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Born in Massachusetts in 1908, Davis became "the first lady of the American screen" despite a difficult journey to the top. After failing numerous auditions and screen tests, Davis made her screen debut in 1931's The Bad Sister, thereafter starring in a number of Warner Brothers productions of dubious quality. Despite winning an Oscar in 1935 for Dangerous (she was nominated a record ten times) Warners kept giving her bum roles, and she tried unsuccessfully to break out of her contract. After winning another Oscar in 1938 for Jezebel, she seemed all washed up by 1962's Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? But she triumphed again. She died in 1989 - her preferred epitaph was "She did it the hard way".
