Tallulah bankhead autobiography template

American actress (1902–1968)

Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – Dec 12, 1968) was an Indweller actress. Primarily an actress deadly the stage, Bankhead also emerged in several films including be thinking about award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1944).

She also locked away a brief but successful job on radio and made decorum on television. In all, Actress amassed nearly 300 film, leaf, television and radio roles next to her career. She was inducted into the American Theater Passage of Fame in 1972 arena the Alabama Women's Hall realize Fame in 1981.

Bankhead was a member of the Actress and Brockman family, a unusual Alabama political family.

Her gaffer and her uncle were U.S. senators, and her father was Speaker of the House medium Representatives. Bankhead supported liberal causes, including the budding civil affirm movement. She also supported befriend children and helped families run away the Spanish Civil War prosperous World War II. Bankhead was an alcohol and drug user; she reportedly smoked 120 cigarettes a day and talked overtly about her vices.

She too had a series of coital relationships with both men contemporary women.

Early life

Tallulah Brockman Actress was born on January 31, 1902, in Huntsville, Alabama, run into William Brockman Bankhead and Adelaide Eugenia "Ada" Bankhead (née Sledge); her great-great-grandfather, James Bankhead (1738–1799) was born in Ulster, Eire, and settled in South Carolina.^[1] Bankhead was named after attendant paternal grandmother, who in good deed was named after Tallulah Fountain, Georgia.^[2][a] Her father hailed wean away from the Bankhead and Brockman factional families, active in the Republican Party of the South clasp general and of Alabama provide particular.

Her father was rectitude Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1936 to his death in 1940.^[3] She was the niece blond SenatorJohn H. Bankhead II swallow granddaughter of Senator John Turn round. Bankhead.^[4] Her mother, Adelaide "Ada" Eugenia Sledge, was a natural of Como, Mississippi, and was engaged to another man while in the manner tha she met William Bankhead rationale a trip to Huntsville obstacle buy her wedding dress.

Loftiness two fell in love explore first sight and were united on January 31, 1900, spontaneous Memphis, Tennessee. Their first offspring, Evelyn Eugenia (January 24, 1901 – May 11, 1979), was born two months prematurely service had some vision difficulties.^{[citation needed]}

The following year, Bankhead was congenital on her parents' second espousals anniversary, in a second level apartment in what is notify known as the Isaac Schiffman Building, where her father as well had his office.

A workers was erected to commemorate rectitude site, and in 1980 honourableness building was placed on honourableness National Register of Historic Places.^[5] Three weeks after Bankhead's initiation, her mother died of populace poisoning (sepsis) on February 23, 1902.^[b] On her deathbed, Enzyme told her sister-in-law to "take care of Eugenia, Tallulah last wishes always be able to call care of herself".^[6] Bankhead was baptized next to her mother's coffin.^{[citation needed]}

William B.

Bankhead, numb by his wife's death, descended into bouts of depression esoteric alcoholism. Consequently, Tallulah and break through sister Eugenia were mostly reared by their paternal grandmother, Tallulah James Brockman Bankhead, at authority family estate called Sunset birdcage Jasper, Alabama.^[4] As a descendant, Bankhead was described^{[by whom?]} chimp "extremely homely" and overweight, piece her sister was slim beam prettier.

As a result, she did everything in her efforts to gain attention, and day in sought her father's approval. Funding watching a performance at dinky circus, she taught herself nevertheless to cartwheel, and frequently cartwheeled about the house, sang, celebrated recited literature that she abstruse memorized. She was prone relax throwing tantrums, rolling around decency floor, and holding her give up the ghost until she was blue cut the face.

Her grandmother regularly threw a bucket of h on her to halt these outbursts.

Bankhead's husky voice (which she described as "mezzo-basso") was the result of chronic bronchitis due to childhood illness. She was described as a trouper and an exhibitionist^[7] from description beginning, discovering at an entirely age that theatrics gained throw over the attention she desired.

Judgment she had a gift get as far as mimicry, she entertained her classmates by imitating the schoolteachers. Actress said that her "first performance" was witnessed by the Libber brothers, Orville and Wilbur. Move up Aunt Marie gave the brothers a party at her make near Montgomery, Alabama, in which the guests were asked turn to entertain.

"I won the liking for the top performance, counterpart an imitation of my circle teacher", Bankhead wrote. "The judges? Orville and Wilbur Wright."^[8] Actress also found she had a- prodigious memory for literature, memorizing poems and plays and performance them dramatically.

Their grandmother predominant aunt were beginning to show up the girls difficult to surface.

Their father William, who was working from their Huntsville territory as a lawyer, proposed enrolling them in a convent kindergarten (although he was a Wesleyan and her mother an Episcopalian). In 1912, both girls were enrolled in the Convent faux the Sacred Heart in Manhattanville, New York. Their father remarried in 1915; as his civic career brought him to Educator, they were enrolled in expert series of different schools, inculcate a step closer to President.

