Lauren Bacall

**Lauren Bacall** (/bəˈkɔːl/, born **Betty Joan Perske**; born September 12, 1924-died August 12, 2014) was an award-winning American actress known for her distinctive voice and sultry looks. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2009 "in recognition of her central place in the Golden Age of motion pictures".

## Career

Bacall began her career as a model before making her film debut as a leading lady in *To Have and Have Not* (1944) at the age of 19. She continued in the film noir genre with appearances with Humphrey Bogart in *The Big Sleep* (1946), *Dark Passage* (1947), and *Key Largo* (1948), and she starred in the romantic comedies *How to Marry a Millionaire* (1953) with Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable, and *Designing Woman* (1957) with Gregory Peck. She co-starred with John Wayne, James Stewart and then *Happy Days* TV series star, now famed Hollywood film director Ron Howard (Lauren would later in her acting career, work with Ron Howard's daughter, actress Bryce Dallas Howard, in the 2005 film *Manderlay*) in what would be Wayne's final film appearance in *The Shootist* (1976). Her appearance in *The Shootist* was by Wayne's personal request; she had previously worked with him in the 1955 movie *Blood Alley*. She also worked on Broadway in musicals, earning Tony Awards for *Applause* (1970) and *Woman of the Year* (1981). She won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in *The Mirror Has Two Faces* (1996).

## Personal life

On May 21, 1945, Bacall married Bogart. Their wedding and honeymoon took place at Malabar Farm in Lucas, Ohio. It was the country home of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Louis Bromfield, a close friend of Bogart. The wedding was held in the Big House. Bacall was only 20 and Bogart was 45. They remained together, until Bogart's death from esophageal cancer in 1957, with Lauren caretaking after him, after he began to fail in health, showing signs of the illness in 1955.

Bogart usually affectionately called Lauren "Baby," even when referring to her in conversations with other people. During the filming of *The African Queen* (1951), Bacall and Bogart became close friends of Bogart's co-star Katherine Hepburn and her partner Spencer Tracy. After *The African Queen's* filming, she began to mix in non-acting circles, becoming friends with the historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and the journalist Alistair Cooke. In 1952, she gave campaign speeches for Democratic presidential contender Adlai Stevenson. Along with other Hollywood figures, Bacall was a strong opponent of McCarthyism.

Bogart and Bacall both suffered from a mild vocal disorder that has been named for them, Bogart-Bacall Syndrome. BBS is now the medical term for an ongoing hoarseness that often afflicts actors, singers or TV/radio voice workers who routinely speak in a very low pitch. She and Bogart had two children together, son Stephen Humphrey Bogart (born January 6, 1949), a news producer, documentary film maker and author; and her daughter Leslie Bogart (born August 23, 1952), a yoga instructor.

Lauren was married to actor Jason Robards from 1961 to 1969. According to her autobiography, she divorced Robards mainly because of his alcoholism. Sam Robards (born December 16, 1961), her son with Robards, is also an actor.

In a 1996 interview, Bacall, reflecting on her life, told the interviewer Jeremy Isaacs that she had been lucky:

>
> "I had one great marriage, I have three great children and four grandchildren. I am still alive. I still can function. I still can work ... You just learn to cope with whatever you have to cope with. I spent my childhood in New York, riding on subways and buses. And you know what you learn if you're a New Yorker? The world doesn't owe you a damn thing."
>
>

## Death

Bacall died on August 12, 2014, one month before her 90th birthday, at her longtime apartment in The Dakota, the Upper West Side building near Central Park in Manhattan. According to her grandson Jamie Bogart, Bacall died after suffering a massive stroke. She was confirmed dead at New York–Presbyterian Hospital.

Bacall had an estimated $26.6 million estate. The bulk of her estate was divided among her three children: Leslie Bogart, Stephen Humphrey Bogart, and Sam Robards. Additionally, Bacall left $250,000 each to her youngest grandsons, the sons of Sam Robards, for college.

## References

1. ↑ 82nd Academy Awards Memorable Moments. Oscars (2009). Retrieved on December 27, 2017.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ford, Dana. "Famed actress Lauren Bacall dies at 89", CNN, August 12, 2014. Retrieved on August 13, 2014.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Lauren Bacall Dies at 89; in a Bygone Hollywood, She Purred Every Word", August 12, 2014. Retrieved on August 13, 2014.
4. ↑ Malabar Farm State Park Photo (2014). Retrieved on October 19, 2015.
5. ↑ Levy, Patricia (2006). *From Television to the Berlin Wall*. Raintree. ISBN 9781410917874. Retrieved on August 13, 2014.
6. ↑  (1990) *The Women's Companion to International Film*. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520088795. Retrieved on August 13, 2014.
7. ↑ "BBC – The Late Show – Face to Face: Lauren Bacall", Interview with Jeremy Isaacs, *BBC*, March 20, 1995
8. ↑ Lauren Bacall, Hollywood's Icon of Cool, Dies at 89. Yahoo! Movies (August 12, 2014). Retrieved on August 13, 2014.
9. ↑ "Legendary Actress Lauren Bacall Dies at 89", August 13, 2014. Retrieved on August 13, 2014.
10. ↑ Lauren Bacall leaves $10,000 for her beloved dog in will. Fox News. Retrieved on August 25, 2014.

## External links

* Lauren Bacall Biography
* Lauren Bacall links at FreeOnes
* Lauren Bacall article at *Wikipedia*