Lauren Bacall was born Betty Joan Perske on September 16, 1924, inthe Bronx, New York City,[a] the only child of Natalie (née Weinstein-Bacal; 1901–1969), a secretary who later legally changed her surname to Bacal, and William Perske (1889–1982), who worked in sales. Both of her parents wereJewish. Her mother emigrated fromIași,Romania, throughEllis Island. Her father was born inNew Jersey to parents who were born inValozhyn, at that time a predominantly Jewish community in present-dayBelarus.[9]
Bacall's parents divorced when she was five, after which she no longer saw her father. She later took the Romanian form of her mother's last name, Bacall.[10] She was close to her mother, who married Lee Goldberg and moved to California after Bacall became a star.[11] Through her father, Bacall was related toShimon Peres (born Szymon Perski), the eighthprime minister and ninthpresident of Israel.[12][13][14] Peres did not know about the relationship until Bacall told him.[12]
Bacall's family moved soon after her birth toBrooklyn'sOcean Parkway.[9][15] Money from a wealthy family allowed Bacall to attend school at the Highland Manor Boarding School for Girls inTarrytown, New York, a private boarding school founded by philanthropist Eugene Heitler Lehman,[16] andJulia Richman High School in Manhattan.[17]
She made her acting debut onBroadway in 1942 at age 17 as a walk-on inJohnny 2 X 4. By then, she lived with her mother at 75Bank Street, and in 1942, she was crowned Miss Greenwich Village.[19] As a teenage fashion model, Bacall appeared on the cover ofHarper's Bazaar and in magazines such asVogue.[11] A 1948 article inLife magazine referred to her "cat-like grace, tawny blonde hair, and blue-green eyes."[20]
ThoughDiana Vreeland is often credited with discovering Bacall forHarper's Bazaar, it was in factNicolas de Gunzburg who introduced Bacall to Vreeland. He had first met Bacall at a New York club called Tony's, where de Gunzburg suggested that Bacall visit hisHarper's Bazaar office the next day. He then turned her over to Vreeland, who arranged forLouise Dahl-Wolfe to shoot Bacall inKodachrome for the March 1943 cover.[21]
TheHarper's Bazaar cover caught the attention of"Slim" Keith, the wife of Hollywood producer and directorHoward Hawks.[22] Keith urged her husband to invite Bacall to take ascreen test for his forthcoming filmTo Have and Have Not. Hawks asked his secretary to find more information about Bacall, but the secretary misunderstood and sent Bacall a ticket to travel to Hollywood for the audition.[23]
After meeting Bacall in Hollywood, Hawks immediately signed her to a seven-year contract with a weekly salary of $100 and personally began to manage her career. He changed her first name to Lauren, and she chose Bacall, a variant of her mother's maiden name, as herscreen surname. Slim Hawks also took Bacall under her wing,[24] dressing Bacall stylishly and guiding her in matters of elegance, manners and taste. At Hawks's suggestion, Bacall was trained by a voice coach to speak with a lower and deeper voice instead of her normally high-pitched, nasal voice.[25] As part of her training, Bacall was required to shout verses ofShakespeare for hours every day.[24][26] Her voice was characterized as a "smoky, sexual growl" by most critics[27] and a "throaty purr".[25] Bacall stood 5 feet8+1⁄2 inches (1.74 meters),[27] unusually tall for actresses of the era, and a half inch taller thanHumphrey Bogart.
