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 Bette Davis filmography This is a complete filmography of Bette Davis. Davis began acting in films in 1931, initially as a contract player with Universal Studios, where she made her film debut in "Bad Sister" (1931). Davis was initially seen as unappealing by studio executives, and was assigned to a string of B-movies early in her career. Davis made a transition to Warner Brothers in 1932, and made her breakthrough performance in "The Man Who Played God" (1932), opposite George Arliss. She continued in a succession of films, but did not gain further recognition until she agreed to star in