DAVIS BETTI

American actress. Filmed in the movies: "The burden of human passions," "Dangerous" (Oscar), "Jezebel" (Oscar), "Victory over the darkness," "Letter," "chanterelles" ;, "All About Eve," "Queen Elizabeth", "What happened to Baby Jane?", etc.

Ruth Elizabeth Davis was born April 5th, 1908 in Louelle, Massachusetts. His father left the family when Betty and her sister Barbara were still quite small. The children remained in the hands of his mother. It was a surprisingly friendly family - and no marriage for girls, nor the appearance of their own children are not destroyed by spiritual affinity and extraordinary devotion to each other.

In the theater school at first it did not take. "Very sorry, but the girls do not have the talent", - said examined the future star of the actress Eva Le Galleyen. But the girl got into a dramatic school, John Murray Anderson - then the artist and later director.

A year later, Anderson recommended that the student (who was called to Betty Davis) director George Kyukoru. So she got into the company, put in the time the play "Broadway. " Betty played good, but Kyukor it dismissed, although the apparent reason for this was not.

The next summer, Betty settled in another theater - usherette sometimes appeared on stage in small roles. In autumn 1929 the first of a small company incorporated in New York Theater Provinstaun pleyhauz. The first noticeable role - Gedviga in "Wild utke" Ibsen. About Betty Davis talked about as a promising actress and confidence to play in the play "broken dishes" to have passed the two hundred submissions.

The first test of shooting in Hollywood - a complete failure. "Where do you have that horrible creature?" - with such an issue to start Davis and Samuel Goldvina in 1930. (Twelve years old, paid actress hundred thousand dollars for "Fox", Goldvin bring her a public apology. )

However, the company "Universal" concluded its three-month contract with a wage of 300 dollars a week. In December 1930, Betty Davis is coming to Los Angeles.

In his first film "notoriety", she played a virtuous heroine relative. The same way it would produce in subsequent scenes - "Seed", "Waterloo Bridge". In autumn of 1931 expired on the next contract, to conclude a new or suggested. It was from that desperate!

When she called the well-known actor and director George Arliss from Warner Brothers, and asked her for a central role in the movie "The man who played God," she decided that this is bad joke.

Photo — «Davis Betti»

Reality has surpassed all expectations. Arliss, who seemed almost old Betty, with its manners refined gentleman, surrounded the young actress from the very beginning of filming the special attention. He "played God" in her fate.

The film was a success, and "Warner Brothers" immediately offered her annual contract. But here again, Betty Davis concluded in rigid frame. At this time, one by one she trusted the insidious role of temptress. "The rich are always with us", "dark horse", "three together", "great shock" . . .

In 1932, she first married. Chose the actress was a friend of his youth, jazz musician. Seven years later they broke up: the husband failed unwilled humiliation, which is always inevitable, if a person is only known that he - the husband celebrities . . .

Betty Davis was able to convince the boss Jack Warner to let her in filming in another company, RKO Radio, where she was offered the role of Mildred in screening Somerset Maugham novel "The burden of human passions" (1934).

The actress had to play a representative of the population picturesque London - cockney. Davis was prepared carefully and long. She hired a maid-Englishwoman and within two months of studying its dialect and pronunciation.

Mildred, the harlot of the suburb, a waitress from the restaurant, like any price vybitsya in humans. She was not beautiful, not intelligent, but selfish, greedy and debauchery. It seems that Mildred does nothing to appeal to men, but carries them all at once. And you know what its strength.

Betty Davis develops and deepens the type of stick at nothing lady, whose vlastnost, amoralizm and cruelty, not only denies her femininity, but also as detrimental to others, and for itself. Critics even joke went: the stervoznee heroine, the better it plays Betty Davis.

The actress is developing the success of films Archie Meyo "border town" (1934) and Alfred Green′s "Dangerous" (1935). In these scenes the heroine goes to her unloved husband′s murder. The circumstances are different, but the motives are the same - the love of another. Again, the woman, firmly brush the common moral standards in order to achieve the goal. For the role of the former actress Joyce Hitti in "dangerous" the American Film Academy awarded Betty Davis Oscar.

The actress did not much like in Hollywood. Once able, she fought for the role - the complex, ambiguous. For refractoriness her repeatedly firing of Hollywood without the right shot at the other studios.

