Bette Davis
60 quotes
Biography
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic, sardonic characters and was known for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional comedies, although her greatest successes were her roles in romantic dramas.
"When a man gives his opinion, he's a man. When a woman gives her opinion, she's a bitch."
"I think it was that picture, more than anything else, that gave me a horror of nobility. Ever since then I have fought against portraying saccharine characters. Give me the part of a vixen and I'm happy."
"That picture clinched my future as far as Universal was concerned. They felt that as I had not emerged as a glamour girl after being worked over by , I had no possibilities. When I arrived in Hollywood, when I thought about it all, I considered myself as normally attractive; after that year at Universal I found that I was apologizing for living. Physically I considered myself as one to be avoided. I still cringe at the beating I took."
"To look back is to relax one's vigil."
"Attempt the impossible in order to improve your work."
"I love my profession. I would never stop. Relax? I relax when I work. It's my life."
"'In the beginning was the Word,' and you must not be tempted with a script just because you have a great part. You want a great role to play, but the whole - the whole - must be good. It'll never succeed if it's just the role you like."
"I think Mr. Reagan has done very well under very difficult circumstances. He's had terrific problems physically and he's managed them very well. But my God, the witch hunt today! Is there any human being alive who hasn't done something bad in their youth - like maybe smoke marijuana once? And this man (Judge Ginsburg) found it necessary to admit it! My God! It would be like Mr. Jack Kennedy sitting down and listing all the women (he knew) before he got in."
"I'm the nicest goddamn dame that ever lived."
"May each of my grandsons know, at an early age, what his life's ambition is -- and may he be successful in his pursuit of that goal."
"She is a pro from start to finish. She always gives her best, and her best is really something. It's got power and force and meaning. Her contribution to any film is meaningful. It's probably her New England heritage, but she believes firmly in giving a good day's work for a good day's pay. She's a no-nonsense dame who's earned the respect of her colleagues by hard work and talent. She's been nominated for an Academy Award 10 times, the greatest number ever given anybody in this business, and she's won two Oscars. I don't know how many pictures she's made, 80 or 90, but she can work for me as long as she wants to."
"Then I did —at the end director boldly predicted would be a big hit, I'd have a solid career and Bette Davis would go nowhere. Bette hasn't spoken to him since."
"Davis has nice eyes."
"She has about as much sex appeal as ."
"I could just about stand being in a southern plantation at 5 A.M. with Miss Crawford. But never Miss Davis!"
"Old age is no place for sissies."
"The best time I ever had with Joan Crawford was when I pushed her down the stairs in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?"
"I do not regret one professional enemy I have made. Any actor who doesn't dare to make an enemy should get out of the business."
"In this business, until you're known as a monster you're not a star."
"I've lost my faith in science."
"I was never very interested in boys - and there were plenty of them - vying with one another to see how many famous women they would get into the hay."
"I'd luv to kiss ya, but I just washed my hair."
"Brought up to respect the conventions, love had to end in marriage. I'm afraid it did."
"Sex is God's joke on human beings."
"Wave after wave of love flooded the stage and washed over me, the beginning of the one great durable romance of my life."