Bette Davis filmography
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This is a complete filmography of Bette Davis. Davis began acting in films in 1931, initially as a contract player with Universal Studios, where she made her film debut in Bad Sister. She was initially seen as unappealing by studio executives, and was assigned to a string of B-movies early in her career.
Davis made a transition to Warner Bros. in 1932, and made her breakthrough performance in The Man Who Played God, opposite George Arliss. She continued in a succession of films, but did not gain further recognition until she agreed to star in John Cromwell's adaptation of the W. Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage on a loan-out to RKO. The role of Mildred Rogers had been rejected by several actresses, but Davis achieved critical acclaim for her performance. Dangerous (1935) became the first time she won an Academy Award for Best Actress.
In 1936, convinced her career would be ruined by appearing in mediocre films, Davis walked out on her Warner Brothers contract, and decided to make films in England. Davis explained her viewpoint to a journalist, saying: "I knew that, if I continued to appear in any more mediocre pictures, I would have no career left worth fighting for." She eventually settled her disagreements with Warner Brothers, and returned to the studio in 1937. In 1938, Warner Brothers cast her in Jezebel. It was a critical and box office success, and earned her another Best Actress Academy Award.
Davis was at the peak of her career in the late 1930s and early-to-mid 1940s, at a time when she was one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood and turned down parts she found inferior. She received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Dark Victory, and earned acclaim for her performances in The Old Maid and The Letter. Davis also earned acclaim for her portrayal of Elizabeth I of England in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Davis later appeared in the melodrama The Little Foxes, and in the comedy film The Man Who Came to Dinner.
One of Davis' biggest successes at Warner Bros. was Now, Voyager, which earned her another Academy Award nomination. Her later films for the studio, including Winter Meeting and Beyond the Forest, failed at the box office.[1] As her popularity waned, Warner Brothers dropped her contract in 1949, and from thereafter on, she occupied a freelance career.
Davis received a career revival in All About Eve for 20th Century-Fox. She played an aging Broadway star, Margo Channing, who is manipulated by an obsessed fan. The film was one of the biggest hits of 1950, and she was again nominated for an Academy Award, but lost to Judy Holliday. Although Davis earned strong reviews for her performance in The Star, her career waned throughout the remainder of the decade.
In the 1960s, Davis received yet another revival in popularity. Although her appearance in Pocketful of Miracles was negatively received, she earned praise for her portrayal of the faded child star, Jane Hudson, in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, which garnered her a final nomination for an Academy Award. She retained a cult status throughout the remainder of her career, and appeared in several other thriller films, such as Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte and The Nanny.
Davis starred in her final film Wicked Stepmother, although she felt that the script was poor. The film had production problems, with Davis often quarreling with Larry Cohen, and she withdrew from the film shortly after production began. After fifty-eight years of acting, she made her final appearance.
