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Bette Davis: A Biography
Drawn largely from conversations with her friends, lovers, fellow actors, and family members, here is the full story of cinematic legend Bette Davis (1908-1989). Leaming chronicles the Academy Award-winner's work in such memorable films as Of Human Bondage, Jezebel, Dark Victory, All About Eve, and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, as well as her four unhappy marriages, her notorious legal battle with Warner Bros., and her struggles with both alcoholism and mental illness.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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About the author
Barbara Leaming
28 books125 followersBarbara Leaming is the author of “Kick Kennedy: The Charmed Life and Tragic Death of the Favorite Kennedy Daughter” (Thomas Dunne Books, April 12, 2016). She has written three New York Times bestsellers, including her recent book “Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis”. Leaming’s book “Churchill Defiant” received The Emery Reves Award from the International Churchill Centre. Her groundbreaking biography of America's 35th President, “Jack Kennedy: The Education of a Statesman” was the first to detail the lifelong influence of British history and culture and especially of Winston Churchill on JFK. Her articles have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, the Times of London and other periodicals. She lives in Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 14, 2010
Barbara Leaming certainly scoured the primary sources for her information on screen legend Bette Davis. She went through Davis' personal scrapbooks, letters, diaries and business documents for a fuller picture of the life of one of the premiere actresses of cinema's golden age.
The biography is very slow to get going. Leaming wants to set a tone as to the matriarchal line, starting with Bette's grandmother, who refused her mother, Ruthie, an opportunity to work on the stage, thus "causing" Ruthie to feed all her artistic dreams into Bette's career. There's a very convoluted and snail-like stretch of armchair psychology here, and elsewhere in the book, regarding motivations and behaviors, that grows quite tiresome. There are a lot of conclusions that Leaming draws regarding Davis' behavior, and the meanings of certain things in her scrapbooks, which made me think "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, but whatever."
The other problem I had with the book itself is the minute study of how Bette will curl her fingers in a certain scene of a certain film and how it harks back to something she studied in dance class ten years before. A bit of this is fine, but to go on for three pages regarding Davis' arm movements in one scene from "Jezebel" is just the tiniest bit ridiculous. However, I'll move on to what I learned about Bette herself.
Unlike some who make up fantasies about what they'd like a person's life to reflect, write a novel and call it biography, Barbara Leaming really dug deep into the primary sources. When the primary source conflicted with an interviewee's recollection, or with Bette's memoirs, she used the primary source. Excellent use of materials, and marvelous cooperation from many of Bette's intimates, including two of her children, even though those children knew that they might not be seen in the best light. When Leaming gets into these documents, she really gets to the truth of Bette Davis' life and career. There was only one story that I flat out didn't believe, as it didn't seem to be backed up by anything other than Bette Davis' story-telling, and was completely opposite to everything I've heard regarding the other person in the anecdote, but otherwise, Leaming researched meticulously.
The portrait Leaming paints is not a pretty one. Bette Davis, as written by Leaming, is not a woman I would have wanted to know or work with. Leaming sometimes refers to her as "mercurial," but in my reading I didn't find that to be accurate. Mercurial people are sometimes kind, which is what makes their unpleasant behavior surprising. Here, Bette Davis is unrelentingly selfish and mean. She's held up in interviews and history to be the "consummate professional," but studio records show her continuously staying home "ill" when things weren't the way she wanted them to be on her films. Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland would get flack for actually being ill many years later, but Bette was doing it in the 30s, simply as part of a very expensive temper tantrum. Yes, Bette founded the Hollywood Canteen, but she fussed and fumed, in writing, that Warners should pay her for her appearances on bond drives and other WWII-related philanthropic events, when other actors and actresses were giving up their fees, and even their lives, to do the work. She supported her family financially, but when she found out her new brother-in-law was a recovering alcoholic, she sent him two cases of booze as a wedding gift.
She was a brat as a baby (and was never properly corrected in her behavior, but coddled as the golden child, to the detriment of her younger sister, Bobby), she was a brat as a teenager, she was a brat as an employee at Warners, and remained a brat into her golden years. Her behavior during the torturous production of Night of the Iguana makes for particularly unpleasant reading. She told outright lies as to the behavior of the people she hurt, which, given the copious amount of documentation to the contrary that she herself collected which showed the truth, is itself inexplicable.
