank Capra Glenn Ford, Hope Lange, Arthur O'Connell, Peter Falk, Edward Everett Horton, Ann-Margret
1962 What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Baby Jane Hudson Robert Aldrich Joan Crawford, Victor Buono
1963 The Empty Canvas Dino's mother Damiano Damiani Horst Buchholz, Isa Miranda
1964 Dead Ringer Margaret De Lorca and Edith Phillips (dual role) Paul Henreid Karl Malden, Peter Lawford, Jean Hagen, Estelle Winwood
1964 Where Love Has Gone Mrs Gerald Hayden Edward Dmytryk Susan Hayward, Mike Connors, Joey Heatherton, Jane Greer
1964 Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte Charlotte Hollis Robert Aldrich Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Cecil Kellaway, Victor Buono, Mary Astor
1965 The Nanny The nanny Seth Holt Wendy Craig, Jill Bennett
1968 The Anniversary Mrs Taggart Roy Ward Baker Sheila Hancock, Jack Hedley
1970 Connecting Rooms Wanda Fleming Franklin Gollings Michael Redgrave, Leo Genn
[edit]1971–1989
Year Title Role Director Other cast members
1971 Bunny O'Hare Bunny O'Hare Gerd Oswald Ernest Borgnine, Jack Cassidy, John Astin
1972 The Scientific Cardplayer The Millionairess Luigi Comencini Alberto Sordi, Silvana Mangano, Joseph Cotten
1976 Burnt Offerings Aunt Elizabeth Dan Curtis Karen Black, Oliver Reed, Burgess Meredith, Eileen Heckart
1978 Return from Witch Mountain Letha Wedge John Hough Christopher Lee, Kim Richards, Jack Soo
1978 Death on the Nile Marie Van Schuyler John Guillermin Peter Ustinov, Simon MacCorkindale, Lois Chiles, Mia Farrow, George Kennedy, Maggie Smith, Angela Lansbury, Olivia Hussey, David Niven, Jon Finch, Jack Warden, Jane Birkin, Harry Andrews, I. S. Johar
1978 The Children of Sanchez uncredited role Hall Bartlett Anthony Quinn, Dolores del Rio, Katy Jurado
1980 The Watcher in the Woods Mrs Aylwood John Hough Lynn-Holly Johnson, Kyle Richards, Carroll Baker, David McCallum
1987 The Whales of August Libby Strong Lindsay Anderson Lillian Gish, Vincent Price, Ann Sothern
1989 Wicked Stepmother Miranda Pierpoint Larry Cohen Barbara Carrera, Colleen Camp, Lionel Stander
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