During her screen tests forTo Have and Have Not (1944), Bacall was so nervous that, to minimize her quivering, she pressed her chin against her chest, faced the camera and tilted her eyes upward.[28] This effect, which came to be known as "The Look", became another Bacall trademark, along with her sultry voice.[29] Bacall's character in the film used Slim Hawks's nickname, "Slim", and Bogart used Howard Hawks's nickname "Steve". The on-set chemistry between the two was immediate, according to Bacall.[9] She and Bogart, who was unhappily married toMayo Methot, began a romantic relationship several weeks into shooting.[22] Bacall's role in the script was originally much smaller, but during production, the part was revised and extended several times.[30]
After its release,To Have and Have Not catapulted Bacall into instant stardom, and her performance became the cornerstone of her star image that extended into popular culture at large, even influencing fashion[31] as well as filmmakers and other actors.[30]Warner Bros. launched an extensive marketing campaign to promote the picture and to establish Bacall as a movie star. As part of the public-relations push, Bacall visited theNational Press Club in Washington, D.C., on February 10, 1945, and sat on a piano as Vice PresidentHarry S. Truman played it.[32][33]
20-year-old Bacall lounges on top of the piano while Vice PresidentHarry S. Truman plays for servicemen at theNational Press Club Canteen in Washington, D.C. (February 10, 1945)
AfterTo Have and Have Not, Bacall appeared withCharles Boyer inConfidential Agent (1945), which was poorly received by critics. By her own estimation, she had been terribly miscast and the film could have caused considerable damage to her career, but her next performance as the mysterious, acid-tongued Vivian Rutledge in Hawks'sfilm noirThe Big Sleep (1946), co-starring Bogart, provided a quick career resurgence.[34]The Big Sleep laid the foundation for Bacall's status as an icon offilm noir, with which she would be strongly associated for the rest of her career.[35][36][37] She was often cast in roles that were variations of the independent and sultryfemme fatale character of Vivian. As described by film scholar Joe McElhaney, "Vivian displays an almost total command of movement and gesture. She never crawls."[38]
Bacall was cast with Bogart in two more films. In the film noirDark Passage (1947), she played an enigmatic San Francisco artist.Bosley Crowther ofThe New York Times wrote: "Miss Bacall... generates quite a lot of pressure as a sharp-eyed, knows-what-she-wants girl."[39] Bacall appeared inJohn Huston's melodramatic suspense filmKey Largo (1948) with Bogart,Edward G. Robinson andLionel Barrymore. In the film, according to film critic Jessica Kiang, "Bacall brings an edge of ambivalence and independence to the role that makes her character much more interesting than was written."[40]
Bacall rejected scripts that she did not find interesting, and thereby earned a reputation of being difficult. However, she further solidified her star status in the 1950s by appearing as the leading lady in a string of films that won favorable reviews.[citation needed] Bacall was cast withGary Cooper inBright Leaf (1950) and as a two-facedfemme fatale inYoung Man with a Horn (1950), a jazz musical co-starringKirk Douglas,Doris Day andHoagy Carmichael.[41] From 1951 to 1952, Bacall costarred with Bogart in the syndicated action-adventure radio seriesBold Venture.[42]
Bacall starred in the firstCinemaScope comedy,How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), a runaway hit among critics and at the box office that was directed byJean Negulesco.[43] She received positive notices for her turn as witty gold-digger Schatze Page.[44] "First honors in spreading mirth go to Miss Bacall," wrote Alton Cook in theNew York World-Telegram & Sun, "The most intelligent and predatory of the trio, she takes complete control of every scene with her acid delivery of viciously witty lines."[45] After the success ofHow to Marry a Millionaire, Bacall declined the opportunity to press her handprints and footprints in theGrauman's Chinese Theatre's famed cement forecourt. She felt that "anyone with a picture opening could be represented there, standards had been so lowered" and did not feel that she had yet achieved the status of a major star, and was thereby unworthy of the honor:[46] "I want to feel I've earned my place with the best my business has produced."[9]: 236
