'Bette Midler' (born
December 1 1945) is an American
singer,
actress and
comedienne, also known to her fans as 'The Divine Miss M'. She is named after the actress
Bette Davis although Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one. During her career, she has won four
Grammy Awards, an
Emmy Award, and a
Tony Award, and has been nominated for two
Academy Awards. She is currently scheduled to succeed
Celine Dion as the headliner at
Caesars Palace, beginning February 20, 2008.
[1]
Biography
Midler was born in
Honolulu,
Hawaii, and raised in nearby
Aiea. She attended
Radford High School in Honolulu. She is of
Jewish descent. Her aspirations were clearly defined from the outset, and she majored in drama at the
University of Hawaii, and earned money in the film ''
Hawaii'' (released in
1966) as an extra, playing a
seasick passenger.
In 1965, she relocated to
New York City after using the money she got for playing a extra, and landed her first professional onstage role in
Tom Eyen's
Off-Off-Broadway plays in 1965, ''Miss Nefertiti Regrets'' and ''Cinderella Revisited'', a children's play by day and an adult show by night.
[2] From 1966 to 1969 she played the role of Tzeitel in ''
Fiddler on the Roof'' on
Broadway; during this period her sister Judith, visiting New York to see her perform, was killed by a taxi cab.
In 1970, Midler began singing at the
Continental Baths, a
gay bathhouse in the city, where she became close to her
piano accompanist,
Barry Manilow, who produced her first major album, ''
The Divine Miss M'' in 1973.
In 1974, she received a Special
Tony Award for her contribution to
Broadway for her ''Clams on the Half Shell Revue'' at the Palace Theater. In 1979 she played the title role of a
1960s drug-addicted
rock star, modeled after
Janis Joplin, in ''
The Rose'', for which she was nominated for the
Academy Award for
Best Actress.
For the period of 1975–1978, she provided the voice of Woody the Spoon on the
PBS educational series ''
Vegetable Soup''.
Her manager and boyfriend for a significant period was
Aaron Russo.
Midler married
Martin von Haselberg (Harry Kipper of her opening act
the Kipper Kids) on
December 16,
1984 in a chapel in
Las Vegas. They had a daughter, Sophie Frederica Alohilani von Haselberg, on
November 14,
1986.
In 1985, she was a performer on
USA for Africa's fund-raising single
We Are the World and participated at the '
Live Aid' event at JFK stadium in
Philadelphia.
In 1986, she signed a contract with
Touchstone Pictures, director
Paul Mazursky cast her in ''
Down and Out in Beverly Hills'', beginning a successful comedic acting career. She appeared in other popular late-1980s comedies including ''
Ruthless People'', ''
Outrageous Fortune'', and ''
Big Business''. In 1988, she starred in the film drama ''
Beaches''. She also contributed her voice to the animated character Georgette, a snobbish poodle, in Disney's ''
Oliver & Company'' that same year.
She has won four
Grammy Awards including the 1973
Best New Artist and the prestigious
Record of the Year in 1989 for the # 1 hit "
Wind Beneath My Wings", the theme from ''Beaches''. Her rendition of the 1990 "
From a Distance" also earned her a Grammy and is another of her most popular songs.
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).
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 an Emmy-nominated version of ''.
Midler won an
Emmy Award in 1992 for her memorable performance on the
penultimate episode of ''
The Tonight Show'' in May of that year, during which she sang an emotion-laden "
One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" to
Johnny Carson. There was speculation later that there was a falling out between Midler and the only other guest on the show,
Robin Williams. It was perceived that Midler had stolen the limelight from Williams, not an easy task. However, the rumors of a feud between them have been denied by both Williams and Midler, and they have since appeared together on several other talk shows, including ''
The Rosie O'Donnell Show'' in 2003. After her ''Tonight Show'' appearance, Midler told ''USA Today'', "It was a great night. Robin and I had a fabulous time, and we'll never forget it."
She had her own short-lived
CBS 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 in the pilot, then by
Marina Malota starting with the third episode) and her husband were recast (
Robert Hays succeeded
Kevin Dunn in the final episode aired). The show was reportedly rocked by backstage turmoil, and did not last a full season. Also in 2001, ''
Bette or Bust'', a book chronicling Midler's ''Divine Miss Millennium Tour'' was released. After years of declining sales, Bette was officially dropped from Warner Brothers in 2001.
