Hollywood Icon Lauren Bacall Passes Away
She was born Betty Joan Perske in New York, to Jewish immigrant parents who would divorce when she was young. After moving to California with her mother, Bacall began working as a model, before doing a few plays on Broadway. She was spotted by Howard Hawkes' wife, who encouraged him to get Bacall to screen test for To Have and Have Not. Legend has it that Bogart (still married during the shooting) was so entranced with Bacall that they frequently had to stop filming so he could calm down.
Most of her early films, such as The Big Sleep, Key Largo, and Confidential Agent, were noirs, but she later moved into melodramas such as Douglas Sirk's Written on the Wind, and screwball comedies, including one of my favourites, How to Marry A Millionaire. Her husky voice and signature look of downcast chin and sultry eyes led to her status as a tough but sexy woman. In the 1960s and on, she frequently appeared in both plays and musicals, winning Tony awards for Applause (1970) and Woman of the Year (1981).
Even with her happy marriage, things were not always good for Bacall in Hollywood. She often turned down roles that were forced upon her because they were poorly written, and she had trouble emerging from the Bogie/Bacall shadow. Her independence and commitment to her career development was frowned upon by many studios who branded her as 'difficult'. She was also a political activist, protesting against the House Un-American Activities Committee and campaigning for Democratic nominee Adlai Stevenson in 1952. Her strong, liberal democratic positions have often been rumoured to be the reason that she was not nominated for an Academy Award until 1997, for The Mirror Has Two Faces. She didn't win, but received a lifetime achievement award in 2009.
In the last years of her life, she continued to work, often appearing in more controversial films such as Dogville and Birth. She was never one to take any performance lightly, or in vain. What some called 'difficult', I call commitment to craft. Arguably, her early years were her best in film, but her ability to move between mediums and styles showed her great versatility and interest.
A good life, a great career, and we're lucky to have so much of it available. I've posted below a clip from To Have and Have Not, which showcases her acting, her singing, and her effect on her soon-to-be-husband. RIP.
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