Who was Lauren Bacall?

Lauren Bacall (1924–2014) was an American actress celebrated for playing strong women who hid vulnerability beneath a pragmatic exterior. Bacall began as a model in 1941, and her appearance on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar in 1943 led to her being cast, at age 19, in Howard Hawks’s To Have and Have Not (1944). During filming, she and her co-star Humphrey Bogart fell in love and married in 1945. Bacall won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway musical Applause (1970). She earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996).

What movies is Lauren Bacall famous for?

Lauren Bacall was an American actress who gained recognition for playing strong-willed women who appeared tough but had a soft, more vulnerable side. Bacall's breakthrough role was in To Have and Have Not (1944), where she starred opposite Humphrey Bogart. They later starred together in The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948). Other successful films include Young Man with a Horn (1950), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), and Designing Woman (1957). In later years, she earned acclaim for roles in Murder on the Orient Express (1974) and The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996).

How did Lauren Bacall start her acting career?

Lauren Bacall began her acting career with modeling in 1941 and supplemented her income as a theatre usher and hostess at the Stage Door Canteen , which kept her close to Broadway. In 1942, she appeared in Franklin Street , but it closed before reaching New York. Her photo on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar in 1943 caught the eye of director Howard Hawks' wife. Hawks cast Bacall in To Have and Have Not (1944). As the sultry beauty who gives Humphrey Bogart a lesson in whistling, the 19-year-old Bacall became an overnight sensation.

Who was Lauren Bacall married to?

Lauren Bacall , the American actress, was married twice. Her first marriage was to Humphrey Bogart from 1945 until his death in 1957. They starred together in To Have and Have Not , The Big Sleep , Dark Passage , and Key Largo . In 1961, she married actor Jason Robards , and they divorced in 1969.

What was unique about Lauren Bacall’s voice and style?

Lauren Bacall , born Betty Joan Perske, was known for portraying provocative women who hid their soft core under hard-edged pragmatism. Bacall's photo on the cover of Harper's Bazaar caught the eye of director Howard Hawks' wife, leading to her role in To Have and Have Not (1944). Throughout the filming, Bacall kept her head low to keep it from shaking. This, combined with her bedroom eyes and husky voice, resulted in a sultry aura that was promoted as "The Look".

How did Lauren Bacall influence Hollywood and future actresses?

Lauren Bacall was an American actress celebrated for her hard-edged, pragmatic characters. Bacall's appearance on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar in 1943 grabbed the attention of director Howard Hawks' wife, leading to her role in To Have and Have Not (1944). Her on-screen presence, marked by what promotional campaigns touted as “The Look,” had a sultry aura, resulting from her husky voice and the way she kept her head low to prevent it from shaking due to nervousness. Bacall's brash yet endearing personality defined many of her respected performances in the 1990s, and she received her first Academy Award nomination for her role in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996).

Lauren Bacall

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Lauren Bacall, Marcel Dalio, and Humphrey Bogart stand in a tiled hallway, with Bacall leaning by a door, Dalio gesturing, and Bogart in a cap standing in shadow.

Lauren Bacall and Gregory Peck stand by a decorated cake on a table in a scene from Designing Woman (1957); Bacall wears a light blouse and skirt, Peck a white shirt and tie.

Humphrey Bogart, Jack Brown, and Lauren Bacall

Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, and Lauren Bacall stand together in a scene from the 1953 film How to Marry a Millionaire, each wearing distinctive mid-century outfits.

Ron Howard, Lauren Bacall, and John Wayne stand in a dimly lit room during a scene from the film The Shootist. Howard faces Wayne while Bacall stands between them.

Quick Facts

Original name:: Betty Joan Perske

Born:: September 16, 1924, New York, New York, U.S.