After a long standing feud with Barry Manilow, the two joined forces for the first time in twenty years in 2003 to record "
Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook." Of the project, Barry said he had a dream that he was recording with Bette again, so he called her up with the idea and she agreed that it was due time to work together again. They got Columbia Records on board and the album was an instant success, going gold in only a few short weeks. The album was one of her best-selling albums in 20 years, and was nominated for a grammy the following year.
In 2003–2004 Midler toured her new show ''Kiss My Brass'' to sell-out crowds around the United States. In early 2005, ''Kiss My Brass'' was equally successful in Australia. After the success of her last album, Columbia Records considered releasing a live album, but it never came to pass. Instead, Bette joined forces again with Barry Manilow for another tribute album, ''
Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook.'' Released in October 2005, the album sold 55,000 copies the first week of release and debuted at #10.
Midler has guest-starred on ''
The Simpsons'' in the episode "
Krusty Gets Kancelled". Midler is first seen traversing a highway picking up trash when she is approached by Bart and Lisa with a request for Midler to appear on a show to revive Krusty's dying career. She appeared on ''
Seinfeld'', in the episode "The Understudy" which was the season finale of that show's sixth season. She also appeared on
The Nanny in the aptly titled episode "You Bette Your Life".
In 2006, a new Christmas album ''
Cool Yule'' was released by Midler featuring the title song (written by
Steve Allen) and a duet with
Johnny Mathis of "
Winter Wonderland/
Let It Snow." She also began filming on ''
Then She Found Me'' to be directed by
Helen Hunt and starring Hunt,
Matthew Broderick and
Colin Firth.
In 2007, she appeared on the
American Idol Season 6 finale, singing "
The Wind Beneath My Wings" live at the
Kodak Theatre.
Charity work
In 1995, Midler founded the
New York Restoration Project, a non-profit organization with the goal of revitalizing neglected neighborhood parks in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods of
New York City. These include
Highbridge Park,
Fort Washington Park, and
Fort Tryon Park in upper Manhattan and
Roberto Clemente State Park and ''Bridge Park'' in the
Bronx.
In 1999, the city planned to auction 114
community gardens for commercial development. Midler led a coalition of greening organizations to save them. NYRP took ownership of 60 of the most neglected plots. Today Midler and her organization work with local volunteers and community groups to ensure that these gardens are kept safe, clean and vibrant. In 2003, Midler opened Swindler Cove Park, a new five-acre public park on the
Harlem River shore featuring specially designed educational facilities and the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse, the first community
rowing facility to be built on the Harlem River in more than 100 years. The organization offers free in-school and after-school
environmental education programming to students from high-poverty
Title I schools. The NYRP has been around for almost 11 years now, making New York a better and cleaner place.
Controversy
In
August 2007, it was found out that a landscaper hired by Bette Midler cut down the invasive trees that were choking the native ones on one of her properties on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, albeit, without a permit. News of this got to a writer for the Honolulu Star Bulletin, Charles Memminger, and became fodder for an article [
[1]]for that paper stating: "Bette Midler orders the assassination of 230 completely innocent trees on her lush, though apparently now treeless, Kauai estate". The Board of Land and Natural Resources recommended a $6,500 fine which Midler promptly paid.
