| Bette Davis Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 3 in |
| Weight | 54 kg |
| Date of Birth | April 5, 1908 |
| Zodiac Sign | Aries |
| Date of Death | October 6, 1989 |
Bette Davis was an American actor with a career spanning more than 50 years. One of the most celebrated leading ladies of U.S. cinema, she won 2 Academy Awards (for Jezebel and Dangerous) as well as became the first person to earn 5 consecutive Academy Award nominations for acting.
Born Name
Ruth Elizabeth Davis
Nick Names
Bette, Betty, The Fourth Warner Brother, The First Lady of Film
Age
She was born on April 5, 1908.
Died
On October 6, 1989, Bette Davis died of breast cancer at 11:35 PM at the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine. She was 81 years old at the time.
Resting Place
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States
Sun Sign
Aries
Born Place
Lowell, Massachusetts, United States
Nationality
Education
Davis attended a spartan boarding school called Crestalban in Lanesborough, Massachusetts. Later, she studied at Cushing Academy.
Occupation
Actor
Family
- Father – Harlow Morrell Davis (1885-1938) (Patent Attorney)
- Mother – Ruth Augusta (née Favór) (1885-1961)
- Siblings – Barbara Harriet (Younger Sister)
- Others – Edward Elwell Davis (Paternal Grandfather), Eliza Jane Morrell (Paternal Grandmother), William Aaron Favor (Maternal Grandfather), Hariett/Hariot/Harriet Eugenia Thompson (Maternal Grandmother)
Net Worth
According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, her net worth was $2 Million at the time of her death.
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 3 in or 160 cm
Weight
54 kg or 119 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
Bette Davis had dated –
- Anatole Litvak
- Robert Aldrich
- Franchot Tone
- Harmon Oscar Nelson (1932-1938)​ – On August 18, 1932, she got married to Harmon Oscar Nelson in Yuma, Arizona. She had many abortions during the course of their marriage which eventually ended in 1938 after Harmon obtained evidence that Davis was involved with Howard Hughes. Subsequently, Harmon Oscar Nelson filed for divorce citing Davis’s “cruel and inhuman manner”.
- William Wyler (1937-1938) – She went out with director William Wyler between 1937 and 1938 and they also worked together in films like Jezebel (1938) and The Little Foxes (1941). She later described him as the “love of my life” and stated that making the film Jezebel with him was “the time in my life of my most perfect happiness”.
- Howard Hughes (1938)
- Arthur Farnsworth (1940-1943)​ – In December 1940, she married a New England innkeeper named Arthur Farnsworth at Home Ranch, in Rimrock, Arizona. They were together until his sudden demise in August 1943.
- George Brent (1939-1940) – She dated actor George Brent from 1939 to 1940 and he even proposed marriage, a proposal that she declined.
- Robert S. Taplinger (1940)
- William Grant Sherry (1945-1950)​ – Davis married artist William Grant Sherry in 1945 and she gave birth to Barbara Davis Sherry (known as B.D.) on May 1, 1947. The mother-daughter shared a complicated relationship that only deteriorated with time. William and Bette divorced on July 3, 1950.
- Gary Merrill (1950-1960) – On July 28, 1950, she married actor Gary Merrill and they adopted a 5-day-old baby girl they named Margot Mosher Merrill (January 6, 1951 – May 5, 2022) and a boy named Michael (b. February 5, 1952). The couple divorced in 1960.
Race / Ethnicity
White
Bette Davis was of English, Scottish, and Welsh descent.
Hair Color
Blonde
Eye Color
Blue
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Large eyes
- Frequently played strong female characters
Bette Davis Favorite Things
- Some Of Her Favorite Roles That She Played – Judith Traherne in Dark Victory (1939), Mrs. Agnes Hurley in The Catered Affair (1956)
- Song – Stardust by Hoagy Carmichael
- Male Co-Star – George Brent
- Line From A Film – “I’d like to kiss you, but I just washed my hair” from the film The Cabin in the Cotton (1932)
- Person To Work With – Claude Rains
Bette Davis Facts
- Her parents separated in 1915.
- She was a registered democrat.
- Bette Davis was friends with Greer Garson, Ginger Rogers, George Brent, Henry Fonda, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ronald Reagan, Claude Rains, Olivia de Havilland, and Gladys Cooper.
- She became the first actor to receive 10 Academy Award nominations.
- Davis was a heavy smoker who reportedly smoked 100 cigarettes a day.
Featured Image by Studio Publicity / Walmart / Public Domain
