Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall (, born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an 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". Bacall began her career as a model before making her film debut as a leading lady in "To Have and Have Not" (1944). She continued
Lauren Bacall the 1950s by appearing as the leading lady in a string of films that won favorable reviews. Bacall was cast opposite Gary Cooper in "Bright Leaf" (1950). In the same year, she played a two-faced femme fatale in "Young Man with a Horn" (1950), a jazz musical co-starring Kirk Douglas, Doris Day, and Hoagy Carmichael. During 1951–1952, Bacall co-starred with Bogart in the syndicated action-adventure radio series "Bold Venture". In 1953, she starred in the CinemaScope comedy "How to Marry a Millionaire", a runaway hit among critics and at the box office. Directed by Jean Negulesco and co-starring Marilyn Monroe