Film[edit]
1930s[edit]
1940s[edit]
1950s[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Studio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | All About Eve | Margo Channing | Joseph L. Mankiewicz | 20th Century Fox | New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress |
| 1951 | Payment on Demand | Joyce Ramsey | Curtis Bernhardt | RKO | Shot in 1949, except for final scene |
| Another Man's Poison | Janet Frobisher | Irving Rapper | Angel Productions | ||
| 1952 | Phone Call from a Stranger | Marie Hoke | Jean Negulesco | 20th Century Fox | |
| The Star | Margaret Elliot | Stuart Heisler | |||
| 1955 | The Virgin Queen | Queen Elizabeth I | Henry Koster | ||
| 1956 | The Catered Affair | Agnes Hurley | Richard Brooks | MGM | |
| Storm Center | Alicia Hull | Daniel Taradash | Columbia | ||
| 1959 | John Paul Jones | Catherine the Great | John Farrow | Warner Bros. | |
| The Scapegoat | Countess De Gué | Robert Hamer | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
1960s[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Studio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Pocketful of Miracles | Apple Annie | Frank Capra | United Artists | |
| 1962 | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? | Baby Jane Hudson | Robert Aldrich | Seven Arts | |
| 1963 | The Empty Canvas | Dino's mother | Damiano Damiani | Compagnia Cinematografica Champion | |
| 1964 | Dead Ringer | Margaret De Lorca / Edith Phillips | Paul Henreid | Warner Bros. | dual role |
| Where Love Has Gone | Mrs. Gerald Hayden | Edward Dmytryk | Paramount | ||
| Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte | Charlotte Hollis | Robert Aldrich | 20th Century Fox | ||
| 1965 | The Nanny | The Nanny | Seth Holt | Seven Arts | |
| 1968 | The Anniversary | Mrs. Taggart | Roy Ward Baker | Seven Arts |
1970s[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Studio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Connecting Rooms | Wanda Fleming | Franklin Gollings | Hemdale | |
| 1971 | Bunny O'Hare | Bunny O'Hare | Gerd Oswald | American International | |
| 1972 | Madame Sin | Madame Sin | David Greene | ITC Entertainment | |
| The Scientific Cardplayer | The Millionairess | Luigi Comencini | Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica | ||
| 1976 | Burnt Offerings | Aunt Elizabeth | Dan Curtis | United Artists | |
| 1978 | Return from Witch Mountain | Letha Wedge | John Hough | Disney | |
| Death on the Nile | Marie Van Schuyler | John Guillermin | Paramount |
1980s[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Studio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | The Watcher in the Woods | Mrs. Aylwood | John Hough | Disney | |
| 1987 | The Whales of August | Libby Strong | Lindsay Anderson | Alive Films | |
| 1989 | Wicked Stepmother | Miranda Pierpoint | Larry Cohen | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | final film role |
Short films appearing as herself[edit]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1932 | The 42nd Street Special | |
| 1935 | A Dream Comes True | |
| 1936 | Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 1 | |
| Screen Snapshots Series 15, No. 10 | ||
| 1937 | A Day at Santa Anita | |
| Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 8 | ||
| 1938 | For Auld Lang Syne | |
| Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 9 | ||
| Breakdowns of 1938 | Outtakes from That Certain Woman and Jezebel | |
| 1941 | Breakdowns of 1941 | |
| 1943 | The Present with a Future | Herself / Mother |
| Show Business at War | ||
| 1984 | Terror in the Aisles | Archival footage |
Box Office Ranking[edit]
- 1939 - 6th (US)
- 1940 - 9th (US)
- 1941 - 8th (US)
- 1942 - 15th (US), 7th (UK)
- 1943 - 13th (US), 8th (UK)
- 1944 - 10th (US), 5th (UK)
- 1945 - 14th (US), 2nd (UK)
- 1946 - 15th (US), 5th (UK)
- 1947 - 5th (UK)
- 1951 - 7th (UK)
Lux Radio Theatre appearances[edit]
| Date | Title | Other cast members |
|---|---|---|
| March 30, 1936 | Bought and Paid For | |
| May 17, 1937 | Another Language | Fred MacMurray, John Beal |
| February 28, 1938 | Forsaking All Others | Joel McCrea, Anderson Lawler |
