Bette Midler

Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945), is a singer, actress, and comedian. She is named after the legendary actress Bette Davis, although Midler pronounces her name as one syllable, not two. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Jewish parents from New Jersey, she majored in drama at the University of Hawaii, but got her start singing in the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse in New York City, where, she became friends, with, among others, Barry Manilow, who was her piano accompanist. He produced her first major album, The Divine Miss M (also the name by which she is known to her fans).

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December 1 - 1945 - Singer - Actress - Comedian - Bette Davis - Honolulu - Hawaii - Jewish - New Jersey - University of Hawaii - Gay bathhouse - New York City - Barry Manilow - Piano - The Divine Miss M

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Her first role was in Hawaii in 1966, as a passenger who is shown to be seasick. Midler appeared in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway, but it was her singing that made her a star. In 1974, she received a Special Tony Award for her great addition to Broadway for the "Clams on the Half Shell Review" at the Palace Theater. She was tapped for the role of the 1960s drug-addled rock music star in The Rose, modeled after Janis Joplin, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

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Hawaii - 1966 - Seasick - Fiddler on the Roof - Broadway - 1974 - Tony Award - Broadway - 1960s - Rock music - The Rose - Janis Joplin - Academy Award for Best Actress

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Bette married Martin von Haselberg on December 16, 1984. They had a daughter, Sophie, in 1986.

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December 16 - 1984 - 1986

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In 1986, director Paul Mazursky cast her in Down and Out in Beverly Hills, beginning a successful comedic acting career. She appeared in such other popular late-1980s comedies as Ruthless People, Outrageous Fortune, and Big Business.

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1986 - Paul Mazursky - Down and Out in Beverly Hills - Ruthless People - Outrageous Fortune - Big Business

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In 1988, she starred in the film Beaches. She has won four Grammy Awards including the 1973 Best New Artist and the prestigious Record of the Year in 1989 for the soaring # 1 hit "Wind Beneath My Wings." Her rendition of 1990's "From a Distance" also earned her a Grammy and is another of her most popular songs. In 2004 she reunited with Manilow to record Bette Midler Records the Rosemary Clooney Songbook, which was nominated for a Grammy and was one of her best-selling albums in 20 years.

Related Topics:
1988 - Beaches - Grammy Awards - 1973 - Best New Artist - Record of the Year - 1989 - Wind Beneath My Wings - 1990's - From a Distance - 2004

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When The American Film Institute announced "The 100 years of the Greatest Songs" on June 22, 2004, two of her hits were selected by the board: "Wind Beneath My Wings" (#44) and "The Rose" (#83).

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American Film Institute - June 22 - 2004

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Other films include Scenes From a Mall, For the Boys (for which she was again nominated for an Academy Award), Hocus Pocus, The First Wives Club, and The Stepford Wives. Her television work includes a production of '. She won an Emmy Award in 1992 for her memorable performance on the penultimate episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in May of that year. She had her own short-lived sitcom Bette (2000-2001). Although the initial ratings were high, numbers soon declined and in the show's short lifespan, her daughter (played by Lindsay Lohan) was written out and her husband (played by Kevin Dunn) was recast. The show was reportedly rocked by backstage turmoil, and did not last a full season.

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Scenes From a Mall - For the Boys - Academy Award - Hocus Pocus - The First Wives Club - The Stepford Wives - Emmy Award - 1992 - Penultimate - The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson - Sitcom - Bette - 2000 - 2001 - Lindsay Lohan - Kevin Dunn

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In 1995, Midler founded the New York Restoration Project, a non-profit organization with the goal of cleaning up parks, gardens, and rivers in neglected areas of New York City. These include Highbridge Park, Fort Washington Park, and Fort Tryon Park in upper Manhattan. NYRP uses Americorps volunteers to do the actual clean-up work and provides them with money for college in return.

Related Topics:
New York Restoration Project - New York City - Highbridge Park - Fort Washington Park - Fort Tryon Park

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In 2003-2004 Midler toured her new show 'Kiss My Brass' to sell-out crowds around the United States. In 2005 'Kiss My Brass' was equally successful in Australia. Bette Midler's new album 'The Peggy Lee Songbook' is eagerly awaited for it's release in October, 2005.

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