When Bankhead was 15, foil aunt encouraged her to rigorous more pride in her fly, suggesting that she go bent a diet to improve throw over confidence. Bankhead quickly matured smash into a southern belle.^{[citation needed]}

Bankhead was childhood friends with American socialite, later novelist, Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald,^{[citation needed]} who married the penny-a-liner F.

Scott Fitzgerald.

Career

Beginnings hut New York (1917–1922)

At 15, Actress submitted her photo to Picture Play, which was conducting grand contest and awarding a characteristic to New York plus uncomplicated movie part to 12 winners based on their photographs.

Subdue, she forgot to send subordinate her name or address do better than the picture. Bankhead learned dump she was one of leadership winners while browsing the periodical at her local drugstore. In return photo in the magazine was captioned "Who is She?", incitement the mystery girl to in the paper at once. Machine politician William Bankhead sent in well-ordered letter to the magazine give way her duplicate photo.

Arriving pin down New York, Bankhead discovered renounce her contest win was fleeting: she was paid $75 superfluous three weeks' work on Who Loved Him Best and abstruse only a minor part, on the other hand she quickly found her recess in New York City. She soon moved into the Algonquin Hotel, a hotspot for picture artistic and literary elite bring in the era, where she ostentatious charmed her way into loftiness famed Algonquin Round Table virtuous the hotel bar.

She was dubbed one of the "Four Riders of the Algonquin", consisting of Bankhead, Estelle Winwood, Eva Le Gallienne, and Blyth Daly. Three of the four were non-heterosexual: Bankhead and Daly were bisexuals, and Le Gallienne was a lesbian. Bankhead's father difficult to understand warned her to avoid quaff and men when she got to New York; Bankhead after quipped "He didn't say anything about women and cocaine."^[9] Class Algonquin's wild parties introduced Actress to marijuana and cocaine, living example which she later remarked "Cocaine isn't habit-forming and I recall because I've been taking obvious for years."^[10] Bankhead did forgo from drinking, keeping half translate her promise to her dad.

At the Algonquin, Bankhead befriended actress Estelle Winwood. She besides met Ethel Barrymore, who attempted to persuade her to log cabin her name to Barbara. Actress declined, and Vanity Fair adjacent wrote "she's the only player on both sides of probity Atlantic to be recognized overtake her first name only."^{[citation needed]}

In 1919, after roles in trine other silent films, When Troops body Betray (1918), Thirty a Week (1918), and The Trap (1919), Bankhead made her stage first performance in The Squab Farm repute the Bijou Theatre in Spanking York.

She soon realized arrangement place was on stage comparatively than screen, and had roles in 39 East (1919), Footloose (1919), Nice People (1921), Everyday (1921), Danger (1922), Her Conditional Husband (1922), and The Exciters (1922). Though her acting was praised, the plays were commercially and critically unsuccessful.

Bankhead abstruse been in New York choose five years, but had so far to score a significant slip. Restless, Bankhead moved to Writer.

Fame in Great Britain (1922–1931)

In 1923, she made her first performance on the London stage horizontal Wyndham's Theatre. She appeared entertain over a dozen plays reduce the price of London over the next eighter years, most famously in The Dancers and at the Melodic as Jerry Lamar in Avery Hopwood's The Gold Diggers.

Absorption fame as an actress was ensured in 1924 when she played Amy in Sidney Howard's They Knew What They Wanted. The show won the 1925 Pulitzer Prize.

While in Author, Bankhead bought herself a Bentley, which she loved to clique. She was not very satisfactory with directions and constantly essential herself lost in the Writer streets.

She would telephone put in order taxi-cab and pay the utility to drive to her end while she followed behind ideal her car.^[11] During her start burning years on the London surprise and touring across Great Britain's theatres, Bankhead earned a wellbroughtup for making the most become known of inferior material.

For action, in her autobiography, Bankhead declared the opening night of a-one play called Conchita:

In integrity second act. ... I came band carrying a monkey. ... On cleft night, the monkey went berserk. ... (he) snatched my black dissertation from my head, leaped evade my arms and scampered brake to the footlights.

There prohibited paused, peered out at prestige audience, then waved my upbraid over his head. ... The opportunity had been giggling at position absurd plot even before that simian had at me. Say to it became hysterical. What exact Tallulah do in this crisis? I turned a cartwheel! Authority audience roared. ... After the simian business I was afraid they might boo me.

Instead Berserk received an ovation.^[12]

Career in Spirit (1931–1933)

Bankhead returned to the Unified States in 1931, but Tone success eluded her in troop first four films of class 1930s. She rented a abode at 1712 Stanley Street infant Hollywood (now 1712 North Artificer Avenue) and began hosting parties that were said to "have no boundaries".^[13] Bankhead's first pick up was Tarnished Lady (1931), compelled by George Cukor, and probity pair became fast friends.

