Birth name Betty Joan Perske NationalityUSA Birth 16 september 1924 at New York City (USA) Death 12 august 2014 (at 89 years) at New York City (USA) Awards Academy Honorary Award, National Book Award
Lauren Bacall (/ˌlɔrən bəˈkɔːl/, born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress known for her distinctive voice and sultry looks. She was named the 20th greatest female star of Classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute, and received an Academy Honorary Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2009, "in recognition of her central place in the Golden Age of motion pictures."
Bacall began her career as a model, before making her debut as a leading lady with Humphrey Bogart in the film To Have and Have Not in 1944. She continued in the film noir genre with appearances with Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948), and starred in the romantic comedies How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) with Marilyn Monroe and Designing Woman (1957) with Gregory Peck. She co-starred with John Wayne in his final film, The Shootist (1976). Bacall also worked on Broadway in musicals, earning Tony Awards for Applause (1970) and Woman of the Year (1981). Her performance in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) earned her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination.
A month before her 90th birthday, Bacall died in New York City after a stroke.
Biography
Relationships and family
On May 21, 1945, Bacall married actor Humphrey Bogart. Their wedding and honeymoon took place at Malabar Farm, Lucas, Ohio, the country home of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Louis Bromfield, a close friend of Bogart. The wedding was held in the Big House.
Bacall was 20 and Bogart was 45; thus, she was nicknamed "Baby". They remained married until Bogart's death from esophageal cancer in 1957. Pressed by interviewer Michael Parkinson to talk about her marriage to Bogart, and asked about her notable reluctance to do so, she replied that "being a widow is not a profession". During the filming of The African Queen (1951), Bacall and Bogart became friends of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. She began to mix in non-acting circles, becoming friends with the historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. and the journalist Alistair Cooke. In 1952, she gave campaign speeches for Democratic Presidential contender Adlai Stevenson. Along with other Hollywood figures, Bacall was a staunch opponent of McCarthyism.
Shortly after Bogart's death in 1957, Bacall had a relationship with singer and actor Frank Sinatra. During an interview with Turner Classic Movies's Robert Osborne, Bacall stated that she had ended the romance but in her autobiography, she wrote that Sinatra abruptly ended the relationship after becoming angry that the story of his proposal to Bacall had reached the press. When Bacall was out with her friend Irving Paul Lazar, they ran into the gossip columnist Louella Parsons, to whom Lazar revealed the details of the proposal.
Bacall later met actor Jason Robards. Their marriage was originally scheduled to take place in Vienna, Austria on June 16, 1961; however, the plans were shelved after Austrian authorities refused to grant the pair a marriage license. They were also refused a marriage in Las Vegas, Nevada. On July 4, 1961, the couple drove all the way to Ensenada, Mexico, where they wed. The couple divorced in 1969. According to Bacall's autobiography, she divorced Robards mainly because of his alcoholism.
Bacall had a son and daughter with Bogart, and a son with Robards. Her children with Bogart are her son Stephen Humphrey Bogart (born January 6, 1949), a news producer, documentary film maker and author named after Bogart’s character in “To Have and Have Not”; and her daughter Leslie Howard Bogart (born August 23, 1952), named after actor Leslie Howard, who is a nurse and yoga instructor, married to Erich Schiffmann. In his 1995 memoir, Stephen wrote, “My mother was a lapsed Jew, and my father was a lapsed Episcopalian,” and that he and his sister were raised Episcopalian “because my mother felt that would make life easier for Leslie and me during those post-World War II years.” Sam Robards (born December 16, 1961), her son with Robards, is an actor.
She wrote two autobiographies, Lauren Bacall By Myself (1978) and Now (1994). In 2006, the first volume of Lauren Bacall By Myself was reprinted as By Myself and Then Some with an extra chapter.
Political views
Bacall was a staunch liberal Democrat, and proclaimed her political views on numerous occasions. Bacall and Bogart were among about 80 Hollywood personalities to send a telegram protesting the House Un-American Activities Committee's investigations of "Americans suspected of Communism". The telegram said that investigating individuals' political beliefs violated the basic principles of American democracy. In October 1947, Bacall and Bogart traveled to Washington, D.C., along with a number of other Hollywood stars, in a group that called itself the Committee for the First Amendment (CFA), which also included Danny Kaye, John Garfield, Gene Kelly, John Huston, Ira Gershwin and Jane Wyatt.
She appeared alongside Humphrey Bogart in a photograph printed at the end of an article he wrote, titled "I'm No Communist", in the May 1948 edition of Photoplay magazine, written to counteract negative publicity resulting from his appearance before the House Committee. Bogart and Bacall distanced themselves from the Hollywood Ten and said: "We're about as much in favor of Communism as J. Edgar Hoover."