The saddest anecdote in the book had to do with Bette's final departure from Warner Brothers after 18 years there. Not a single person turned out to say goodbye and wish her well as she left the gates for the last time. She was quite hurt by this, and didn't understand why, after all her years at the studio, she was being ignored. Leaming posits that after all the years of tantrums, sick-calls, contract battles and lawsuits, her co-workers were simply happy to see her go, and I believe this. It is often the most ill-behaved people who are the most surprised when they are treated unkindly in return. Bette Davis seems never to have learned that her own behavior caused her loneliness.
I learned a great deal about Bette Davis through reading this book. The book's sources are impeccable and thus, overall, I'm inclined to believe it. I wish I could read this book and say that this sad, vindictive, ugly person must have been the victim of a mean-spirited biographer, but I can't, and it's a pity.
The biography is very slow to get going. Leaming wants to set a tone as to the matriarchal line, starting with Bette's grandmother, who refused her mother, Ruthie, an opportunity to work on the stage, thus "causing" Ruthie to feed all her artistic dreams into Bette's career. There's a very convoluted and snail-like stretch of armchair psychology here, and elsewhere in the book, regarding motivations and behaviors, that grows quite tiresome. There are a lot of conclusions that Leaming draws regarding Davis' behavior, and the meanings of certain things in her scrapbooks, which made me think "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, but whatever."
The other problem I had with the book itself is the minute study of how Bette will curl her fingers in a certain scene of a certain film and how it harks back to something she studied in dance class ten years before. A bit of this is fine, but to go on for three pages regarding Davis' arm movements in one scene from "Jezebel" is just the tiniest bit ridiculous. However, I'll move on to what I learned about Bette herself.
Unlike some who make up fantasies about what they'd like a person's life to reflect, write a novel and call it biography, Barbara Leaming really dug deep into the primary sources. When the primary source conflicted with an interviewee's recollection, or with Bette's memoirs, she used the primary source. Excellent use of materials, and marvelous cooperation from many of Bette's intimates, including two of her children, even though those children knew that they might not be seen in the best light. When Leaming gets into these documents, she really gets to the truth of Bette Davis' life and career. There was only one story that I flat out didn't believe, as it didn't seem to be backed up by anything other than Bette Davis' story-telling, and was completely opposite to everything I've heard regarding the other person in the anecdote, but otherwise, Leaming researched meticulously.
The portrait Leaming paints is not a pretty one. Bette Davis, as written by Leaming, is not a woman I would have wanted to know or work with. Leaming sometimes refers to her as "mercurial," but in my reading I didn't find that to be accurate. Mercurial people are sometimes kind, which is what makes their unpleasant behavior surprising. Here, Bette Davis is unrelentingly selfish and mean. She's held up in interviews and history to be the "consummate professional," but studio records show her continuously staying home "ill" when things weren't the way she wanted them to be on her films. Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland would get flack for actually being ill many years later, but Bette was doing it in the 30s, simply as part of a very expensive temper tantrum. Yes, Bette founded the Hollywood Canteen, but she fussed and fumed, in writing, that Warners should pay her for her appearances on bond drives and other WWII-related philanthropic events, when other actors and actresses were giving up their fees, and even their lives, to do the work. She supported her family financially, but when she found out her new brother-in-law was a recovering alcoholic, she sent him two cases of booze as a wedding gift.
She was a brat as a baby (and was never properly corrected in her behavior, but coddled as the golden child, to the detriment of her younger sister, Bobby), she was a brat as a teenager, she was a brat as an employee at Warners, and remained a brat into her golden years. Her behavior during the torturous production of Night of the Iguana makes for particularly unpleasant reading. She told outright lies as to the behavior of the people she hurt, which, given the copious amount of documentation to the contrary that she herself collected which showed the truth, is itself inexplicable.
The saddest anecdote in the book had to do with Bette's final departure from Warner Brothers after 18 years there. Not a single person turned out to say goodbye and wish her well as she left the gates for the last time. She was quite hurt by this, and didn't understand why, after all her years at the studio, she was being ignored. Leaming posits that after all the years of tantrums, sick-calls, contract battles and lawsuits, her co-workers were simply happy to see her go, and I believe this. It is often the most ill-behaved people who are the most surprised when they are treated unkindly in return. Bette Davis seems never to have learned that her own behavior caused her loneliness.
I learned a great deal about Bette Davis through reading this book. The book's sources are impeccable and thus, overall, I'm inclined to believe it. I wish I could read this book and say that this sad, vindictive, ugly person must have been the victim of a mean-spirited biographer, but I can't, and it's a pity.
