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Friday, April 6, 2012

Bette Davis!

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception


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Ever since the dawn of celebrity, actresses have been lauded in the press more for their glamour and beauty than their talent.

But once in a while, a serious star is born whose depth transcends the superficiality of image and appearance, and rarely has an actor epitomised that quality like screen legend, Bette Davis.

Today, to mark what would be her 104th birthday, LIFE has published a series of photographs taken of the icon in 1939, some of which have never been seen.

This iconic, indomitable actress, born Ruth Elisabeth Davis, was only 30 years old having already stunned audiences with her powerhouse performances and earned herself two Oscars for 1935's Dangerous and 1938's Jezebel.

Davis' 1934 portrayal of Somerset Maugham's unlikeable Mildred Rogers in Of Human Bondage, 'probably the best performance ever recorded on the screen by a U.S. actress.'

And though others including Katherine Hepburn and Meryl Streep are celebrated with similar praise for incredible acting chops, Davis remains one of the most thrilling presences to have graced the silver screen.

The seminal figure appeared in movies from the 1930's through to the Sixties, winning a total of ten Academy Award nominations along the way that recognised her astonishing ability to embody both the cruelest characters and the most romantic heroines.

Love, love love, her!

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