Actress, born in New York City, USA. A student at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she made her stage debut in 1942. She married her co-star Humphrey Bogart in 1945, appearing with him in such thrillers as The Big Sleep (1946) and Key Largo (1948). After Bogart's death in 1957, she turned to the stage, her Broadway successes including the musical Applause! (19702), for which she received a Tony award. Later films include Murder on the Orient Express (1974), The Shootist (1976, BAFTA), Mr North (1988), Appointment with Death (1988), The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996, Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination), Diamonds (1999), Dogville (2004), and Birth (2004). She was also married (19619) to the actor Jason Robards Jr. Her autobiography, By Myself (1979), was an international best-seller; volume two By Myself and Then Some appeared in 2005.
| Lauren Bacall | |
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Armed Forces Radio Services broadcaster Jack Brown interviews Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall for broadcast to troops overseas during World War II. |
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| Birth name | Betty Joan Perske |
| Born |
September 16, 1924 (age 82) New York City, New York |
| Notable roles |
Marie Browning (To Have and Have Not) Vivian Sternwood (The Big Sleep) Schatze Page (How to Marry a Millionaire) Hannah Morgan (The Mirror Has Two Faces) |
Lauren Bacall (born Betty Joan Perske on September 16, 1924) is an American film and stage actress.
She is best known for being a film noir leading lady in films such as The Big Sleep (1946) and Dark Passage (1947), as well as a sassy comedienne, as seen in 1953's How to Marry a Millionaire.
Career
Early Stages
Born in New York City as Betty Joan Perske, Bacall was the only child of Jewish immigrants, William Perske (a relative of former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres) and Natalie Weinstein-Bacal. As a result, Bacall no longer saw her father, and she formed a strong bond with her mother whom she took with her to California once she had become a movie star.
Bacall studied dancing for 13 years. Years later, Davis would visit Bacall backstage to congratulate her on her performance of Margo Channing in Applause, a musical based on Davis's turn in All About Eve.
Bacall began fashion modeling part-time. Bacall had envisaged a career on stage for herself, but by chance, she entered the world of movies. Hawks would use the nickname "Slim" for Bacall's character in her first movie.
The Breakthrough
Not liking the name Betty, Hawks gave her the first name Lauren. This effect became known as 'The Look', Bacall's trademark.
To Have and Have Not catapulted Bacall to instant stardom.
In the set, Bacall met Humphrey Bogart. Bogart, who was married to Mayo Methot, initiated a relationship with Bacall some weeks into shooting and they began to see each other off set.
The 20-year old Bacall made worldwide headlines on a visit to the National Press Club in Washington D.C.
After To Have and Have Not, Bacall was seen opposite Charles Boyer in the critically panned Confidential Agent (1945).
1950s
Bacall was known to turn down scripts she didn't find interesting.
In Young Man with a Horn (1950), co-starring Doris Day and Kirk Douglas, Bacall played a two-faced femme fatale, with more than a hint of lesbianism to her character.
In 1953 Bacall starred in the colorful comedy How to Marry a Millionaire, a runaway hit that saw her teaming up with Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable. Bacall states in her autobiography that she didn't think much of the role.
While struggling at home with Bogart's severe illness, Bacall starred with Gregory Peck in the 1957 slapstick comedy Designing Woman for rave reviews .
1960s and 1970s
In the 1960s, Bacall's movie career waned, and she was only seen in a handful of films.
In 1976, Bacall co-starred with John Wayne in his last picture, The Shootist. During the filming, the two created a bond, even though Wayne was politically far to the right and Bacall was a liberal.
Later career
During the 1980s, Bacall appeared in the poorly received star vehicle The Fan (1981) as well as some star-studded features such as Robert Altman's HealtH (1980) and Michael Winner's Appointment with Death (1988).
In 1997, Bacall was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996), for which she had already won a Golden Globe.
In March 2006, she was seen at the 78th Annual Academy Awards introducing a film montage dedicated to the film noir genre. In September 2006, Bacall was awarded the first Katharine Hepburn Medal, which recognizes "women whose lives, work and contributions embody the intelligence, drive and independence of the four-time-Oscar-winning actress," by Bryn Mawr College's Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center.
Private life
On May 21, 1945, Bacall married Humphrey Bogart. Bacall was 20 and Bogart was 45. Bogart usually called Bacall "Baby", even when referring to her in conversations with other people.
During the filming of The African Queen in 1951, Bacall and Bogart became great friends of Bogart's co-star Katharine Hepburn and her partner Spencer Tracy. Bacall also began to mix in non-acting circles, becoming friends with the historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
Shortly after Bogart's death in 1957, Bacall had a relationship with singer and actor Frank Sinatra. In her autobiography, Bacall stated that the relationship began after Bogart's death; knowing of Sinatra's reputation as a womanizer, Bacall knew that he was unlikely to be a faithful partner. However, in her autobiography, she wrote that Sinatra abruptly ended the relationship, having become angry that the story of his proposal to Bacall had reached the press.