Bacall campaigned for Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson in the 1952 presidential election, accompanying him on motorcades along with Bogart, and flying east to help in the final laps of Stevenson's campaign in New York and Chicago. She also campaigned for Robert Kennedy in his 1964 run for the U.S. Senate.
In a 2005 interview with Larry King, Bacall described herself as "anti-Republican... A liberal. The L-word." She added that "being a liberal is the best thing on earth you can be. You are welcoming to everyone when you're a liberal. You do not have a small mind."
Death
Lauren Bacall died on August 12, 2014, at her longtime apartment in The Dakota, the Upper West Side building overlooking Central Park in Manhattan. She was 89, five weeks short of her 90th birthday. According to her grandson Jamie Bogart, the actress died after suffering a massive stroke. She was confirmed dead at New York–Presbyterian Hospital. She is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
Bacall had an estimated $26.6 million estate, and in her will she left $10,000 to her youngest son, Sam Robards to take care of her dog, Sophie. Bacall also left money to two of her employees, Ilsa Hernandez and Maria Santos; Hernandez received $15,000 while Santos received $20,000. Bacall left $250,000 each to her youngest grandsons, the sons of Sam Robards for college, and the bulk of her estate was divided among her three children: Leslie Bogart, Stephen Humphrey Bogart, and Sam Robards. She owned artworks by a number of artists, including John James Audubon, Max Ernst, David Hockney, Henry Moore and Jim Dine.
The Swedish Film Institute in Gärdet, Östermalm in Stockholm honored her with a special evening event three months after her death on November 12, 2014.
In a 1996 interview Bacall, reflecting on her life, told the interviewer that she had been lucky: “I had one great marriage, I have three great children and four grandchildren. I am still alive. I still can function. I still can work,” adding, “You just learn to cope with whatever you have to cope with. I spent my childhood in New York, riding on subways and buses. And you know what you learn if you’re a New Yorker? The world doesn’t owe you a damn thing.
, 2h4 Directed byJay Roach OriginUSA GenresDrama, Biography ThemesFilms about writers, Political films ActorsElle Fanning, Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, John Goodman, Helen Mirren, Alan Tudyk Roles Self (archive footage) (uncredited) Rating73% In 1947, Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) was Hollywood’s top screenwriter until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs. Trumbo (directed by Jay Roach) recounts how Dalton used words and wit to win two Academy Awards and expose the absurdity and injustice under the blacklist, which entangled everyone from gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren) to John Wayne, Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger. The film also stars Diane Lane, John Goodman, Louis CK, Elle Fanning, and Michael Stuhlbarg.
, 1h20 Directed byStéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, Benjamin Renner OriginBelgique GenresDrama, Comedy, Adventure, Animation ThemesFilms about animals, Films about racism, Mise en scène d'un ours, Mise en scène d'un rongeur, Mise en scène d'une souris, Children's films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère ActorsLambert Wilson, Patrice Melennec, Forest Whitaker, Brigitte Virtudes, Mackenzie Foy, Dominique Collignon-Maurin Roles The Grey One (voice) Rating77% Celestine is a young mouse who lives in the underground world of rodents. At the orphanage where she lives, the caretaker known as the Gray One tells scary stories about the evil nature of the bears that live in the outside world, though Celestine doubts they are entirely true. She loves to draw but must soon study dentistry, since that's what all rodents do, and to prepare, she must travel above ground to collect bear cubs' lost teeth from underneath pillows. On one such occasion, the cub's family catches Celestine in the act and chase her into a trash can where she is trapped and spends the night. The next morning, a destitute and starving bear named Ernest discovers Celestine and attempts to eat her. Celestine convinces him to let her go by helping him break into the basement of a candy shop, where he can eat his fill. He is soon caught by the store's owner, however, and arrested. Celestine, who is behind on her quota of collected teeth, agrees to free him from the police wagon if he will help her break into and rob the teeth from the office of the store owner's wife, who happens to be a dentist.
, 1h34 OriginUSA GenresDrama, Comedy-drama ActorsJosh Hutcherson, Hayden Panettiere, Lauren Bacall, Alfred Molina, Dina Eastwood, Billy Boyd Roles Anne-Marie Rating53% Joshua Mason (Josh Hutcherson) is a troubled 15-year-old who is abandoned by his mother in a motel. Joshua finishes a painting someone had started at the mission and sells it for fifty dollars only to be caught by the artist. After living there for over a week, he manages to create several pieces of art; on the walls, mirror and ceiling before abandoning the place. A social worker, Vanessa Reese, is called by the manager about them and the boy, because the manager hasn't seen the boy's mother for sometime.
