CliffsNotes dont count. Not even for Hemingway. Especially not for Hemingway. Sourced from Goodreads. Bette Davis Wikipedia. Ruth Elizabeth Bette Davis April 5, 1. October 6, 1. 98. American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history,2 she was noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic, sardonic characters and was reputed for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional comedies, although her greatest successes were her roles in romantic dramas. After appearing in Broadway plays, Davis moved to Hollywood in 1. However, her early films for Universal Studios and as a loanout to other studios were unsuccessful. She joined Warner Bros. In 1. 93. 7, she attempted to free herself from her contract. Although she lost the well publicized legal case against the studio, it marked the beginning of the most successful period of her career. Until the late 1. American cinemas most celebrated leading ladies, known for her forceful and intense style. Ruth Elizabeth Bette Davis April 5, 1908 October 6, 1989 was an American actress with Welsh ancestry citation needed of film, television, and theater. Performed by J. Eric Cook from the solo, funHouse, The Public Theater, 1983, Jo Bonney, director. Watch Ethan Frome Imdb GleeDavis gained a reputation as a perfectionist who could be highly combative and confrontational. She clashed with studio executives and film directors as well as many of her co stars. Her forthright manner, idiosyncratic speech and ubiquitous cigarette contributed to a public persona, which has often been imitated. 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 ten 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. Watch Ethan Frome Imdb Lost' title='Watch Ethan Frome Imdb Lost' />Married four times, she was once widowed and three times 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 1. In 1. 99. 9, Davis was placed second behind Katharine Hepburn on the American Film Institutes list of the greatest female stars of classic Hollywood cinema. Life and careereditBackground and early acting career 1. Ruth Elizabeth Davis, known from early childhood as Betty, was born on April 5, 1. Chester Street, in the Highlands neighborhood of Lowell, Massachusetts, the daughter of Harlow Morrell Davis 1. Augusta, Maine, and Ruth Augusta Ruthie ne Favr, 1. Tyngsboro, Massachusetts. Bettys younger sister, Barbara Harriet Bobby, was born October 2. Ward Street in Somerville, Massachusetts, by which time their father was a patent attorney. In 1. Davis parents separated, and Betty and Bobby attended a Spartan boarding school called Crestalban in Lanesborough, which is located in the Berkshires. In 1. Ruth Davis moved to New York City with her daughters, where she worked as a portrait photographer. Betty changed the spelling of her name to Bette after Honor de Balzacs La Cousine Bette. Davis attended Cushing Academy, a boarding school in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, where she met her future husband, Harmon O. Nelson, known as Ham. In 1. 92. 6, she saw a production of Henrik Ibsens The Wild Duck with Blanche Yurka and Peg Entwistle, a well known Broadway actress who killed herself by jumping off of the Hollywoodland sign. Davis later recalled for Al Cohn of Newsday, The reason I wanted to go into theater was because of an actress named Peg Entwistle. She auditioned for admission to Eva Le Galliennes Manhattan Civic Repertory, but was rejected by Le. Gallienne, who described her attitude as insincere and frivolous. Upon graduating from Cushing Academy, Bette enrolled in John Murray Andersons Dramatic School. Davis auditioned for George Cukors stock theater company in Rochester, New York although he was not very impressed, he gave Davis her first paid acting assignment anywaya one week stint playing the part of a chorus girl in the play Broadway. In 1. 92. 9, Davis was chosen by Blanche Yurka to play Hedwig, the character she had seen Entwistle play in The Wild Duck. After performing in Philadelphia, Washington, and Boston, she made her Broadway debut in 1. Broken Dishes, and followed it with Solid South. Early years in Hollywood 1. In 1. 93. 0, Davis moved to Hollywood to screen test for Universal Studios. Davis and her mother traveled by train to Hollywood and arrived on December 1. She later recounted her surprise that nobody from the studio was there to meet her at the train. In fact, a studio employee had waited for her, but left because he saw nobody who looked like an actress. She failed her first screen test, but was used in several screen tests for other actors. In a 1. 97. 1 interview with Dick Cavett, she related the experience with the observation, I was the most Yankee est, most modest virgin who ever walked the earth. They laid me on a couch, and I tested fifteen men . They all had to lie on top of me and give me a passionate kiss. Oh, I thought I would die. Just thought I would die. A second test was arranged for Davis, for the 1. A House Divided. Hastily dressed in an ill fitting costume with a low neckline, she was rebuffed by the director. William Wyler, who loudly commented to the assembled crew, What do you think of these dames who show their chests and think they can get jobs1. Carl Laemmle, the head of Universal Studios, considered terminating Davis employment, but cinematographer. Karl Freund told him she had lovely eyes and would be suitable for Bad Sister 1. Her nervousness was compounded when she overheard the chief of production, Carl Laemmle, Jr., comment to another executive that she had about as much sex appeal as Slim Summerville, one of the films co stars. The film was not a success, and her next role in Seed 1. Universal Studios renewed her contract for three months, and she appeared in a small role in Waterloo Bridge 1. Columbia Pictures for The Menace and to Capital Films for Hells House all 1. After one year, and six unsuccessful films, Laemmle elected not to renew her contract. Davis was preparing to return to New York when actor George Arliss chose Davis for the lead female role in the Warner Bros. The Man Who Played God 1. Davis credited him with helping her achieve her break in Hollywood. The Saturday Evening Post wrote, she is not only beautiful, but she bubbles with charm, and compared her to Constance Bennett and Olive Borden. Warner Bros. signed her to a five year contract, and she remained with the studio for the next 1. Davis married Harmon Oscar Nelson on August 1. Yuma, Arizona. 1. Their marriage was scrutinized by the press his 1. Davis reported 1,0. Davis addressed the issue in an interview, pointing out that many Hollywood wives earned more than their husbands, but the situation proved difficult for Nelson, who refused to allow Davis to purchase a house until he could afford to pay for it himself. Davis had several abortions during the marriage. As the shrewish Mildred in Of Human Bondage 1. Davis was acclaimed for her dramatic performance. After more than 2. Mildred Rogers in the RKO Radio production of Of Human Bondage 1. W. Somerset Maughams novel, earned Davis her first major critical acclaim. Many actresses feared playing unsympathetic characters, and several had refused the role, but Davis viewed it as an opportunity to show the range of her acting skills. Her co star, Leslie Howard, was initially dismissive of her, but as filming progressed, his attitude changed and he subsequently spoke highly of her abilities. Watch Seven Psychopaths Online Mic on this page. The director, John Cromwell, allowed her relative freedom, and commented, I let Bette have her head.