May 15, 2017
This book felt more like a roast than a biography. I appreciate the obvious research the author put into the book but it lacked depth and presented the actress as a pure villain, not giving space or time for dimension. The way the facts about her life were written was also kind of a listing of times that make the reading less interesting than it should have been.
December 8, 2011
It provides a few things I didn't knew about Bette beforehand, but as a devoted Bette Davis fan I must say that it seems like the author is sympathizing a bit too much with B.D. Hyman, the ungrateful bastard, who in my opinion needs no sympathy whatsoever.
May 4, 2017
I really was looking forward to reading this book, but I was gravely disappointed. It starts off so s-l-o-w. And, it drones on endlessly about the movement of her hand or shoulder in specific scenes, and other needless and uninteresting detail that I just wanted to scream "Get to the good part"! But there was little good to be found. Davis was no saint to her family (or anybody else), but I am certain that somewhere along her 81 year long life she had to have done something nice for someone or said something nice about someone. But this is not shown. All you see is the bad stuff, and there is a lot of that to see, but I think Leaming could have added a few scenes from Davis' life that would have made her seem more human and a little less monstrous.
June 21, 2014
I've read five Bette Davis biographies and find it impossible to rate one higher than the others. Inescapably, many details are rehashed across all of them. This one I liked, not much more or less than the others I've read. However, if I were recommending which ones to include in your coverage (there are so many), this would make my list.
All the fabulous comical caricatures have redefined our memories of this wonderful actress. Just watch her actual films, though, and you'll rediscover that she was nowhere near as over the top as you might have recalled, she had far greater dramatic subtlety and nuance than her impersonators have led us to believe. As a woman she was renowned for being earthier than her professional nemesis Joan Crawford and boasted of that, making her perhaps the more arrogant of the two yet no less adorable.
I like to make my own mind up about the subjects of biographies and usually can.
That Bette Davis was no saint becomes clear enough after covering a few biographies, that she was no monster either is also clear. She was a fascinating woman and a great, great star.
All the fabulous comical caricatures have redefined our memories of this wonderful actress. Just watch her actual films, though, and you'll rediscover that she was nowhere near as over the top as you might have recalled, she had far greater dramatic subtlety and nuance than her impersonators have led us to believe. As a woman she was renowned for being earthier than her professional nemesis Joan Crawford and boasted of that, making her perhaps the more arrogant of the two yet no less adorable.
I like to make my own mind up about the subjects of biographies and usually can.
That Bette Davis was no saint becomes clear enough after covering a few biographies, that she was no monster either is also clear. She was a fascinating woman and a great, great star.
June 18, 2017
I've been a big Bette Davis fan since my teens and like biographies. Through the years, I've read and heard much about her life. I didn't realize much about her upbringing or what a strong presence mental illness was within her family and even her. She doesn't come across as a very sympathetic or likable person and slept with most of her directors regardless of any marriages on either party. Still she was a brilliant actress, unafraid to stand against the mostly male Hollywood machine of the 30's and 40's and basically provided for her family her entire working career. I remember when her daughter wrote that deplorable book about her, especially considering Bette's age and health at the time. I think this book is biased against Ms. Davis.
November 2, 2020
Out of the whole book I’m lead to believe Bette Davis was the most miserable woman in the world. She had no redeeming values, she was a liar,cheater, abuser. WTF. I’ve read many books and spoken to people who were close to Miss D ok she had her moments but she was no were near what Barbara Leaming has described. She was the sole breadwinner for her sister and mother. She picked the wrong men and her kid BD was no bargain. She was a nasty little girl who had to have her way.
I would like to know what her son Michael has to say about this trash.
Thank goodness I didn’t buy this trash
I would like to know what her son Michael has to say about this trash.
Thank goodness I didn’t buy this trash
December 9, 2025
If you want a cavalcade of sordid, embarrassing, shocking, and sad details of Bette Davis's and her mother's, sister's and daughters' lives, presented with zero empathy and little of Ms. Davis's own voice, have at it.
This is a very strange book. The audiobook is even stranger because of the mechanical and cold sounding narration, quite unlike Ms. Conlin's other narrations.
All through the book it is unclear, on what sources - if any - multiple claims about Ms. Davis are based. Ms. Leaming cites first many sources for one paragraph or more, then for several more paragraphs repeatedly describes, in quite a bit of detail, what Bette Davis "felt," "thought," "considered," etc. in that situation - without any cited sources. And then does all that again and again.