| January 8, 1940 | Dark Victory | Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart |
| April 21, 1941 | The Letter | Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson |
| December 15, 1941 | All This, and Heaven Too | Charles Boyer, Bea Benaderet |
| March 6, 1944 | The Letter | Herbert Marshall, Vincent Price |
| October 1, 1945 | Mr. Skeffington | Claude Rains |
| February 11, 1946 | Now, Voyager | Gregory Peck, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains |
| August 25, 1947 | A Stolen Life | Glenn Ford |
| August 29, 1949 | June Bride | James Stewart |
| September 3, 1951 | Payment on Demand | Barry Sullivan |
| October 1, 1951 | All About Eve | Gary Merrill |
– Command Performance - 1942 - Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Count Basie
Stage[edit]
| Opening | Closing | Performances | Production | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar. 5, 1929 | Mar. 1929 | 27 | The Earth Between | Floy Jennings [2] | James Light |
| Nov. 5, 1929 | Apr. 1930 | 178 | Broken Dishes | Elaine Bumpstead[3] | Marion Gering |
| Oct. 14, 1930 | Nov. 1930 | 31 | Solid South | Bam[4] | Rouben Mamoulian |
| Dec. 15, 1952 | N/A | 90 | Two's Company | Various | Jules Dassin |
| Sep. 14, 1960 | Oct. 8, 1960 | 29 | The World of Carl Sandburg | Herself | Norman Corwin |
| Dec. 28, 1961 | Sep. 29, 1962
(Davis: Mar. 31, 1962)[5] |
316 | The Night of the Iguana | Maxine Faulk | Frank Corsaro |
| Oct. 7, 1974 | Oct. 18, 1974 | 8 | Miss Moffatt (based upon The Corn Is Green) | Lily Cristobel Moffat | Joshua Logan |
Television[edit]
1950s[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | What's My Line? Episode broadcast October 5 |
Herself (Mystery guest) | Franklin Heller |
| 1955 | The 27th Annual Academy Awards | Herself (Presenter: Best Actor) | Bill Bennington, Grey Lockwood |
| 1956 | The 20th Century Fox Hour Episode : Crack Up |
Marie Hoke | Ted Post |
| 1956 | Person to Person | Herself | Franklin J. Schaffner |
| 1957 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Episode: For Better, For Worse |
Irene Van Buren | John Brahm |
| The Ford Television Theatre Episode: Footnote on a Doll |
Dolley Madison | Marc Daniels, Franklin J. Schaffner | |
| General Electric Theater Episode: With Malice Toward One |
Miss Burrows | Jules Bricken | |
| 1958 | Telephone Time Episode: Stranded |
Beatrice Enter | Allen H. Miner |
| Studio 57 Episode: The Starmaker |
Paula | Allen H. Miner | |
| General Electric Theater Episode:The Cold Touch |
Christine Marlowe | Don Weis | |
| Suspicion Episode: Fraction of a Second |
Mrs Ellis | John Brahm | |
| The 30th Annual Academy Awards | Herself (Presenter: Honorary Awards) | Alan Handley | |
| The Dinah Shore Chevy Show | Herself | William Asher | |
| 1959 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents Season 4 Episode 16: "Out There - Darkness" |
Miss Fox | Paul Henreid |
| The DuPont Show with June Allyson Episode: Dark Morning |
Sarah Whitney | Don Medford | |
| Wagon Train Episode: The Elizabeth McQueeney Story |
Elizabeth McQueeney | Allen H. Miner | |
| Wagon Train Episode: The Ella Lindstrom Story |
Ella Lindstrom | Allen H. Miner [6] | |
| The 31st Annual Academy Awards | Herself (Presenter: Best Supporting Actor) | Alan Handley |
1960s[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | What's My Line? Episode broadcast August 28 |
Herself (Mystery guest) | |
| 1961 | Wagon Train Episode: The Bettina May Story |
Bettina May | Richard Donner |
| 1962 | The Virginian Episode: The Accomplice |
Celia Miller | Maurice Geraghty |
| Here's Hollywood Episode broadcast October 9 |
Herself | ||
| What's My Line? Episode broadcast November 11 |
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| Here's Hollywood Episode broadcast December 1 |
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| Tonight Starring Jack Paar Episode broadcast November 16 |
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| The Andy Williams Show Episode broadcast December 20 |
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| 1963 | Perry Mason Episode: The Case of Constant Doyle |
