Here is a look at the life of award-winning actress Lauren Bacall.
Personal:
Birth date: September 16, 1924
Death date: August 12, 2014
Birth place: New York, New York
Birth name: Betty Joan Perske
Father: William Perske, a salesman
Mother: Natalie (Weinstein-Bacal) Perske
Marriages: Jason Robards (July 4, 1961-September 11, 1969, divorced); Humphrey Bogart (May 21, 1945-January 14, 1957, his death)
Children: with Jason Robards: Sam, 1961; with Humphrey Bogart: Stephen, 1949; Leslie, 1952
Education: American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York, 1941
Other Facts:
Winner of two Tony Awards.
Nominated for one Academy Award. Received an honorary Oscar in 2009.
Nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards.
Her last name, Bacall, comes from her mother’s maiden name, Weinstein-Bacal (with one “L”).
Bacall was discovered by Howard Hawks’ wife Slim on the March 1943 cover of Harper’s Bazaar.
Howard Hawks encouraged her to speak in a low voice for her screen test, and later gave her the name Lauren.
Her trademark since her film debut in 1944 has been her distinctive, husky voice.
Made five films with husband Humphrey Bogart: “To Have and Have Not” (1944), “The Big Sleep” (1946), “Dark Passage” (1947), “Key Largo” (1948), and both had uncredited roles in “Two Guys From Milwaukee” (1946).
Son Stephen is named after the character Bogart played in their first film together. Daughter Leslie is named after the actor Leslie Howard.
A famous photo features Bacall draped over a piano with then Vice President Harry S. Truman at the keyboard.
She was engaged briefly to Frank Sinatra between marriages.
Timeline:
Early 1940s – Supports herself by modeling and working as an usher on Broadway after leaving the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
March 16, 1942 – Makes her Broadway debut in the ensemble cast of “Johnny 2 x 4,” a play with 66 actors. She is listed in the Playbill as Betty Bacall.
October 1944 – Her first film, “To Have and Have Not,” is released.
1970 – Wins a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for “Applause.”
1980 – Her first autobiography, “Lauren Bacall: By Myself” wins the National Book Award.
1981 – Winner, Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for “Woman of the Year.”
1997 – Receives the Kennedy Center Honors.
March 2005 – Her updated autobiography, “By Myself and Then Some,” is published.
November 14, 2009 – Receives an honorary Oscar in recognition of her place in the golden age of motion pictures at the inaugural Governors Awards gala.
August 12, 2014 – Passes away at the age of 89.
