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Born Betty Joan Perske in the Bronx, 1924. In 1943 Bacall was working as a model when Howard Hawks' wife spotted her on the cover of Harper's Bazaar. A Hollywood career soon followed. Her debut in To Have And Have Not was a sensation, moving one to critic to praise her "javelinlike vitality" and "trombone voice". Her habit of looking downwards, raising her eyes to deliver the often suggestive dialogue, earned her the nickname "The Look" - although in fact she had pressed her chin to her chest to disguise her nervous trembling. Known as Betty to her friends, Bacall is the cousin of Shimon Peres, the former prime minister of Israel.
