Bette Davis filmography One of Davis' biggest successes at Warner Brothers was "Now, Voyager" (1942), which earned her another Academy Award nomination. Her later films for the studio, including "Winter Meeting" (1948) and "Beyond the Forest" (1949), failed at the box office. She turned down leading roles in "Mildred Pierce" and "Possessed" - both films eventually went to Joan Crawford. As her popularity waned, Warner Brothers dropped her contract in 1949, and from thereafter on, she occupied a freelance career. Davis received a career revival in "All About Eve" (1950) for 20th Century-Fox. She played an aging Broadway star, Margo Channing, who is
Bette Davis film, "Lady for a Day"), based on a story by Damon Runyon. She accepted her next role, in the Grand Guignol horror film "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" (1962), after reading the script and believing it could appeal to the same audience that had recently made Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" (1960) a success. She negotiated a deal that would pay her 10% of the worldwide gross profits in addition to her salary. The film became one of the year's biggest successes. Davis and Joan Crawford played two aging sisters, former actresses forced by circumstance to share a decaying Hollywood mansion.