Bette Davis: The Oscar-Winning Legend Who Named It All
Let me tell you a story about Bette Davis, a two-time Academy Award winner who claimed she was the first to call the film industry's highest honor "Oscar." In her own words, she said, "I named it after the rear end of my husband." And why did she choose that name? Well, because, as she put it, "that’s what it looked like." Talk about honesty, right? Bette didn’t sugarcoat anything, and that’s one of the reasons we love her so much.
Spanning over five decades, Bette appeared in more than 100 films, and she kept on working until just before her death in 1989 at the age of 81. Even after surviving a stroke and battling breast cancer in 1983, she never stopped loving her craft. "It was my terror that I’d never work again," she once admitted. "For I have always very much loved to work." That passion for her art was unmatched, and it’s what made her one of the most celebrated actresses of her time.
Bette Davis: The Star Who Shone Brightest on the Screen
Bette’s dedication and undeniable talent propelled her to become one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed stars during the Golden Age. But let’s be real—her personal life was a bit of a rollercoaster. She married four times and had countless passionate affairs, yet she never found the lasting love she craved. But here’s the thing: Bette didn’t blame her career for her personal struggles. "A torturous personal life might happen whether or not you become famous," she reasoned. "I can’t blame my profession for what happened in my personal life." Now that’s some wisdom right there.
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From Betty to Bette: The Journey of a Young Actress
Born as Ruth Elizabeth Davis in New England, she decided to change the spelling of her nickname from "Betty" to "Bette" to make herself more memorable when she was a young theater actress in New York. In 1930, with her mother as her chaperone, she made her way to Hollywood and quickly landed a contract with Universal Pictures. Two years later, at the tender age of 25, she became a virgin bride when she married her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson, a bandleader. "She married him because he was a sweet guy from Maine," explained Julia A. Stern, the author of Bette Davis Black and White, in an exclusive interview with Closer.
But their marriage wasn’t meant to last. Oscar felt overshadowed by Bette's growing fame and success. During their 1938 divorce, he even accused her of reading "to an unnecessary degree." Now, a book habit might not seem like a big deal, but those divorce papers also claimed she had an affair with none other than Howard Hughes. They met through the Tailwaggers Society, a Hollywood animal rescue group. "He seemed reserved, even shy," Bette recalled of the business mogul who asked if he could see her again. "I was flattered. I was married. I was bored. I accepted."
Later in life, Bette admitted she was a passionate woman. "I liked sex in a way that was considered unbecoming for a woman of my time," she confessed. "The way I felt was only considered appropriate for a man. It was both a physical and emotional need. It had advantages in the pleasure it brought me, but it also made me a victim—dependent."
William Wyler: The Man Who Stole Her Heart
Of all her lovers, the one Bette wanted most was William Wyler, the director behind some of her best films, including Jezebel, Dark Victory, and The Little Foxes. "He was everything I ever dreamed of in a man, so love and passion soon followed," she said, describing him as both desirable and her intellectual equal. "The love of her life was Willie Wyler," said Bette’s longtime personal assistant, Kathryn Sermak, author of Miss D & Me: Life With the Invincible Bette Davis. "She always stated that it just wouldn’t have worked because they were both very strong people."
After a heated argument with William on the set of Jezebel, Bette sought comfort in the arms of her co-star Henry Fonda. They had known each other since their summer stock days, and while Bette had a crush on him, he was married, and her heart truly belonged to William. Bette and William almost became engaged—even before her divorce from Oscar was finalized. "They got into a fight, and he sent a letter proposing marriage," Julia explained. "He said, 'You have a week to respond or I am out of your life.' But she didn’t open the letter. When she finally did, she was over the moon, but then she heard on the radio that he had married someone else."
Joan Crawford and the Men They Both Loved
Bette didn’t always mix work with pleasure, but there were exceptions. She and Joan Crawford both had a thing for actor Franchot Tone. "She took him from me," Bette said of the man who would become Joan’s husband. "I have never forgiven her for that and never will." Bette also reportedly had affairs with Humphrey Bogart, her co-star in Dark Victory, and Glenn Ford, whom she starred opposite in A Stolen Life. Unfortunately, those romances didn’t lead anywhere.
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Her second husband, Arthur Farnsworth, was a divorced aeronautical engineer she met at