[3]
Feature films
Other films
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|
| 2000 | ''Bette'' | Bette | |
| 1999 | ''Fantasia/2000'' | Herself | |
| ''Jackie's Back'' | Herself | |
| ''Get Bruce'' | Herself | |
| 1997 | ''Diva Las Vegas'' | Herself/
Divine Miss M. | concert performance |
| 1990 | ''Earth Day Special'' | Mother Nature | |
| 1989 | ''The Lottery'' | Music teacher | Created to demonstrate special effects; shown only at Disney-MGM Studios |
| 1984 | ''Art Or Bust'' | Herself/
Divine Miss M. | concert performance |
| 1980 | ''Divine Madness'' | Herself/
Divine Miss M. | concert performance |
| 1976 | ''Vegetable Soup'' | Woody the Spoon | voice |
| 1975 | "The Bette Midler Show" | Herself | Concert Performance |
| 1974 | ''The Thorn'' | Virgin Mary | |
| 1972 | ''Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers'' | unknown | voice |
Discography
Studio Albums
★ 1972 ''
The Divine Miss M'' US #9
★ 1973 ''
Bette Midler'' US #6
★ 1976 ''
Songs for the New Depression'' US #27
★ 1977 ''
Broken Blossom'' US #51
★ 1979 ''
Thighs and Whispers'' US #65
★ 1983 ''
No Frills'' US #60
★ 1985 ''
Mud Will Be Flung Tonight'' US #183 (comedy/spoken word album)
★ 1990 ''
Some People's Lives '' US #6 UK #5
★ 1995 ''
Bette of Roses'' US #45 UK #55
★ 1998 ''
Bathhouse Betty'' US #32
★ 2000 ''
Bette'' US #69
★ 2003 ''
Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook'' US #14 UK #52
★ 2005 ''
Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook'' US #10 UK #41
★ 2006 ''
Cool Yule'' US #33 (Holiday album)
Soundtrack Albums
★ 1979 ''
The Rose soundtrack'' US #12 UK #68
★ 1980 ''
Divine Madness'' soundtrack US #34
★ 1988 ''
Beaches soundtrack'' US #2 UK #21
★ 1991 ''
For the Boys soundtrack'' US #22 UK #75
★ 1993 ''
Gypsy soundtrack'' US #183
Compilations
★ 1977 ''
Live at Last '' US #49
★ 1978 ''
The Best of Bette ''
★ 1993 ''
Experience the Divine'' US #50 UK #3 (Greatest Hits Compilation)
Charted singles
from ''
The Divine Miss M''
★ 1972 "
Do You Want to Dance?" US Pop: 17; US AC: 8
★ 1973 "
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" US Pop: 8; US AC: 1
★ 1973 "Friends"/"Chapel of Love" US Pop: 40; US AC: 9 ("Friends" only)
from ''
Bette Midler''
★ 1974 "
In the Mood" US Pop: 51; US AC: 18
from ''
Songs for the New Depression''
★ 1976 "
Strangers in the Night" US AC: 45
★ 1976 "Old Cape Cod" US AC: 36
from ''
Live at Last''
★ 1977 "You're Movin' out Today" US Pop: 42; US AC: 11
from ''
Broken Blossom''
★ 1978 "Storybook Children (Daybreak)" US Pop: 57; US AC: 37
from ''
Thighs and Whispers''
★ 1979 "Married Men" US Pop: 40
from ''
The Rose'' soundtrack
★ 1980 "
When a Man Loves a Woman" US Pop: 35
★ 1980 "
The Rose" US Pop: 3, US AC: 1 (gold)
from ''
Divine Madness''
★ 1980 "My Mother's Eyes" US Pop: 39; US AC: 8
from ''
No Frills''
★ 1983 "All I Need to Know" US Pop: 77; US AC: 39
★ 1983 "Favourite Waste of Time" US Pop: 78
★ 1984 "
Beast of Burden" US Pop: 71
from ''
Beaches'' soundtrack
★ 1989 "
Wind Beneath My Wings" US Pop: 1; US AC: 2 (platinum), UK 5
from ''
Some People's Lives''
★ 1990 "
From a Distance" US Pop: 2; US AC: 1 (platinum), UK 6
★ 1991 "Night and Day" US Pop: 62; US AC: 15
★ 1991 "The Gift of Love" US AC: 19
from ''
For the Boys'' soundtrack
★ 1991 "Every Road Leads Back to You" US Pop: 78; US AC: 15
★ 1992 "In My Life" US AC: 20
from ''
Bathhouse Betty''
★ 1998 "My One True Friend" US AC: 16, UK 58
★ 1999 "
I'm Beautiful" Dance Club Play: 1; US Pop: 60
See also
★
List of number-one hits (United States)
★
List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
★
List of number-one dance hits (United States)
★
List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
Footnotes
1. Caesars Palace events listing
2. Time magazine profile on Midler
3. Midler Wrongly Fells 200 Hawaii Trees
External links
★
Official Website
★
★
★
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