Bacall was under contract to 20th Century-Fox.[45] FollowingHow to Marry a Millionaire, she appeared in yet another CinemaScope comedy directed by Negulesco,Woman's World (1954), which failed to match its predecessor's success at the box office.[47][48] A television version of Bogart's early film successThe Petrified Forest was performed as a 1955 live installment of the weekly dramatic anthologyProducers' Showcase, featuring Bogart in his original role of Duke Mantee and starring Bacall andHenry Fonda. In the late 1990s, Bacall donated the only knownkinescope of the performance to the Museum of Television & Radio (now thePaley Center for Media), where it remains archived for viewing in New York City and Los Angeles.[49] Bacall starred in two feature films,The Cobweb andBlood Alley, both released in 1955. Directed byVincente Minnelli,The Cobweb takes place at a mental institution where Bacall's character works as a therapist. It was her second collaboration withCharles Boyer, and the film also starsRichard Widmark andLillian Gish. ANew York Times critic wrote: "In the only two really sympathetic roles, Mr. Widmark is excellent and Miss Bacall shrewdly underplays."[50]
Many film scholars considerWritten on the Wind (1956), directed byDouglas Sirk, a landmark melodrama.[51] Appearing withRock Hudson,Dorothy Malone andRobert Stack, Bacall plays a career woman whose life is unexpectedly turned around by a family of oil magnates. Bacall wrote in her autobiography that she did not think much of her role, but reviews were favorable.Variety wrote: "Bacall registers strongly as a sensible girl swept into the madness of the oil family."[52] While supporting Bogart as he suffered from terminalesophageal cancer, Bacall starred withGregory Peck inDesigning Woman (1957) to solid reviews.[53] The comedy was her second feature directed by Minnelli and was released in New York on May 16, 1957, four months after Bogart's death on January 14.[9] Bacall appeared in two more films in the 1950s: the Negulesco-directed melodramaThe Gift of Love (1958) withRobert Stack and the British adventure filmNorth West Frontier (1959), which was a box-office hit.[54]
Bacall was seen in only a handful of films in the 1960s. She starred onBroadway inGoodbye, Charlie in 1959, and went on to a successful stage career. She played Stephanie in thefarceCactus Flower (1965).[55] She won her firstTony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Margo Channing inApplause (1970).[56] The musical was written byBetty Comden andAdolph Green. She performed the role both onBroadway and theWest End. Walter Kerr ofThe New York Times praised her performance declaring, "Take your breath away? Indeed. What's more, she never gives it back."[57]Applause was a musical version of the filmAll About Eve (1950), starringBette Davis, Bacall's idol as a child. A young and unknown Bacall had met Davis years earlier in New York.[9] After a performance ofApplause, Davis visited Bacall backstage and told her, "You're the only one who could have played the part."[58] Bacall would later win theSarah Siddons Award in 1972 and 1984, an award inspired by the fictional trophy inAll About Eve.
She returned toBroadway in the musicalWoman of the Year (1981) with book byPeter Stone and music and lyrics byKander and Ebb. The musical is based on the1944 film of the same name starringKatharine Hepburn andSpencer Tracy. Frank Rich ofThe New York Times gave the production a mixed review but praised Bacall writing, "The people who concocted this musical know what their show is really about. Miss Bacall is on hand virtually the whole time, and she's vibrant whether no-nonsense or tipsy, domineering or moony, dry or wet. IfWoman of the Year is tired around the edges, it is always smart enough to keep its live wire center stage."[59] She went on to win her secondTony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
Best manLouis Bromfield (center) at the wedding of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall atMalabar Farm (May 21, 1945)
On May 21, 1945, Bacall marriedHumphrey Bogart; she was 20 and Bogart was 45.[81] Their wedding and honeymoon took place atMalabar Farm, Lucas, Ohio, the country home ofPulitzer Prize–winning authorLouis Bromfield, a close friend of Bogart.[82][83] At the time of the1950 United States census, the couple was living at 2707 Benedict Canyon Drive in Beverly Hills with their son and their nursemaid. Bacall is listed as Betty Bogart.[1] She was married to Bogart until he died in 1957.[84]
