American singer, actress, comedienne and recording artist who went from being known as the “last of the truly tacky women” to 22 films and two best-actress nominations, for her work in “The Rose,” 1979, and “For the Boys,” 1991. Her 20 albums included “The Divine Miss M,” the first in 1972, which created phenomenal sales and received great reviews. Midler sang and clowned her way from the Turkish bath circuit in 1970 to sold-out performances at Lincoln Center’s Philharmonic. She has won Grammy awards for “Wind Beneath My Wings,” and “From a Distance.”
Bette grew up in Honolulu, the third child of a civilian house-painter for the Navy. Her mom named her after her favorite movie star, Bette Davis. She had two sisters, Judith (who died in 1968, run down by a car on her way to see Bette perform), and Susan, an administrator in the mental health field. She also has a brother, Daniel, who was born mentally impaired. She has recalled that she and her siblings were “the only white, Jewish kids” in a neighborhood of Japanese, Hawaiians, Chinese and Samoans. She remembers her dad as tyrannical; he never chose to see Bette perform; but her star-struck mother encouraged her daughters with hula lessons and musicals. (Her dad died in 1986, becoming closer to his daughter as he aged; her mother had died of liver cancer in 1980.)
As a teenager, she was part of a folk singing trio that toured Hawaiian army bases. She studied drama at the University of Hawaii for a year. At age 19, she got a part in the film version of “Hawaii.” With the money from that job, she went to New York in November 1965.
Once in Manhattan, she incongruously frequented Harlem churches to listen to black gospel, her favorite music, while dancing as a go-go girl in a club in Union City, New Jersey. She also worked as a hat-check girl, a typist at Columbia University, and a saleswoman at a department store. In 1966, she was hired for the Broadway chorus of “Fiddler on the Roof,” then took over the role of the eldest daughter and played that part for three years. One night, she went with a fellow cast member to perform at the “Improvisation,” a club showcasing new talent. She sang “God Bless the Child,” and knew she must put together a club act.
In 1969, she left the “Fiddler” company and went on to bomb in an off-Broadway show called “Salvation.” She went back to being a go-go girl, but this time in a Broadway bar. She took acting lessons at the Herbert Berghof Studio and learned of a place called the Continental Baths, where the owner was looking for a singer. She got the job in July 1970 and accompanied by then-unknown pianist Barry Manilow, became such a success that it led to appearances with Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show.” It was during this period that she perfected the brassy humor and classic ballad renditions that were to become her trademarks.
On 12/31/1972, Midler stood on stage at the Lincoln Center’s Philharmonic Hall in a diaper and sash, a performance coinciding with the success of her first album, the Grammy Award-winning “The Divine Miss M.” Her other best-selling albums were “Some People’s Lives,” which garnered four Grammy nominations, and a comedy record, “Mud Will be Flung Tonight.”
In her movie debut, Midler played the role of Janis Joplin in “The Rose,” 1979, which earned her a Best Actress nomination. After that came “Jinxed”, 1982, which flopped, and it was three years before she made another film. She sees that period as one of the lowest of her professional life. Her floundering film career was rescued by an exclusive contract with Disney in 1984. She formed All Girl Productions in 1985 at the suggestion of Disney’s top brass. Her movie career took off when she made some Disney comedies such as “Ruthless People, ” “Down and Out in Beverly Hills,” “Beaches,” “Stella,” “Outrageous Fortune,” and “Big Business” in the ’80s. She also made “Scenes from a Mall,” with Woody Allen. She was in the critically acclaimed TV musical, “Gypsy,” receiving the 1994 Golden Globe award for her performance. She had a huge hit with “The First Wives Club” in 1996. She is scheduled to play the late author Jacqueline Susann in “Isn’t She Great,” in 1999.
In 1981, she met ex-commodities broker Martin Van Haselberg. Two years later, they ran into each other again and began a romance. On 12/16/1984, they were married in Las Vegas. They have a daughter, Sophie, born in the evening of 11/14/1986.
Midler has also written two best-sellers, “A View from a Broad,” and “The Saga of Baby Divine.”
She is dedicated to raising money for AIDs research, and won the Life Award in September 1991 from AIDS Project L.A. As an ecological activist, Midler spends time with organized groups trying to clean parks and needy environments.
Link to Wikipedia biography