Constant Doyle | Allen H. Miner |
| The 35th Annual Academy Awards | Nominee: Best Actress Herself (Presenter: Writing Awards) |
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| Reflets de Cannes Episode broadcast May 16 |
Herself | ||
| 1964 | The Hollywood Palace Episode #2.7 |
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| What's My Line? Episode broadcast March 29 |
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| 1965 | The Hollywood Palace Episode #2.21 |
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| What's My Line? Episode broadcast October 24 |
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| Bette Davis - Star und Rebellin | |||
| I've Got a Secret Episode broadcast March 1 |
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| The Decorator (unsold pilot) | Liz | Richard Kinon | |
| 1966 | Gunsmoke Episode: The Jailer |
Etta Stone | Vincent McEveety |
| The Hollywood Palace Episode #3.19 |
Herself | ||
| 1967 | The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour Episode #1.4 |
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| The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour Episode #1.20 |
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| The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour Episode #2.2 |
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| Think Twentieth |
1970s[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | The Dick Cavett Show Episode broadcast November 26 |
Herself | |
| It Takes a Thief Episode: Touch of Magic |
Bessie Grindel | Gerd Oswald | |
| 1971 | The Dick Cavett Show Episode broadcast November 17 |
Herself | |
| This Is Your Life | Herself (Honoree) | ||
| 1972 | The Judge and Jake Wyler (TV movie) | Judge Meredith | David Lowell Rich |
| Madame Sin (TV movie) | Madame Sin | David Greene | |
| The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Episode broadcast February 14, 1972 |
Herself | ||
| Johnny Carson Presents the Sun City Scandals '72 | Herself | ||
| 1973 | Scream, Pretty Peggy (TV movie) | Mrs Elliott | Gordon Hessler |
| The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast Roast: Johnny Carson |
Herself | ||
| The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast Roast: Bette Davis |
Herself | ||
| ABC's Wide World of Entertainment | Hostess of "Warner Bros. Movies: A 50 Year Salute" | ||
| 1974 | Hello Mother, Goodbye! (unsold pilot) | Teresa Mullen | Peter H. Hunt |
| The 28th Annual Tony Awards | Herself (Presenter: Best Actor in a Play) | ||
| 1975 | Parkinson Episode #5.8 |
Herself | |
| 1976 | The Mike Douglas Show Episode broadcast March 19 |
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| V.I.P.-Schaukel Episode #6.1 |
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| The Disappearance of Aimee (TV movie) | Minnie Kennedy | Anthony Harvey | |
| 1977 | Dinah! Episode broadcast July 20 |
Herself | |
| The American Film Institute Salute to Bette Davis | Herself (Honoree) | ||
| Jimmy Carter's Inaugural Gala | Herself | ||
| 1978 | The 50th Annual Academy Awards | Herself (Presenter: Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award) | |
| The American Film Institute Salute to Henry Fonda | Herself | ||
| The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (TV miniseries) | Widow Fortune | Leo Penn | |
| 1979 | Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter (TV movie) | Lucy Mason | Milton Katselas |
1980s[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 60 Minutes (Interviewed by Mike Wallace) Episode broadcast January 20 |
Herself | |
| 1980 | White Mama (TV movie) | Adele Malone | Jackie Cooper |
| 1980 | Skyward (TV movie) | Billie Dupree | Ron Howard |
| 1980 | Bob Hope's Overseas Christmas Tours: Around the World with the Troops - 1941-1972 |
Herself | |
| 1981 | Good Morning America (Interviewed by David Hartman) Episode broadcast April 7 |
Herself | |
| 1981 | Family Reunion (TV movie) | Elizabeth Winfield | Fielder Cook |
| 1982 | A Piano for Mrs. Cimino (TV movie) | Esther MacDonald Cimino | George Schaefer |
