Ruth Elizabeth Davis (aka Bette) was born on April 5, 1908, and by Art House Film Wire’s calculations, she would be 110 years old this year!
Now, the Academy nominated Davis for a Best Actress Oscar 11 times (11 times!!) over her illustrious career, and she took home wins for “Dangerous” (1935) and “Jezebel” (1939).
“All About Eve” (1950) features one of her more timeless roles. She plays Margo, a successful theatre actress who is systematically undermined by her understudy, Eve (Anne Baxter).
With a razor sharp script and led by two dynamic performances, the film won six Oscars, including Best Picture. Davis and Baxter were both nominated for Best Actress, but they most likely split the vote that year, while Judy Holliday won for “Born Yesterday” (1950). In the attached “All About Even” clip, Marilyn Monroe makes a surprising appearance, but hey, you can catch the entire movie via Amazon Streaming and Netflix DVD.
Image credits: IMDB.com and mptvimages; Trailer credits: Movieclips (YouTube)
