Bette Davis

Actor and producer · Died October 6, 1989, aged 81 · Lowell, Massachusetts, USA

Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres; from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional comedies, though 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. Her forthright manner, clipped vocal style and ubiquitous cigarette contributed to a public persona which has often been imitated and satirized. Davis was the co-founder of the Hollywood Canteen, and was the first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, was the first person to accrue 10 Academy Award nominations for acting, and was the first woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute. Her career went through several periods of eclipse, and she admitted that her success had often been at the expense of her personal relationships. Married four times, she was once widowed and thrice divorced, and raised her children as a single parent. Her final years were marred by a long period of ill health, but she continued acting until shortly before her death from breast cancer, with more than 100 films, television and theater roles to her credit. In 1999, Davis was placed second, after Katharine Hepburn, on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest female stars of all time.

Biography from TMDB.

Born: April 5, 1908
Died: October 6, 1989 (aged 81)
From: Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
Works as: Actor and producer
Titles: 83 on MovieCove · 142 credits in all
Links: IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 2% in 30 days

What are Bette Davis' films like?

Usually the Hero: 28 of 71 analyzed roles.

Genres

Drama35 titles83^rd

Comedy14 titles68^th

Crime13 titles79^th

Documentary6 titles91^st

Biography4 titles78^th

Action2 titles61^st

Adventure2 titles42^nd

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Roles they play

71 analyzed roles

Hero

28 of 71

Shadow

16 of 71

Shapeshifter

7 of 71

Ally

7 of 71

Mentor

5 of 71

Threshold guardian

4 of 71

Trickster

3 of 71

Herald

1 of 71

Show the 71 roles

Shapeshifteras Madge Norwood in The Cabin in the Cotton (1932)
Allyas Peggy Gardner in Hell's House (1932)
Threshold guardianas Malbro in The Rich Are Always with Us (1932)
Allyas Ruth Westcott in Three on a Match (1932)
Allyas Fay Wilson in 20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932)
Shapeshifteras Norma Roberts in Bureau of Missing Persons (1933)
Heroas Helen Bauer in Ex-Lady (1933)
Allyas Lynn Mason in Fashions of 1934 (1934)
Heraldas Arlene Bradford in Fog Over Frisco (1934)
Allyas Joan Martin in Jimmy the Gent (1934)
Shadowas Mildred in Of Human Bondage (1934)
Heroas Ellen Garfield in Front Page Woman (1935)
Heroas Miriam Brady in The Girl from 10th Avenue (1935)
Shapeshifteras Julie Gardner in Special Agent (1935)
Allyas Gabrielle Maple in The Petrified Forest (1936)
Shapeshifteras The dangerous femme in Satan Met a Lady (1936)
Tricksteras Fluff in Kid Galahad (1937)
Heroas Mary Dwight in Marked Woman (1937)
Heroas Mary Donnell in That Certain Woman (1937)
Heroas Julie Marsden in Jezebel (1938)
Heroas Judith Traherne in Dark Victory (1939)
Allyas Carlota in Juarez (1939)
Heroas Charlotte Lovell in The Old Maid (1939)
Heroas Queen Elizabeth in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
Heroas Henriette Deluzy-Desportes in All This, and Heaven Too (1940)
Shadowas Leslie Crosbie in The Letter (1940)
Tricksteras Joan Winfield in The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941)
Heroas Maggie Patterson in The Great Lie (1941)
Shadowas Regina Giddens in The Little Foxes (1941)
Heroas Maggie Cutler in The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941)
Shadowas Stanley Timberlake in In This Our Life (1942)
Heroas Charlotte Vale in Now, Voyager (1942)
Heroas Kit Marlowe in Old Acquaintance (1943)
Mentoras Kit Marlowe in Old Acquaintance (1943)
Heroas Fanny Trellis Skeffington in Mr. Skeffington (1944)
Shadowas Fanny Trellis Skeffington in Mr. Skeffington (1944)
Heroas Miss Lilly Moffat in The Corn Is Green (1945)
Mentoras Miss Lilly Moffat in The Corn Is Green (1945)
Heroas Christine Radcliffe in Deception (1946)
Heroas Kate Bosworth in A Stolen Life (1946)
Shapeshifteras Kate Bosworth / Patricia in A Stolen Life (1946)
Shadowas Patricia in A Stolen Life (1946)
Tricksteras Kate Bosworth in A Stolen Life (1946)
Heroas Linda Gilman in June Bride (1948)
Heroas Susan Grieve in Winter Meeting (1948)
Heroas Margo Channing in All About Eve (1950)
Heroas Joyce Ramsey in Payment on Demand (1951)
Shadowas Joyce Ramsey in Payment on Demand (1951)
Heroas Janet Frobisher in Another Man's Poison (1951)
Mentoras Marie Hoke in Phone Call from a Stranger (1952)
Heroas Margaret Elliot in The Star (1952)
Shapeshifteras Queen Elizabeth I in The Virgin Queen (1955)
Shapeshifteras Aggie Hurley in The Catered Affair (1956)
Threshold guardianas Countess in The Scapegoat (1959)
Heroas Apple Annie in Pocketful of Miracles (1961)
Shadowas Baby Jane Hudson in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Shadowas Margaret DeLorca in Dead Ringer (1963)
Shadowas Charlotte Hollis in Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
Shadowas Mrs. Gerald Hayden in Where Love Has Gone (1964)
Shadowas Nanny in The Nanny (1965)
Heroas Wanda Fleming in Connecting Rooms (1970)
Shadowas Madame Sin in Madame Sin (1972)
Mentoras Judge Meredith in The Judge and Jake Wyler (1972)
Threshold guardianas Aunt Elizabeth in Burnt Offerings (1976)
Shadowas Minnie Kennedy in The Disappearance of Aimee (1976)
Threshold guardianas Lucy Mason in Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter (1979)
Mentoras Mrs. Aylwood in The Watcher in the Woods (1980)
Heroas Esther McDonald Cimino in A Piano for Mrs. Cimino (1982)
Heroas Mini Dwyer in Right of Way (1983)
Shadowas Libby Strong in The Whales of August (1987)
Shadowas Miranda Pierpont Fisher in Wicked Stepmother (1989)