| 1982 | Little Gloria... Happy at Last (TV miniseries) | Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt | Waris Hussein |
| 1982 | All-Star Party for Carol Burnett | Herself | |
| 1982 | The American Film Institute Salute to Frank Capra | Herself | |
| 1982 | Night of 100 Stars | Herself | |
| 1983 | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Episode broadcast February 9 |
Herself | |
| 1983 | Bette Davis: A Basically Benevolent Volcano | Herself | |
| 1983 | People Now (Interviewed by Bill Tush) | Herself | |
| 1983 | Hotel Episode: “Hotel” (pilot) |
Laura Trent | Jerry London |
| 1983 | Right of Way (TV movie) | Minnie Dwyer | George Schaefer |
| 1985 | Good Morning America (Interviewed by David Hartman) Episode broadcast February 19 |
Herself | |
| 1985 | Murder with Mirrors (TV movie) | Carrie Louise Serracold | Dick Lowry |
| 1985 | Étoiles et toiles Episode broadcast March 25 |
Herself | |
| 1986 | As Summers Die (TV movie) | Hannah Loftin | Jean-Claude Tramont |
| 1986 | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Episode broadcast May 22 |
Herself | |
| 1986 | Directed by William Wyler | Herself | |
| 1986 | The 43rd Annual Golden Globe Awards | Herself (Presenter: Best Picture) | |
| 1986 | La Nuit des Césars | Herself (César Honoree) | |
| 1987 | Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts | Herself (Honoree) | |
| 1987 | Today (Interviewed by Bryant Gumbel) Episode broadcast March 19 |
Herself | |
| 1987 | The 59th Annual Academy Awards | Herself (Presenter: Best Actor) | |
| 1987 | The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers Episode broadcast April 7 |
Herself | |
| 1987 | Late Night with David Letterman Episode broadcast May 26 |
Herself | |
| 1987 | The Phil Donahue Show Episode broadcast June 16 |
Herself | |
| 1987 | Wogan Episode broadcast September 14 |
Herself | |
| 1987 | Good Day! (Interviewed by Eileen Prose) | Herself | |
| 1988 | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Episode broadcast January 7 |
Herself | |
| 1988 | De película Episode broadcast February 22 |
Herself | |
| 1988 | Larry King Live Episode broadcast February 24 |
Herself | |
| 1988 | The 50th Barbara Walters Special Episode broadcast November 29 |
Herself | |
| 1989 | Late Night with David Letterman Episode broadcast April 20 |
Herself |
Special appearances[edit]
| Date | Event | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 9–23, 1963 | 1963 Cannes Film Festival | N/A | Cannes, France |
| Nov. 1, 1969 | San Francisco International Film Festival | SF Masonic Auditorium | San Francisco, Calif., United States |
| June 23, 1977 | Miss Bette Davis Sings! record signing | Don Oven's Celebrity Record Shop | West Hollywood, Los Angeles, Calif., United States |
| Feb. 12, 1983 | Miss Bette Davis Sings! record signing | Tower Records | West Hollywood, Los Angeles, Calif., United States |
| Feb. 15, 1988 | This ’n That book signing | B. Dalton Bookseller | West Hollywood, Los Angeles, Calif., United States |
| Sep. 15–23, 1989 | San Sebastián International Film Festival | N/A | Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain |
See also[edit]
Bibliography[edit]
- Vermilye, Jerry (1973). Bette Davis. New York, Pyramid Publications. ISBN 978-0-515-02932-1.
- Ringgold, Gene (1966). The Films of Bette Davis. Cadillac Publishing Co. ISBN 0-8065-0953-8.
- Bette Davis filmography at IMDb
- Bette Davis filmography at the TCM Movie Database
- Bette Davis Broadway stage credits at the Internet Broadway Database
- Bette Davis official website
- Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs: Lux Radio Theater
References[edit]
- ^ Spada, James (1993). More Than a Woman. Little, Brown, and Company. ISBN 0-316-90880-0.
- ^ "Before Breakfast – Broadway Play – Original". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ "Broken Dishes – Broadway Play – Original". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ "Solid South – Broadway Play – Original". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ "The Night of the Iguana – Broadway Play – Original". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ Vermilye 1973, p. 115.