Born:
September 16, 1924
in
New York
Best Known For:
Her on and off-screen partnership with Humphrey Bogart.
Early-life:
Born Betty Joan Perske in New York in 1924. She was brought up by her mother, a secretary, after her parents divorced when she was five. As a young girl, she had dreams of becoming a dancer, but switched to acting in her teens. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and took small parts in off-Broadway plays, but initially had more success as a model. Her big break came when she was signed up by director Howard Hawks, after his wife spotted her on the cover of Harper's Bazaar magazine. He changed her name and cast her opposite Humphrey Bogart in To Have and Have Not in 1944.
Career:
Bacall's film debut made her an instant star, although her second movie, Confidential Agent (1945), was less well received. The Big Sleep (1946) reteamed her with Bogart, and they went on to make two more films together. Her habit of turning down substandard roles earned her a reputation for being difficult, but she did go on to feature in Young Man with a Horn (1950), How To Marry a Millionaire (1953) and Written on the Wind (1956). Bacall's movie career waned during the following decades, but she found success on Broadway in the plays Cactus Flower and Applause. She received her first Academy Award nomination in 1996 for The Mirror Has Two Faces. She received an honorary Academy Award in 2010. She died on August 12, 2014, at the age of 89.
Quote:
'I put my career in second place throughout both my marriages and it suffered. I don't regret it.'
Trivia:
She wed Humphrey Bogart in 1945. They had two children together and the marriage lasted until his death in 1957. She was married to actor Jason Robards from 1961 to 1969. Their son, Sam, went on to become an actor.