Moreover, the text repeatedly shows deep ignorance and lack of empathy regarding the emotional trauma and mental illness that Ms. Davis, her sister, and her mother lived with.
Ms. Leaming condemns them all three - Ms. Davis the harshest - for what she later in the book correctly identifies as obsessive-compulsive, depressive, and anxiety symptoms, all the while coming uncomfortably close to excusing the men who abandoned or abused the three women.
Chapter 26 is the worst: it repeats, in excruciating detail, a secretly taped discussion between an aged and rather drunk Ms. Davis and her guests.
In my opinion, this book is trash. And despite its sensationalism it also manages to repeatedly be amazingly boring, due to outdrawn and repetitive "analyses" of Ms. Davis's movies, often described shot by shot.
One star thanks to the mostly correct spelling and grammar.
This is a very strange book. The audiobook is even stranger because of the mechanical and cold sounding narration, quite unlike Ms. Conlin's other narrations.
All through the book it is unclear, on what sources - if any - multiple claims about Ms. Davis are based. Ms. Leaming cites first many sources for one paragraph or more, then for several more paragraphs repeatedly describes, in quite a bit of detail, what Bette Davis "felt," "thought," "considered," etc. in that situation - without any cited sources. And then does all that again and again.
Moreover, the text repeatedly shows deep ignorance and lack of empathy regarding the emotional trauma and mental illness that Ms. Davis, her sister, and her mother lived with.
Ms. Leaming condemns them all three - Ms. Davis the harshest - for what she later in the book correctly identifies as obsessive-compulsive, depressive, and anxiety symptoms, all the while coming uncomfortably close to excusing the men who abandoned or abused the three women.
Chapter 26 is the worst: it repeats, in excruciating detail, a secretly taped discussion between an aged and rather drunk Ms. Davis and her guests.
In my opinion, this book is trash. And despite its sensationalism it also manages to repeatedly be amazingly boring, due to outdrawn and repetitive "analyses" of Ms. Davis's movies, often described shot by shot.
One star thanks to the mostly correct spelling and grammar.
November 7, 2022
This is the first book I've read about the great thespian Bette Davis. As with all biographies and even autobiographies and memoirs, I never go in expecting to know the complete person, maybe 30 percent of who they were/are.
I do plan on reading more only because I want to look for a bright spot in the life of Davis that this well-sourced, Barbara Leaming-authored book did not have. I never knew how sad Ms. Davis's life was. Filled with a mother living through her daughter's ambitions while forgetting the other, a childhood and young adulthood filled with secrets from both parents, unrequited love affairs to put it best, and a career that could have been better if it were not for her stubbornness.
It seems her joys were short-lived and her hectic, sad moments were riddled throughout her life. She strikes me as a woman who was alone her entire life.
Love her as an actress. I don't know what the consensus is about her career but the best of Bette Davis is shown in films such as Jezebel, The Letter, Old Maid, The Man who came to Dinner, A Catered Affair, What Ever Happened TO Baby Jane, and All About Eve.
I do plan on reading more only because I want to look for a bright spot in the life of Davis that this well-sourced, Barbara Leaming-authored book did not have. I never knew how sad Ms. Davis's life was. Filled with a mother living through her daughter's ambitions while forgetting the other, a childhood and young adulthood filled with secrets from both parents, unrequited love affairs to put it best, and a career that could have been better if it were not for her stubbornness.
It seems her joys were short-lived and her hectic, sad moments were riddled throughout her life. She strikes me as a woman who was alone her entire life.
Love her as an actress. I don't know what the consensus is about her career but the best of Bette Davis is shown in films such as Jezebel, The Letter, Old Maid, The Man who came to Dinner, A Catered Affair, What Ever Happened TO Baby Jane, and All About Eve.
October 23, 2023
While this book was very informative, I feel like there was too much information. However, I am not sure what the author could have left out. Because of the extensive primary sources, how does one figure out what to leave out. What I thought was the most interesting was that even though directors tried to get her to do things their way, those roles became her best ones. She wasn't acting, she was just being herself. Truly a shame that such a talent was so wounded.
October 16, 2021
The first half of this book is slow. Too much time is given to Bette’s childhood. Some background is necessary to help the reader understand how her childhood plays into the person she became. And that person is a self centered, unhappy, alcoholic shrew. So much talent but what a miserable life she led, one of her own making.
July 4, 2021
Gosh this lady was worse than the characters she played, baby Jane was far easier to live with.
