Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres; from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional comedies, though her greatest successes were her roles in romantic dramas.
After appearing in Broadway plays, Davis moved to Hollywood in 1930, but her early films for Universal Studios were unsuccessful. She joined Warner Bros. in 1932 and established her career with several critically acclaimed performances. In 1937, she attempted to free herself from her contract and although she lost a well-publicized legal case, it marked the beginning of the most successful period of her career. Until the late 1940s, she was one of American cinema's most celebrated leading ladies, known for her forceful and intense style. Davis gained a reputation as a perfectionist who could be highly combative, and confrontations with studio executives, film directors and costars were often reported. Her forthright manner, clipped vocal style and ubiquitous cigarette contributed to a public persona which has often been imitated and satirized.
Davis was the co-founder of the Hollywood Canteen, and was the first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, was the first person to accrue 10 Academy Award nominations for acting, and was the first woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute. Her career went through several periods of eclipse, and she admitted that her success had often been at the expense of her personal relationships. Married four times, she was once widowed and thrice divorced, and raised her children as a single parent. Her final years were marred by a long period of ill health, but she continued acting until shortly before her death from breast cancer, with more than 100 films, television and theater roles to her credit. In 1999, Davis was placed second, after Katharine Hepburn, on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest female stars of all time.
Recent movies
| # | Name | Character | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | This Is Joan Collins (2022) | Self (Archive Footage) | - |
| 2 | Madonna: Madame X (2021) | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 3 |
| 3 | Mike Wallace Is Here (2019) | (archive footage) | - |
| 4 | Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (2018) | Self (archive footage) | - |
| 5 | Listen to Me Marlon (2015) | Self (archive footage) | - |
| 6 | Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored (2013) | Self (archive footage) | - |
| 7 | Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema (2007) | Self (archive footage) | - |
| 8 | The Adventures of Errol Flynn (2005) | Queen Elizabeth (archive footage) | - |
| 9 | The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender (1997) | Self (archive footage) | 5 |
| 10 | Wicked Stepmother (1989) | Miranda Pierpoint | - |
| 11 | The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind (1988) | Self (archive footage) | - |
| 12 | The Whales of August (1987) | Libby Strong | 4 |
| 13 | As Summers Die (1986) | Hannah Loftin | - |
| 14 | Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) | (in "Deception") (archive footage) | 6.5 |
| 15 | The Watcher in the Woods (1980) | Mrs. Aylwood | 5.7 |
| 16 | Death on the Nile (1978) | Marie Van Schuyler | 7.4 |
| 17 | Return from Witch Mountain (1978) | Letha Wedge | 6 |
| 18 | Burnt Offerings (1976) | Aunt Elizabeth | 8.3 |
| 19 | Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973) | Mrs. Elliott | 7 |
| 20 | The Scopone Game (1972) | 'A vecchia | 4 |
| 21 | The Nanny (1965) | Nanny | 5 |
| 22 | Dead Ringer (1964) | Margaret DeLorca / Edith Phillips | 7 |
| 23 | Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) | Charlotte Hollis | 5.3 |
| 24 | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) | Baby Jane Hudson | 8.3 |
| 25 | Pocketful of Miracles (1961) | Apple Annie | - |
| 26 | The Scapegoat (1959) | Countess | - |
| 27 | The Catered Affair (1956) | Mrs. Agnes Hurley | - |
| 28 | Another Man's Poison (1951) | Janet Frobisher | 8 |
| 29 | Payment on Demand (1951) | Joyce Ramsey (nee Jackson) | - |
| 30 | All About Eve (1950) | Margo Channing | 8.1 |
| 31 | Beyond the Forest (1949) | Rosa Moline | 6 |
| 32 | Deception (1946) | Christine Radcliffe | 5 |
| 33 | Mr. Skeffington (1944) | Fanny Trellis | 6 |
| 34 | Hollywood Canteen (1944) | Self | - |
| 35 | Watch on the Rhine (1943) | Sara Müller | 5 |
| 36 | Old Acquaintance (1943) | Kit Marlowe | 5 |
| 37 | Now, Voyager (1942) | Charlotte Vale | 5.5 |
| 38 | In This Our Life (1942) | Stanley Timberlake Kingsmill | - |
| 39 | The Great Lie (1941) | Maggie Patterson Van Allen | 5 |
| 40 | The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941) | Maggie Cutler | 6 |
| 41 | The Little Foxes (1941) | Regina Hubbard Giddens | 6 |
| 42 | The Letter (1940) | Leslie Crosbie | 7 |
| 43 | All This, and Heaven Too (1940) | Henriette Deluzy-Desportes | 3 |
| 44 | The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) | Queen Elizabeth | 4.5 |
| 45 | Juarez (1939) | Empress Carlotta von Hapsburg | - |
| 46 | Dark Victory (1939) | Judith Traherne | 7 |
| 47 | Jezebel (1938) | Julie Marsden | 6 |
| 48 | It's Love I'm After (1937) | Joyce Arden | 5 |
| 49 | That Certain Woman (1937) | Mary Donnell | 5 |
| 50 | Marked Woman (1937) | Mary Dwight Strauber | 6 |
| 51 | Satan Met a Lady (1936) | Valerie Purvis | 6 |
| 52 | The Petrified Forest (1936) | Gabrielle "Gabby" Maple | 7 |
| 53 | Dangerous (1935) | Joyce Heath | - |
| 54 | Of Human Bondage (1934) | Mildred Rogers | 5.5 |
| 55 | Ex-Lady (1933) | Helen Bauer | - |
| 56 | Three on a Match (1932) | Ruth Westcott | 7 |
| 57 | 20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932) | Fay Wilson | 6 |
| 58 | The Rich Are Always with Us (1932) | Malbro | 8 |
| 59 | So Big! (1932) | Miss Dallas O'Mara | 8 |
| 60 | The Man Who Played God (1932) | Grace Blair | 8 |
| 61 | Hell's House (1932) | Peggy Gardner | 5 |
| 62 | Way Back Home (1931) | Mary Lucy Duffy | 6 |
| 63 | Waterloo Bridge (1931) | Janet Cronin | 6 |
| 64 | The Bad Sister (1931) | Laura Madison | 7 |