Bacall was later married to the actor Jason Robards from 1961 to 1969.
Bacall had two children with Bogart and one child with Robards.
See also: the Bogart and Bacall section in the Humphrey Bogart article.
Bacall has written two autobiographies, Lauren Bacall By Myself (1978) and Now (1994).
Bacall is the first cousin of Shimon Peres, the former Prime Minister and current Vice Premier of Israel.
Trivia
Contrary to some reports, Bacall does not have a vocal disorder. Actress Kathleen Turner has often been compared to Bacall. When Turner and Bacall met, Turner reportedly introduced herself to Bacall by saying "Hi, I'm the young you."Quotes
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Lauren BacallBacall is known for speaking out her mind and her sarcastic remarks on her colleagues and peers. You just put your lips together and blow."
From The Big Sleep (1946): Humphrey Bogart: "What's wrong with you?" Truman's Piano-Playing
From an interview with Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne:
"...badly, playing the Missouri Waltz, or something."On Howard Hawks
Of Mr. Hawks, Bacall told Larry King on CNN:
"He was a Svengali. And he did until Mr. Bogart got involved."On Frank Sinatra
She told Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne:
"He was a womanizer, he wanted to be in the sack with everybody."She said of Sinatra to Larry King:
"Well, his attention span was not long, shall we say."On Being a Democrat
From the Larry King interview:
BACALL: "I'm a total Democrat. In 1980 Kathryn Harrold played Bacall in the TV movie Bogie that was directed by Vincent Sherman and was based on the novel by Joe Hymans. Kevin O'Connor played Bogart, and the movie focused primarily upon the disintegration of Bogart's third marriage to Mayo Methot, played by Ann Wedgeworth, when Bogart met Bacall and began an affair with her.Filmography
To Have and Have Not (1944) Confidential Agent (1945) Two Guys from Milwaukee (1946) (Cameo) The Big Sleep (1946) (filmed in 1944, but actors were brought back for additional filming in 1945) Dark Passage (1947) Key Largo (1948) Young Man with a Horn (1950) Bright Leaf (1950) How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) Woman's World (1954) 1955 Motion Picture Theatre Celebration (1955) (short subject) The Cobweb (1955) Blood Alley (1955) Written on the Wind (1956) Designing Woman (1957) The Gift of Love (1958) North West Frontier (1959) Shock Treatment (1964) Sex and the Single Girl (1964) Harper (1966) Murder on the Orient Express (1974) The Shootist (1976) HealtH (1980) The Fan (1981) Appointment with Death (1988) Mr. North (1988) John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick (1989) (documentary) Tree of Hands (1989) Misery (1990) A Star for Two (1991) All I Want for Christmas (1991) A Foreign Field (1993) Ready to Wear (Prêt-à-Porter) (1994) The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) My Fellow Americans (1996) Day and Night (1997) Diamonds (1999) The Venice Project (1999) Presence of Mind (1999) A Conversation with Gregory Peck (1999) (documentary) The Limit (2003) Dogville (2003) Amália Traïda (2004) (short subject) (voice only) Howl's Moving Castle (2004) (voice in English dubbed version) Birth (2004) Firedog (2005) (voice) Manderlay (2005) These Foolish Things (2006)Selected stage appearances
Johnny Two by Four (1942) Goodbye Charlie (1959) Cactus Flower (1965) Applause (1970) V.I.P. Night on Broadway (1979) (benefit concert) Woman of the Year (1981) Angela Lansbury: A Celebration (1996) (benefit concert) Waiting in the Wings (1999)|
Preceded by: Angela Lansbury in Dear World |
Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical 1970 for Applause |
Succeeded by: Helen Gallagher in No, No Nanette |
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Preceded by: Patti LuPone in Evita |
Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical 1981 for Woman of the Year |
Succeeded by: Jennifer Holliday in Dreamgirls |
Television work
Applause (1973) Perfect Gentlemen (1978) Dinner at Eight (1989) A Little Piece of Sunshine (1990) The Portrait (1993) The Parallax Garden (1993) From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1995) Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke (1999) The Sopranos (2006)Books by Lauren Bacall
By Myself (1978) Now (1994) By Myself and Then Some (2004)Awards and nominations
1970 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Applause 1972 & 1984 Sarah Siddons Award 1977 BAFTA Award Nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role, The Shootist 1980 National Book Award for Best Non-Fiction Book, By Myself 1981 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Woman of the Year 1993 Golden Globe, Cecil B. DeMille Award 1997 Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, The Mirror Has Two Faces 1997 BAFTA Award Nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, The Mirror Has Two Faces 1997 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, The Mirror Has Two Faces 1997 Academy Award Nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, The Mirror Has Two Faces 1997 Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement 2000 Stockholm Film Festival, Lifetime Achievement AwardShe has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (At 1724 Vine Street)
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