, 1h26 OriginUSA GenresDocumentary ThemesFilms about writers, Films about journalists ActorsLauren Bacall, Marisa Berenson, Cecil Beaton, Dick Cavett, Truman Capote, Mike Douglas Roles Self (archive footage) Rating74% The film features recorded audio and filmed interviews of Vreeland, as well as interviews with colleagues, family, and friends of Vreeland. Beginning with an exploration of Vreeland’s childhood, the film offers a glimpse of fashionable Paris during the Belle Époque, a time when Vreeland had access to exciting and influential friends of her parents, such as ballet dancer Sergei Diaghilev. She even claimed to have ridden with Buffalo Bill Cody, though the documentary makes it clear that Vreeland would occasionally exaggerate for the sake of storytelling.
, 21minutes Directed byNatalie Portman OriginUSA GenresComedy, Romantic comedy ActorsLauren Bacall, Ben Gazzara, Olivia Thirlby Roles Grandma Rating60% Kate (Olivia Thirlby) is a young woman visiting her grandmother (Lauren Bacall) to talk about her mother "Eve" but instead she surprisingly ends up as both chauffer and chaperone on her grandmother's romantic dinner date with a widower named Joe (Ben Gazzara).
, 1h15 OriginUSA GenresThriller, Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure, Horror, Musical, Animation ThemesFilms about animals, Films about magic and magicians, Films about dogs, Wolves in film, Les fées, Werewolves in film, Witches in film, Comedy horror films, Children's films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère ActorsFrank Welker, Casey Kasem, Matthew Lillard, Mindy Cohn, Grey DeLisle, Wayne Knight Roles The Grand Witch (voice) Rating65% The Mystery, Inc. gang visit a Halloween carnival on Halloween night; however, when the magician "The Amazing Krudsky" (voiced by Wayne Knight) does not allow Scooby to see his show, he and Shaggy accidentally expose Krudsky as a fraud during one of his acts, resulting in the gang getting kicked out of the carnival. Later, the rebellious Fairy Princess Willow (voiced by Hayden Panettiere) enters Krudsky's tent, where he secretly reveals his wishes to become a real magician. The fairy inadvertently causes Krudsky to notice her on the Goblin Scepter in a spell book, which can be combined with fairy magic to control Halloween. Krudsky then gets an idea to obtain the scepter and rule the world with it. Willow decides to toy with him, but while flying, she accidentally slams her small body against a metal chair knocking her out; Krudsky then crushes her with his flyswatter. When he notices her cry of pain from being crushed, he sees that she is a real fairy, kidnaps her, and absorbs her magical powers, thus becoming a real magician.
, 1h40 Directed byJonathan Glazer OriginUSA GenresDrama, Thriller, Crime, Romance ThemesFilms about religion ActorsNicole Kidman, Cameron Bright, Danny Huston, Lauren Bacall, Anne Heche, Alison Elliott Roles Eleanor Rating61% Sean and Anna (Nicole Kidman) are a married couple living in New York City. While scenes of Central Park are shown onscreen, Sean is heard lecturing to an unseen audience, explaining that he does not believe in reincarnation. After the lecture he goes jogging, collapses, and dies. Ten years later, Anna has accepted a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, Joseph (Danny Huston).
OriginCanada GenresDrama, Thriller, Action, Crime ActorsLauren Bacall, Claire Forlani, Henry Czerny, Pete Postlethwaite, Joris Jarsky, Janet-Laine Green Roles May Markham Rating47% Monica, agent de police infiltrée, cherche à tout prix à démanteler un réseau de trafiquants de drogue. Elle n'hésite pas une seule seconde à devenir la petite amie de Gale, le chef de bande, et à prendre régulièrement de l'héroïne pour arriver à ses fins. Mais le jour où Danny, le bras droit de Gale, est assassiné, Monica craint d'avoir été démasquée...
, 1h59 Directed byHayao Miyazaki OriginJapon GenresScience fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Animation ThemesFeminist films, Films about computing, Films about magic and magicians, Vieillesse, Witches in film, Political films, Cyberpunk films, Dystopian films, Steampunk films, Children's films ActorsChieko Baishō, Takuya Kimura, Akihiro Miwa, Yo Oizumi, Ryūnosuke Kamiki, Akio Ōtsuka Roles Witch of the Waste (English version) (voice) Rating82% Sophie, an eighteen-year-old hatter, is a responsible young woman who encounters a mysterious and powerful wizard named Howl on her way to visit her younger sister Lettie. The Witch of the Waste, who romantically pursues Howl, visits the hat shop only and insults Sophie, being refused service by her as a result. The Witch exacts revenge by cursing Sophie, transforming her into a ninety-year-old woman. Seeking a cure for the spell, Sophie travels into the Wastes and encounters a living scarecrow whom she names "Turnip Head," who leads her to Howl's castle. There, she meets Howl's young apprentice, Markl, and the fire-demon Calcifer, who is the source of the castle's energy and magic. Calcifer offers to break the witch's curse in exchange for Sophie's help in breaking the spell he's under, which keeps him bound to the house. When Howl appears, Sophie announces that Calcifer has hired her as a cleaning lady for the house.