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Bette Davis' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 28 of their 83 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (23).

Also on these channels

Shout! TV2 titles, show their 2 titles on Shout! TV
Best TV Ever1 title, show their title on Best TV Ever
BroadwayHD1 title, show their title on BroadwayHD
ScreenPix1 title, show their title on ScreenPix

Subscription and free streaming for Bette Davis' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

142 credits, 83 with a MovieCove page; 84 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

1939: Secrets of Hollywood's Golden Year (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Show 1 episode · Actor
Mike Wallace Is Here(2019)
as (archive footage)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Footsteps on the Ceiling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
as Margo Channing (archive footage)
The Adventures of Errol Flynn(2005)
as Queen Elizabeth (archive footage)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Bride of Trailer Camp (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
as (archive footage)
All About My Mother(1999)
In Memory Of
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Wicked Stepmother(1989)
as Miranda Pierpoint
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
South of Reno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Actor
The Whales of August(1987)
as Libby Strong
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood!(1987)
as (archive footage)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
As Summers Die (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
as Hannah Loftin
Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend(1986)
as archive footage
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Murder with Mirrors(1985)
as Carrie Louise Serrocold
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Going Hollywood: The '30s(1984)
as (archive footage)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Right of Way(1983)
as Miniature Dwyer
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Showbiz Goes to War(1982)
as (archive footage)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Little Gloria... Happy at Last (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Show 2 episodes · as Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt
Hotel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Show 1 episode · as Laura Trent
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid(1982)
as (in "Deception") (archive footage)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
A Piano for Mrs. Cimino(1982)
as Esther McDonald Cimino
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Family Reunion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
as Elizabeth Winfield
Family Reunion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Show 2 episodes · as Elizabeth Winfield
Skyward (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
as Billie Dupree
The Watcher in the Woods(1980)
as Mrs. Aylwood
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
White Mama (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
as Estelle Malone
Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter(1979)
as Lucy Mason
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
The Horror Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
as (archive footage)
Death on the Nile(1978)
as Marie Van Schuyler
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Death on the Nile: Making of Featurette (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
as Marie Van Schuyler
Return from Witch Mountain(1978)
as Letha Wedge
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Show 2 episodes · as Widow Fortune
Laugh-In (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Show 1 episode · as Guest Performer
The Disappearance of Aimee(1976)
as Minnie Kennedy
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Burnt Offerings(1976)
as Aunt Elizabeth
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Miss Moffat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
as Miss Moffat
Hello Mother, Goodbye! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
as Mother
Hello Mother, Goodbye! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Show 1 episode · as Mother
Scream, Pretty Peggy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
as Mrs. Elliott
The Judge and Jake Wyler(1972)
as Judge Meredith
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
The Scopone Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
as 'A vecchia
Madame Sin(1972)
as Madame Sin
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Bunny O'Hare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
as Bunny O'Hare
Connecting Rooms(1970)
as Wanda Fleming
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
The Anniversary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
as Mrs. Taggart
It Takes a Thief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Show 1 episode · as Bessie Grindel
The Nanny(1965)
as Nanny
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
The Decorator (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
as Liz
Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte(1964)
as Charlotte Hollis
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Where Love Has Gone(1964)
as Mrs. Gerald Hayden
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Dead Ringer(1963)
as Margaret DeLorca / Edith Phillips
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
The Empty Canvas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
as Dino's Mother
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?(1962)
as Baby Jane Hudson
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
The Virginian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Show 1 episode · as Celia Miller
Pocketful of Miracles(1961)
as Apple Annie
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
The DuPont Show with June Allyson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Show 1 episode · as Sarah Whitney
The Scapegoat(1959)
as Countess
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
John Paul Jones(1959)
as Empress Catherine the Great
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Suspicion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Show 1 episode · as Mrs. Wilfred Ellis
Perry Mason(1957)
Show 1 episode · as Constant Doyle
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
Wagon Train(1957)
Show 1 episode · as Ella Lindstrom · as Madame Elizabeth McQueeny
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows
Storm Center (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
as Alicia Hull
The Catered Affair(1956)
as Agnes Hurley
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Telephone Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Show 1 episode · Actor
The 20th Century Fox Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Show 1 episode · as Marie Hoke
Alfred Hitchcock Presents(1955)
Show 1 episode · as Miss Fox
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Gunsmoke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Show 1 episode · as Etta Stone
The Virgin Queen(1955)
as Queen Elizabeth I
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Show 1 episode · as Christine Marlowe · as Miss Burrows
