Lauren Bacall Biography

Lauren Bacall was a star of stage and screen who was best known for her debut in 1944’s To Have and Have Not, opposite Humphrey Bogart, whom she married in 1945. She grew up in New York as Betty Joan Perske and studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before getting parts on Broadway in 1942. She also modeled, and it was the March 1943 cover of Harper’s Bazaar that caught the attention of Slim Hawks, the wife of Hollywood director Howard Hawks. Hawks took her to Los Angeles, changed her name and taught her how to be a Hollywood starlet, casting her opposite veteran star Bogart in To Have and Have Not. The movie was hit and Bacall was dubbed “The Look” for her knowing glances. Bogie and Bacall fell in love and married, despite a 25 year age difference. The marriage lasted nearly 12 years, until Bogart died in 1957. In the meantime, Bacall had two kids and made several films, including co-starring with Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947) and Key Largo (1948). After Bogart’s death, she made fewer films and began a successful career on Broadway that included star turns in Goodbye Charlie (1959) and Cactus Flower (1965), as well as Tony awards for Applause (1970) and Woman of the Year (1981). Although Bacall was also married to actor Jason Robards, Jr. (1961-69), she was permanently linked to Bogart and the world of Hollywood’s early screen legends. Her other films include How to Marry a Millionaire (1953, with Marilyn Monroe), Harper (1966, starring Paul Newman), The Shootist (1976, starring John Wayne), Misery (1990, starring James Caan) and, in a supporting role that got her an Oscar nomination, The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996, starring Barbra Streisand).