Died:: August 12, 2014, New York, New York (aged 89)

Awards And Honors:: Tony Awards; Academy Award (2010); Kennedy Center Honors (1997); Honorary Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (2010); Cecil B. DeMille Award (1993); Golden Globe Award (1997): Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture; Tony Award (1981): Best Actress in a Musical; Tony Award (1970): Best Actress in a Musical

Notable Family Members:: spouse Humphrey Bogart; spouse Jason Robards

Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In):: "North West Frontier" (1959); "Tree of Hands" (1989); "Diamonds" (1999); "Ready to Wear" (1994); "My Fellow Americans" (1996); "Screen One" (1993); "All I Want for Christmas" (1991); "HealtH" (1980); "Key Largo" (1948); "Dr. Kildare" (1963); "The Sopranos" (2006); "Written on the Wind" (1956); "A Star for Two" (1991); "To Have and Have Not" (1944); "These Foolish Things" (2005); "Confidential Agent" (1945); "The Shootist" (1976); "Family Guy" (2014); "The Venice Project" (1999); "The DuPont Show of the Week" (1963); "Mr. North" (1988); "Sex and the Single Girl" (1964); "Misery" (1990); "The Walker" (2007); "Blood Alley" (1955); "Producers' Showcase" (1955); "The Gift of Love" (1958); "The Forger" (2012); "Le jour et la nuit" (1997); "The General Motors Playwrights Theater" (1993); "Young Man with a Horn" (1950); "Appointment with Death" (1988); "The Rockford Files" (1979); "Ernest et Célestine" (2012); "Mr. Broadway" (1964); "The Fan" (1981); "Dark Passage" (1947); "Bright Leaf" (1950); "Howl's Moving Castle" (2004); "The Mirror Has Two Faces" (1996); "Chicago Hope" (1998); "Designing Woman" (1957); "Woman's World" (1954); "Harper" (1966); "The Cobweb" (1955); "Ford Star Jubilee" (1956); "Ron Russell's Set the Record Straight" (2009); "Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre" (1965); "Manderlay" (2005); "Great Performances" (1993); "Presence of Mind" (1999); "Shock Treatment" (1964); "Dogville" (2003); "The Big Sleep" (1946); "How to Marry a Millionaire" (1953); "Murder on the Orient Express" (1974); "Madeline: Lost in Paris" (1999); "Wide Blue Yonder" (2010); "Birth" (2004)

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Lauren Bacall

American actress

Also known as: Betty Joan Perske

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Sep. 15, 2026 •History

Top Questions

Who was Lauren Bacall?
Lauren Bacall (1924–2014) was an American actress celebrated for playing strong women who hid vulnerability beneath a pragmatic exterior.

Bacall began as a model in 1941, and her appearance on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar in 1943 led to her being cast, at age 19, in Howard Hawks’s To Have and Have Not (1944). During filming, she and her co-star Humphrey Bogart fell in love and married in 1945.

Bacall won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway musical Applause (1970). She earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996).
2 Britannica Sources
1. Lauren Bacall
2. Humphrey Bogart: Bogart and Bacall
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What movies is Lauren Bacall famous for?
Lauren Bacall was an American actress who gained recognition for playing strong-willed women who appeared tough but had a soft, more vulnerable side.

Bacall's breakthrough role was in To Have and Have Not (1944), where she starred opposite Humphrey Bogart. They later starred together in The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948). Other successful films include Young Man with a Horn (1950), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), and Designing Woman (1957). In later years, she earned acclaim for roles in Murder on the Orient Express (1974) and The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996).
2 Britannica Sources
1. Lauren Bacall
2. Humphrey Bogart: Facts & Related Content
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did Lauren Bacall start her acting career?
Lauren Bacall began her acting career with modeling in 1941 and supplemented her income as a theatre usher and hostess at the Stage Door Canteen, which kept her close to Broadway. In 1942, she appeared in Franklin Street, but it closed before reaching New York.

