Profile of the Day: Bette Davis

Posted April 5, 2024 by Amanda | No Comment

Happy birthday to Bette Davis! The legendary actress was born 116 years ago today.

Image: Bette Davis / Wikimedia Commons

Ruth Elizabeth Davis was born on April 5, 1908 in Lowell, Massachusetts. With dreams of becoming a performer, Davis moved to New York City to study acting. Did you know future star Lucille Ball was one of her classmates in drama school?

She began her career in theater before landing her first role in the film Bad Sister. By 1935, Davis had won her first Academy Award for her role in the film, Dangerous. She received her second nomination for the film, Jezebel, just a few years later. She would later become the first female president of the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A Hollywood legend, Davis was the first person to accrue ten Academy Award nominations for acting and the first woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute. By the time of her death in 1989 at the age of 81, Davis had starred in over 100 films.

What’s your favorite Bette Davis movie?

Explore Bette Davis’s family tree on Geni and share how you’re connected to the screen legend.