Bette Davis theatrical actress Margo Channing in "All About Eve" (1950). Davis read the script, described it as the best she had ever read, and accepted the role. Within days, she joined the cast in San Francisco to begin filming. During production, she established what would become a life-long friendship with her co-star Anne Baxter and a romantic relationship with her leading man Gary Merrill, which led to marriage. The film's director, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, later remarked: "Bette was letter perfect. She was syllable-perfect. The director's dream: the prepared actress." Critics responded positively to Davis' performance, and several of her lines became
Bette Davis filmography manipulated by an obsessed fan. The film was one of the biggest hits of 1950, and she was again nominated for an Academy Award, but lost to Judy Holliday. Although Davis earned strong reviews for her performance in "The Star" (1952), her career waned throughout the remainder of the decade. Beginning in the 1960s, Davis received yet another revival in popularity. Although her appearance in "Pocketful of Miracles" (1961) was negatively received, she earned praise for her portrayal of the faded child star, Jane Hudson, in "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" (1962), which garnered her a final nomination for