Photo — «Davis Betti»

When Betty refused on several proposed roles and she accepted the invitation L. Toeplitz pull him in two films - in France and Italy - Warner Brothers have begun legal proceedings against the actress. The court held in London, where Betty went with her husband. The process of Davis lost and was forced to return to Hollywood. True, the studio is not only paid court costs, but also suggested that Betty two beautiful script - from which eventually brought her the success of films marking the woman "and" KID Gelehed "(both - 1937).

And the heroine, Betty Davis, and the actress wanted to be first, and almost always succeeded. With one exception - Davis did not receive the role of Scarlett, and remembered with a grumble about it all his life.

To a certain comfort actress, Warner Brothers decided to film a play Owen Davis′ Jezebel "(1938), in many ways reminiscent of the novel, Margaret Mitchell. Put picture of William Uayler.

The director does not hurrying actress, gave many duplicates as you like it to achieve the most expressive. As a result, Davis won his second Oscar. " Her heroine is seeking any means to keep, but after the failure - the return of her husband.

For the actress, it was an examination of higher degree of skill and difficulty. For example, during one part of the heroine, Betty is going through a few sharply different mental states: from the feverish impatience waiting, through despair and hope it goes to the cold vindictiveness. For their challenge Davis coped brilliantly.

Uayler subtle understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the actress. Top, key moments of the film dealt with the words, or almost without words. He managed the most profitable show Davis in the episode without the text, where all the viewers attention is focused on the image to the gestures and facial expressions a person.

In 1939, Betty Davis acted immediately in five scenes, in varying degrees of repetition "Jezebel. " The role of the rich Judith Traern successors in the "Victory over the darkness" actress felt almost the best in his creative biography.

After seven years of work in Hollywood Bette Davis was on the crest of fame. Compared with Duse, awarded title of the most popular woman of the year (along with Eleanor Roosevelt), elected president of the American Academy of filmmaking. She felt just terrible fatigue and desperate loneliness. My life has not evolved, although it was able to be an excellent hostess, and always wanted to have his own house. It is the second time to marry. And again her happiness was short: her husband, - the hotel manager - soon died in an accident .

Photo — «Davis Betti»

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In 1941, William Uayler screen play Hellman L. "chanterelles. This film has become a new triumph of Betty Davis, performed the role of Regina Giddens, in which all thought, all calculated and are devoid of human warmth. Pity, a sense of kinship, even customary compassion for another - all dropped in order to achieve the goal - the wealth and power . . .

Betty Davis, the first woman was elected president of the American Academy of filmmaking.

Betty Davis is trying to force as a producer. But the first experience with the movie "stolen lives" (1946) did not bring success.

The actress was 39 years old, when 1 May, 1947 her daughter Barbara. For some years, Hollywood has ceased to exist. "For the first time in my life, I wore a chain of voluntary slavery for another substance," - writes Davis in his book "The Lonely Life. "

But a year later Davis returned to Hollywood. "Every moment spent away from home, I was hatred," - she remembers. During this period, snyavshis still a few little interesting for the film, Betty permanently give up the firm of Warner Brothers, which was associated nineteen years. Those years were an era not only in her life and fate - but in American cinema. For all the weaknesses in the script by Betty Davis has created its own or on someone does not like the type of Hollywood heroines. She went from beautiful, from the attractive items and established tradition - its heroines were women strong, passionate, with an enormous range of feelings and emotional states . . .

In this complex to Betty during her life threw a third-account husband. He married the nurse′s own daughter, but still led the actress to pay him alimony.

And then followed an invitation from the studio "XX Century - Fox. " Directed by Joseph Mankevich offered her a role in the movie "All About Eve" (1950). After the shooting, she was recognized by director Joseph Mankevichu that he "raised from the dead. "

In the film "All About Eve" Davis played an aging Broadway star Margo Channing, who was unable to timely withdraw from the scene. And because she had to experience the crush treason, betrayal of friends, brazen arrogance dublershi yesterday. But still - dublersha remained dublershey, as Margo Channing - a star. What is a royal gesture with which she is not turning, dropped shubu - absolutely convinced that dozens of men throw their catch. With partner Gary Merrill, the leading male role of Bill Sampson, Davis has achieved a rare understanding, not only on the set.

