Lowell, Middlesex County
Massachusetts, United States
Paris, Paris County
Île-de-France, France
Ruth's Biography
Introduction
Born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1908, Davis began her acting career on Broadway in the 1920s before transitioning to film in the early 1930s. She quickly became a leading lady in Hollywood, known for her fierce determination and uncompromising attitude both on and off screen.
Davis won two Academy Awards for Best Actress, for her performances in "Dangerous" (1935) and "Jezebel" (1938), and received numerous other nominations throughout her career. She appeared in over 100 films, spanning several decades and a variety of genres, from melodramas and period pieces to horror films and comedies. In addition to her acting work, Davis was a passionate advocate for women's rights and a trailblazer for actresses in the industry.
She passed away in 1989, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire and captivate audiences today.
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Family Tree & Friends
Ruth's Family Tree
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William Grant Sherry
&Bette Davis

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Gary Merrill
&Bette Davis

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Friends can be as close as family. Add Ruth's family friends, and her friends from childhood through adulthood.
1908 - 1989 World Events
Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Ruth's lifetime.
In 1908, in the year that Bette Davis was born, a 7.1 earthquake and the resulting tsunami killed 70,000 to 100,000 people in southern Italy and Sicily. The earthquake, lasting 30 to 40 seconds, occurred in the Strait of Messina which was between the region of Calabria (at the "toe" of Italy) and the island of Sicily and destruction from it occurred in a 186 mile radius. It was the most destructive earthquake ever to hit Europe.
In 1914, at the age of only 6 years old, Ruth was alive when in August, the world's first red and green traffic lights were installed at the corner of East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland Ohio. The electric traffic light had been invented by a policeman in Salt Lake City Utah in 1912.
In 1926, Ruth was 18 years old when on October 31st, Harry Houdini died in Michigan. Houdini was the most famed magician of his time and perhaps of all time, especially for his acts involving escapes - from handcuffs, straitjackets, chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, and more. He was president of the Society of American Magicians and stringently upheld professional ethics. He died of complications from a ruptured appendix. Although he had received a blow to the area a couple of days previously, the connection between the blow and his appendicitis is disputed.
In 1939, Ruth was 31 years old when in May, Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length animated film, reached a total international gross of $6.5 million which made it (to then) the most successful sound film of all time. First released in December 1937, it was originally dubbed "Disney's Folly" but the premiere received a standing ovation from the audience. At the 11th Academy Awards in February 1939, Walt Disney won an Academy Honorary Award - a full-size Oscar statuette and seven miniature ones - for Snow White.
In 1989, in the year of Bette Davis's passing, on March 24th, the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker, struck a reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound and oil began spilling out of the hold. The oil would eventually contaminate more than a thousand miles of coastline. It is estimated that over 10.8 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the Sound - killing 100,000 to 250,000 seabirds, over 2,800 sea otters, about 12 river otters, 300 harbor seals, 247 bald eagles, and 22 orcas - as well as an unknown number of salmon and herring.
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