The Star(1952)
as Margaret Elliot
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
The Ford Television Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Show 1 episode · as Dolley Madison
Phone Call from a Stranger(1952)
as Marie Hoke
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Show 1 episode · as Mrs. Minnie Kennedy, Aimee's mother
Another Man's Poison(1951)
as Janet Frobisher
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Show 1 episode · as Irene Van Buren
Payment on Demand(1951)
as Joyce Ramsey (nee Jackson)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
All About Eve(1950)
as Margo Channing
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Beyond the Forest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
as Rosa Moline
June Bride(1948)
as Linda Gilman
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Winter Meeting(1948)
as Susan Grieve
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Deception(1946)
as Christine Radcliffe
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
A Stolen Life(1946)
Producer · as Kate Bosworth / Patricia Bosworth
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
The Corn Is Green(1945)
as Miss Lilly Christabel Moffat
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Mr. Skeffington(1944)
as Fanny Trellis
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
A Present with a Future (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)
as Mother
Old Acquaintance(1943)
as Kit Marlowe
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Watch on the Rhine(1943)
as Sara Müller
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Stars on Horseback (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)
Actor
Now, Voyager(1942)
as Charlotte Vale
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
In This Our Life(1942)
as Stanley Timberlake Kingsmill
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
The Man Who Came to Dinner(1941)
as Maggie Cutler
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
The Little Foxes(1941)
as Regina Hubbard Giddens
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
The Bride Came C.O.D.(1941)
as Joan Winfield
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Shining Victory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)
Actor
The Great Lie(1941)
as Maggie Patterson Van Allen
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
The Letter(1940)
as Leslie Crosbie
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
All This, and Heaven Too(1940)
as Henriette Deluzy-Desportes
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
If I Forget You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)
as Bette Davis
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex(1939)
as Queen Elizabeth
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
The Old Maid(1939)
as Charlotte Lovell
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Juarez(1939)
as Empress Carlotta von Hapsburg
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Dark Victory(1939)
as Judith Traherne
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
The Sisters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
as Louise Elliott Medlin
Jezebel(1938)
as Julie Marsden
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
It's Love I'm After (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
as Joyce Arden
That Certain Woman(1937)
as Mary Donnell
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Kid Galahad(1937)
as Louise 'Fluff' Phillips
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
A Day at Santa Anita (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
as Bette Davis (uncredited)
Marked Woman(1937)
as Mary Dwight Strauber
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Satan Met a Lady(1936)
as Valerie Purvis
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
The Golden Arrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
as Daisy Appleby
The Petrified Forest(1936)
as Gabrielle "Gabby" Maple
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 1, From beginning" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Actor
A Dream Comes True (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
Actor
Dangerous (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
as Joyce Heath
Special Agent(1935)
as Julie Gardner
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Front Page Woman(1935)
as Ellen Garfield
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
The Girl from 10th Avenue(1935)
as Miriam A. Brady
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Bordertown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
as Mrs. Marie Roark
Housewife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
as Patricia Berkeley
Of Human Bondage(1934)
as Mildred Rogers
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Fog Over Frisco(1934)
as Arlene Bradford
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Jimmy the Gent(1934)
as Joan Martin
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Fashions of 1934(1934)
as Lynn Mason
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
The Big Shakedown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
as Norma Nelson
Bureau of Missing Persons(1933)
as Norma Roberts
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Ex-Lady(1933)
as Helen Bauer
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
The Working Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
as Jenny Hartland alias Jane Grey
Parachute Jumper(1933)
as Patricia 'Alabama' Brent
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Just Around the Corner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
as Ginger
20,000 Years in Sing Sing(1932)
as Fay Wilson
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Three on a Match(1932)
as Ruth Westcott
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
The Cabin in the Cotton(1932)
as Madge Norwood
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
The Dark Horse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
as Kay Russell
The Rich Are Always with Us(1932)
as Malbro
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
So Big! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
as Miss Dallas O'Mara
The Man Who Played God(1932)
as Grace Blair
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Hell's House(1932)
as Peggy Gardner
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
The Menace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
as Peggy Lowell
Way Back Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
as Mary Lucy Duffy
Waterloo Bridge(1931)
as Janet Cronin
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Seed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
as Margaret Carter
The Bad Sister (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
as Laura Madison

Career shape

Biggest box office

Return from Witch Mountain (1978)

$16M worldwide

Highest rated

All About Eve (1950)

Midcredits 98^th

Film career

19611989

Peak 1963 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Billing

usually 1st · top billed in 60% of 58 roles

20%

67%

90%

78%

71%

40%

313641465666

Counts over their MovieCove titles; a title counts in every role they held on it. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.