Photo — «Davis Betti»

Probably no one in his heroine is not so much it has invested itself - this aging actress, apparently completely free, independent and prosperous, and actually experiencing frustration and emotional turmoil. In some scenes, according to Betty, she was worth a great work, not to forget who she plays - or be Margo.

Loneliness of the mother with her movie heroine. Davis was a unique actress that was able to lift Hollywood melodrama to the level of high tragedy.

When the shooting ended, Betty married Gary Merrill, who was much younger than her. The first thing they did - in the hospital had just been born a girl. Its called Margot. Now Gary left for the shooting - but Betty stayed home with the children and waited for the return of her husband in a new house, which she beat the taste. In January 1954, the house has adopted a son, Michael, five days old.

Still, Betty Davis returned to the stage. Speaking in the musical in New York, she suddenly felt the wild fatigue. If the survey revealed that her jaw osteomyelitis. The newspapers also rushed to announce that the star of cancer patients. After a complex operation rehabilitation period took a long, painful two years.

Betty happy to meet with Anna Magnani, was filmed in Hollywood. Two actresses long ago were sympathetic to each other, but met for the first time. After Magnani left, Gary groan: "When you are together, the atmosphere naelektrizovyvaetsya so that you can cover the whole of New York. "

Davis fettle, has children, farm - movie, it seemed, had been left somewhere far away. Gary was unhappy: "You are Betty Davis!" "And I confess, I thought that I was Mrs. Merrill," - answered Betty.

In most of the roles of Davis relentlessly, not only to the internal image of its heroines, but also to their physical appearance. It shows their wild, free cosmetics, disfigured anger or passion to overshadow everything. She does not spare neither they nor ourselves to the truth. She argued with the producers wanting to on the screen beautiful woman suffered and rejoiced beautifully. She bravely went to any conflicts for justice in life. As he wrote about it, James Kelly, "it ceased to be a commercial magnet. It can not emulate - will fail, but we must learn from Betty Davis, persistence, integrity, intransigence.

Even in his youth played an old Betty. She was thirty years old when she is not afraid to fulfill one of his famous roles - the sixtieth Queen Elizabeth in the movie "Private Life of Elizabeth and Essex. " And shooting the film "Queen Elizabeth" in 1955 by Davis, to the general dismay and surprise, with a cropped shaven head, because Elizabeth was Bald.

Photo — «Davis Betti»

But what the fight had to withstand the actress to appear on the screen ugly and reliable!

In 1956, it took a brilliant victory in the picture of the young progressive director Taradasha "In the center of the storm," where she played an elderly bibliotekarshu.

The role of the "Wedding Breakfast (1957) - completely new to her roles. From this picture for the heroines of the actress is time take stock. Betty Davis, increasingly serves as a loving caring mother.

A huge success was the performance-duo on the American poet and writer Carl Sandberg played Betty, along with Gary Merrill in 1960 and shown in many cities of America. He was the last point in their life together. Then they parted. Since the end of this the happiest band in the life of Bette Davis. The actress will write about it and just bitterly: "Gary, my heart broke. He killed the dream forever. That little woman is no longer there. "

The trouble did not come alone. Dying mother, beloved and bogotvorimaya Ruthie. "Remember, dear, - I am always in the front row," - she wrote to the daughter of a prime minister. And it was true. Mothers Davis has devoted his book to this one throughout her life a man who remained faithful to her always and under all circumstances . . .

The film director Oldricha "What happened to Baby Jane?" (1962) Betty bitterly tells another story a failed life - former actress Jane Hudson. Davis contested Oscar for best female role, but ceded his Benkroft Ann.

In 1972, Betty Davis was in the amusing comedy "Playing Cards in science. " The elderly, almost motionless American finds itself in the consolation game of cards. Every year she comes to Italy to beat polunischego Italian . . .

In recent years, Davis shot less and less. She was invited, but as a rule, she refused to read the script. Notably, the actress has never played in the movie "great drama", was never touched by Shakespeare. Despite this her heroine faces a number of great tragically. This is the magnetism of its charm and power of her unique gift. In 1987, she played in her last film - "The August the whales. "

During his long life, Betty Davis performed about a hundred roles. She was awarded with two Oscar and eight more times to claim this prestigious award. In memory of generations it will remain as the "first lady of American cinema. " Bette Davis died in October 1989 in Paris.