Bacall had a relationship withFrank Sinatra after Bogart's death. During an interview withTurner Classic Movies'sRobert Osborne, Bacall stated that she had ended the romance, but, in her autobiographyLauren Bacall by Myself, she wrote that Sinatra ended the relationship abruptly after becoming upset that his marriage proposal had been leaked to the press, believing Bacall to be responsible. However, Bacall states inLauren Bacall by Myself that when she was out with her friendIrving "Swifty" Lazar, they encountered the gossip columnistLouella Parsons, to whom Lazar revealed the news. Bacall wrote inBy Myself that Sinatra only found out the truth years later.[citation needed]
Bacall then met and began a relationship withJason Robards. Their wedding was originally scheduled to take place inVienna,Austria, on June 16, 1961.[87] The wedding plans were shelved after Austrian authorities refused to grant the couple a marriage license, due to Robards being unable to produce divorce documents from his previous marriage, and Bacall being unable to produce Humphrey Bogart's death certificate.[88] They were also refused a marriage inLas Vegas,Nevada, due to similar documentation issues.[89] On July 4, 1961, the couple drove toEnsenada,Mexico, where they wed.[89][90] The couple divorced in 1969. According to Bacall's autobiography, she divorced Robards mainly because of his alcoholism.[91][92]
Bacall had a romantic relationship with herWoman of the Year costarHarry Guardino in the early 1980s.[93]
Bacall had two children with Bogart and one with Robards. SonStephen Humphrey Bogart (born January 6, 1949) is a news producer, documentary film maker, and author who is named after Bogart's character inTo Have and Have Not.[82] Their daughter Leslie Howard Bogart (born August 23, 1952) is named after the actorLeslie Howard. A nurse andyoga instructor, she is married toErich Schiffmann.[82] In his 1995 memoir, Stephen Bogart wrote, "My mother was a lapsed Jew, and my father was a lapsed Episcopalian", and that he and his sister were raised Episcopalian "because my mother felt that would make life easier for Leslie and me during those post-World War II years".[82]Sam Robards (born December 16, 1961), Bacall's son with Robards, is an actor.
Bacall wrote two autobiographies,Lauren Bacall by Myself (1978) andNow (1994).[94][95] In 2006, the first volume ofLauren Bacall by Myself was reprinted asBy Myself and Then Some with an extra chapter.[96]
In a 1996 interview, Bacall, reflecting on her life, told the interviewerJeremy 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.[82][97]
She appeared alongside Humphrey Bogart in a photograph printed at the end of an article he wrote, titled "I'm No Communist", in the May 1948 edition ofPhotoplay magazine,[98] written to counteract negative publicity resulting from his appearance before the House Committee. Bogart and Bacall distanced themselves from theHollywood Ten, and said: "We're about as much in favor of Communism asJ. Edgar Hoover."[99][100]
Bacall campaigned for Democratic candidateAdlai Stevenson in the1952 presidential election, accompanying him on motorcades along with Bogart, and flying east to help in the final laps of Stevenson's campaign in New York and Chicago.[82] She campaigned forRobert F. Kennedy in his 1964 run for the U.S. Senate and was part of a Hollywood committee that endorsed hispresidential campaign.[101][102]
In a 2005 interview withLarry King, Bacall described herself as "anti-Republican... A liberal. The L-word". She added that "being a liberal is the best thing on Earth you can be. You are welcoming to everyone when you're a liberal. You do not have a small mind."[103]
Bacall was interred atForest Lawn Memorial Park inGlendale, California.[106] At the time of her death, 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.[107]
The 1978 musicalEvita, music byAndrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics byTim Rice, tells the story of Argentina's infamous first ladyEva Peron. In the song "Rainbow High", Eva sings the lyrics "I'm their savior. That's what they call me. So, Lauren Bacall me. Anything goes."
Bacall is the namesake of the town ofLaura, on the island ofMajuro in theMarshall Islands. It is one of several island towns code-named after the U.S. World War II troops' favorite actresses.[111][better source needed]
^In a 1995 interview with Jeremy Isaacs, Bacall claimed to have never lived in the Bronx,[5] though numerous sources state that she was born in the borough.[6][7][8]
^"Marshall Islands". Encyclopedia.com. RetrievedDecember 31, 2015.The inhabited islands along the southern side of Majuro Atoll have been joined over time by landfill and a bridge to form a 30-mile road from Rita, on the extreme eastern end, to Laura, at the western end. Both villages were so code-named by U.S. forces in World War II after favorite pinups Rita Hayworth and Lauren Bacall.
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