Her photo on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar in 1943 caught the eye of director Howard Hawks' wife. Hawks cast Bacall in To Have and Have Not (1944). As the sultry beauty who gives Humphrey Bogart a lesson in whistling, the 19-year-old Bacall became an overnight sensation.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Who was Lauren Bacall married to?
Lauren Bacall, the American actress, was married twice. Her first marriage was to Humphrey Bogart from 1945 until his death in 1957. They starred together in To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, Dark Passage, and Key Largo. In 1961, she married actor Jason Robards, and they divorced in 1969.
5 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What was unique about Lauren Bacall’s voice and style?
Lauren Bacall, born Betty Joan Perske, was known for portraying provocative women who hid their soft core under hard-edged pragmatism.

Bacall's photo on the cover of Harper's Bazaar caught the eye of director Howard Hawks' wife, leading to her role in To Have and Have Not (1944). Throughout the filming, Bacall kept her head low to keep it from shaking. This, combined with her bedroom eyes and husky voice, resulted in a sultry aura that was promoted as "The Look".
2 Britannica Sources
1. Lauren Bacall
2. Lauren Bacall: Facts & Related Content
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did Lauren Bacall influence Hollywood and future actresses?
Lauren Bacall was an American actress celebrated for her hard-edged, pragmatic characters. Bacall's appearance on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar in 1943 grabbed the attention of director Howard Hawks' wife, leading to her role in To Have and Have Not (1944). Her on-screen presence, marked by what promotional campaigns touted as “The Look,” had a sultry aura, resulting from her husky voice and the way she kept her head low to prevent it from shaking due to nervousness.

Bacall's brash yet endearing personality defined many of her respected performances in the 1990s, and she received her first Academy Award nomination for her role in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996).
2 Britannica Sources
1. Lauren Bacall
2. Lauren Bacall: Facts & Related Content
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Lauren Bacall (born September 16, 1924, New York, New York, U.S.—died August 12, 2014, New York, New York) was an American actress known for her portrayals of provocative women who hid their soft core underneath a layer of hard-edged pragmatism.

Bacall started modeling in 1941 and supplemented her income with jobs as a theatre usher and as a hostess at the Stage Door Canteen, which kept her next to the Broadway theatre scene that she loved. In 1942 she appeared as an ingénue in the George S. Kaufman-directed Franklin Street, but the play closed before reaching New York. Bacall’s photo on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar in 1943 caught the attention of the wife of film director Howard Hawks. Cast in Hawks’s To Have and Have Not (1944) as the leggy sardonic beauty who gives Humphrey Bogart a famous lesson in whistling, the 19-year-old Bacall was an overnight sensation. Nervous throughout the shooting, Bacall kept her head low to keep it from shaking; this, combined with her bedroom eyes and husky voice, resulted in a sultry aura that was touted in promotional campaigns as “The Look.” She and Bogart fell in love during the filming and were married in 1945; they subsequently costarred in the successful thrillers The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948). Bacall’s other successful films include Young Man with a Horn (1950), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), and Designing Woman (1957).

After Bogart’s death in 1957, Bacall worked sporadically, appearing in one Broadway flop (Goodbye Charlie, 1959) and one hit (Cactus Flower, 1965) and in such films as Sex and the Single Girl (1964) and Harper (1966). In 1961 she married actor Jason Robards (divorced 1969). Bacall made a stunning comeback in the Broadway musical Applause (1970), for which she won a Tony Award as best actress. Her career revitalized, she went on to essay memorable roles in such films as Murder on the Orient Express (1974), The Shootist (1976), and The Fan (1981). She returned to Broadway in 1981 and won a second Tony Award for Woman of the Year.

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Bacall’s performances of the 1990s, most of which capitalized on her brash-but-endearing personality, are among her most respected. She received good notices for supporting roles in Misery (1990), The Portrait (1993; made for television), My Fellow Americans (1996), and Diamonds (1999). For her performance in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996), Bacall received her first Academy Award nomination, for best supporting actress. Her later films include Dogville (2003) and Birth (2004), both of which also featured Nicole Kidman, and The Walker (2007). In 1999 she scored another Broadway triumph in a revival of Noël Coward’s Waiting in the Wings. Bacall wrote three autobiographies—By Myself (1978), Now (1994), and And Then Some (2005).

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Lauren Bacall

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