September 6, 2024
Scathing as hell.
September 11, 2025
insightful, harrowing and shocking. davis in a new light
November 1, 2014
This book is a fairly comprehensive biography of Bette Davis, unlike many biographies this covers the whole of her life in detail, there are no parts missing or skipped over and I welcomed this.
The impression it gives of Davis is of a very difficult person indeed and given her upbringing it is not hard to see why. Her parents divorced when she was young and the combination of a pushy, needy mother and a distant and tightfisted father meant a stressful childhood for Bette.
As well as covering the whole of Bette's life in a balanced way, the book splits it's time well between her professional and private life. Both were fraught - Bette endured abusive marriages, had affairs with colleagues and fought her studio, there is no lack of incident.
My main criticism of the book was that it made it very hard to sympathise with Bette or to warm to her and this can make a biography tough going. It is hard to have sympathy with someone whose husband physically abuses her daughter, but domestic violence victims often struggle to leave abusive relationships. Her relative wealth may have made it financially easier to go it alone, but it is still a hard thing to do for an emotionally damaged person.
Towards the end of the book I began to wonder how Bette had managed to retain the few long-term friends that she did have. The author does not even hint that they were mercenary, but doesn't suggest why these friendships persisted -presumably Bette must have had some qualities as a friend, but these were not revealed.
These criticisms do not detract from the positives though, this feels like a comprehensive retelling of Bette's life and I came away with a much better understanding of the actress and of Hollywood in it's heyday.
The impression it gives of Davis is of a very difficult person indeed and given her upbringing it is not hard to see why. Her parents divorced when she was young and the combination of a pushy, needy mother and a distant and tightfisted father meant a stressful childhood for Bette.
As well as covering the whole of Bette's life in a balanced way, the book splits it's time well between her professional and private life. Both were fraught - Bette endured abusive marriages, had affairs with colleagues and fought her studio, there is no lack of incident.
My main criticism of the book was that it made it very hard to sympathise with Bette or to warm to her and this can make a biography tough going. It is hard to have sympathy with someone whose husband physically abuses her daughter, but domestic violence victims often struggle to leave abusive relationships. Her relative wealth may have made it financially easier to go it alone, but it is still a hard thing to do for an emotionally damaged person.
Towards the end of the book I began to wonder how Bette had managed to retain the few long-term friends that she did have. The author does not even hint that they were mercenary, but doesn't suggest why these friendships persisted -presumably Bette must have had some qualities as a friend, but these were not revealed.
These criticisms do not detract from the positives though, this feels like a comprehensive retelling of Bette's life and I came away with a much better understanding of the actress and of Hollywood in it's heyday.
January 5, 2014
Sort of quenched my thirst for all things Bette-related.
Read this years ago (thought it was around 2006 or 2007, but I guess I marked it 2003). It had great perspective and is probably better than Bette Davis' own autobiography, as Leaming points out some contradictions and omissions that she clarifies in this book.
Read this years ago (thought it was around 2006 or 2007, but I guess I marked it 2003). It had great perspective and is probably better than Bette Davis' own autobiography, as Leaming points out some contradictions and omissions that she clarifies in this book.
August 30, 2009
Bette was quite a selfish horrible person, but i guess that is how her mother raised her to be, and her poor sister Bobby had a sucky life...
I didn't like that D.B became a born again christian... they always creep me out...
I didn't like that D.B became a born again christian... they always creep me out...
August 28, 2013
I'd say its a good companion book to other Davis biographies. I particularly liked the focus on the acting, the scenes from films, that other books I read haven't discussed. I think with the other books it has given me a fuller picture of the complexities of this great star.
February 2, 2015
My first Davis biography and I was suprised I didn't know more about her. I never realized what a sad life she had and that she never was able to break out of her selfish ways. I followed along with IMDB and the book followed closely with her film career. I would recommend
February 27, 2015
I enjoyed this book. Well written very entertaining. I think Barbara Leaming gave us a very good insight into Bette Davis life. She appeared much more likable that I'd remember. Overall I enjoyed the book.
July 25, 2009
Read it in 2 sittings. Enjoyed it, give me such vivid insight to Davis and who she was to others.
January 10, 2015
It's an okay read but I didn't enjoy it. I think there's other books about Bette Davis that are better than this one.
July 27, 2011
a very close look at the stars life, very good.
June 13, 2015
why write a biography when you have so much disdain for your subject
April 4, 2017
more mean spirited than it needed to be
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews