Bette Midler

Bette Midler is a famous American singer, composer, and stage and film actress. She has acted in a number of Broadway productions, countless films, has won a Tony Award, an Emmy, and has released over a dozen music albums.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 1st, 1945, Bette Midler was named after the legendary Hollywood icon, Bette Davis, although Midler pronounces her first name as a single syllable. Bette was the third of four children to parents Fred and Ruth Midler; Fred was a house painter and Ruth a homemaker. Her older sisters Judy and Susan were named after Judy Garland and Susan Hayward. Her younger brother Daniel suffered from a mental disability.

Bette was interested in stage acting from a young age and performed in school plays and talent shows throughout grammar school and high school. When she graduated, she got a part in the movie ‘Hawaii’, and was encouraged enough to move to New York to try and crack into the professional acting world.

Her efforts eventually paid off when Midler won a part in the chorus of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, and eventually was moved into a starring role in the same production. Her sister Judith died in a tragic car accident while visiting Bette from Hawaii.

After working in a series of nightclubs, Midler released her first album, ‘The Divine Miss M’ in 1972 and went on tour to promote it marking the beginning of what would be a long succession of chart toping albums and successful tours. Her success as a singer began landing her roles in films, and when she played the Janis Joplin inspired character of the movie ‘The Rose’ in 1978 she was nominated for an Oscar.

Up to that point she’d been famous mostly for her singing, but Bette proved that she could act with the ‘The Rose’ and would go on to star in many other movies afterwards. In several of the movies she appeared in, she would also write and perform portions of the soundtrack, such as with the 1988 movie ‘Beaches’.

Midler is still released music, going on tour, and appearing in movies today. Her most recent film appearance was the 2003 remake of ‘The Stepford Wives’, which met with mixed reviews but did well in the box office. She seems to be one of those stars people either love or hate, but even her most ardent critics admit that she is a very talented performer.