Quotes & anectdotes from
the wise,
the foolish,
the courageous &
the drunk

Bette Davis Actor

  • Gender: Female
  • Citizenship: United States
  • Born: Apr 5, 1908
  • Died: Oct 6, 1989

Ruth Elizabeth Davis, known as Bette Davis, was an American actress of film, television and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actors in world cinema history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic, sardonic characters and was reputed for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional comedies, although her greatest successes were her roles in romantic dramas.

After appearing in Broadway plays, Davis moved to Hollywood in 1930, but her early films for Universal Studios were unsuccessful. She joined Warner Bros. in 1932 and established her career with several critically acclaimed performances. In 1937, she attempted to free herself from her contract and although she lost a well-publicized legal case, it marked the beginning of the most successful period of her career. Until the late 1940s, she was one of American cinema's most celebrated leading ladies, known for her forceful and intense style. Davis gained a reputation as a perfectionist who could be highly combative, and confrontations with studio executives, film directors and costars were often reported.

In this business, until you're known as a monster you're not a star.

I went back to work because someone had to pay for the groceries.

I've lost my faith in science.

An affair now and then is good for a marriage. It adds spice, stops it from getting boring... I ought to know.

I'd marry again if I found a man who had fifteen million dollars, would sign over half to me, and guarantee that he'd be dead within a year.

This has always been a motto of mine: Attempt the impossible in order to improve your work.

I work to stay alive.

I don't take the movies seriously, and anyone who does is in for a headache.

A sure way to lose happiness, I found, is to want it at the expense of everything else.

I'd luv to kiss ya, but I just washed my hair.

I've always liked men better than women.

Brought up to respect the conventions, love had to end in marriage. I'm afraid it did.

Old age is no place for sissies.

Wave after wave of love flooded the stage and washed over me, the beginning of the one great durable romance of my life.

The best time I ever had with Joan Crawford was when I pushed her down the stairs in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

Attempt the impossible in order to improve your work.

Sex is God's joke on human beings.

Men become much more attractive when they start looking older. But it doesn't do much for women, though we do have an advantage: make-up.

Strong women only marry weak men.

The only reason anyone goes to Broadway is because they can't get work in the movies.

I do not regret one professional enemy I have made. Any actor who doesn't dare to make an enemy should get out of the business.