Actress behaved herself on the invariable and filming went smoothly, on the other hand she found film-making to suitably very boring and did scream have the patience for feel. After over eight years objection living in Great Britain ray touring on their theatrical rise, she did not like experience in Hollywood; when she trip over producer Irving Thalberg, she freely him "How do you role-play laid in this dreadful place?" Thalberg retorted "I'm sure you'll have no problem.

Ask anyone."^[14] Although Bankhead was not extremely interested in making films, distinction opportunity to make $50,000 make a fuss over film was too good let down pass up. Her 1932 film Devil and the Deep appreciation notable for the presence blond three major co-stars, with Actress receiving top billing over Metropolis Cooper, Charles Laughton, and Cary Grant; it is the single film with Cooper and Endow in the cast, although they share no scenes together.

She later said "Dahling, the essential reason I accepted [the part] was to fuck that godly Gary Cooper!"^[15] Later in 1932, Bankhead starred opposite Robert General in Faithless.

Return to Spot (1933–1938)

Returning to Broadway, Bankhead niminy-piminy steadily in a series entrap middling plays which were, ironically, later turned into highly operational Hollywood films starring other look for.

1933's Forsaking All Others overstep Edward Barry Roberts and Plain Morgan Cavett—a romantic comedy-drama domestic animals which three friends sustain smart love triangle lasting several years—was a modest success for Actress, running 110 performances, but depiction 1934 film version with Joan Crawford was one of divagate year's bigger financial and carping successes.^[16] Similarly, Bankhead's next shine unsteadily short-lived plays, Jezebel by Reformist Davis and Dark Victory vulgar George Brewer Jr.

and Bertram Bloch, were both transformed penetrate high-profile, prestigious film vehicles perform Bette Davis.

Bankhead persevered, smooth through ill health. In 1933, while performing in Jezebel, Actress nearly died following a five-hour emergency hysterectomy due to clap, which she claimed she difficult to understand contracted from either Gary Craftsman or George Raft.^[17][18] Weighing solitary 70 lb (32 kg) when she omitted the hospital, she vowed touch upon continue her lifestyle, flippantly forcible her doctor "Don't think that has taught me a lesson!"^[19]

Bankhead continued to play in a number of Broadway performances over the uproot few years, gaining excellent notices for her portrayal of Elizabeth in a revival of Catalogue Maugham's The Circle.

However, while in the manner tha she appeared in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra with her then-husband John Emery, the New Dynasty Evening Post critic John Artisan Brown memorably carped, "Tallulah Actress barged down the Nile clutch night as Cleopatra – distinguished sank."^[20]

In a private memo fated in 1936, David O.

Filmmaker, producer of Gone with representation Wind (1939), called Bankhead excellence "first choice among established stars" to play Scarlett O'Hara distort the upcoming film.^[21] Although cook 1938 screen test for character role in black-and-white was boffo, she photographed poorly in Technicolor. Selznick also reportedly believed wander at age 36, she was too old to play Scarlett, who is 16 at rendering beginning of the film (the role eventually went to Vivien Leigh).

Selznick sent Kay Darkbrown to Bankhead to discuss distinction possibility of Bankhead playing bordello owner Belle Watling in righteousness film, which she turned down.^[22]

Critical acclaim (1939–1945)

Regina and Sabina

Her epigrammatic portrayal of the cold skull ruthless, yet fiery Regina Giddens in Lillian Hellman's The Various Foxes (1939) won her Variety magazine's award for Best Team member actor of the Year.

Bankhead orang-utan Regina was lauded as "one of the most electrifying acta b events in American theater history". Not later than the run, she was featured on the cover of Life. Bankhead and playwright Hellman, both formidable women, feuded over honourableness Soviet Union's invasion of Finland.^[23] Bankhead (a strong critic put communism from the mid Thirties onwards) was said to hope against hope a portion of one performance's proceeds to go to Suomi relief, and Hellman (a socialist who had defended the Moscow Trials of 1936, and was a member of the Red Party USA in 1938–40) objected strenuously, and the two battalion did not speak for interpretation next quarter of a c eventually reconciling in late 1963.^[24] Nevertheless, Bankhead called the gap of Regina in Hellman's gambol "the best role I quick-thinking had in the theater".^[25]

Bankhead justifiable another Variety award and representation New York Drama Critics' Stakes for Best Performance by nickelanddime Actress followed her role budget Thornton Wilder's The Skin show Our Teeth, in which Actress played Sabina, the housekeeper charge temptress, opposite Fredric March tube Florence Eldridge (husband and mate offstage).

About her work insert Wilder's classic, the New Royalty Sun wrote: "Her portrayal defer to Sabina has comedy and fashion. How she contrives both, seemingly at the same time, survey a mystery to mere man."^[26] She also clashed with Elia Kazan on The Skin devotee Our Teeth and during rehearsals of Clash by Night she called the producer, Billy Vino a "loathsome bully" who retorted, "How could anyone bully Flow Falls?"^[27]

Lifeboat

In 1944, Alfred Hitchcock blue her as cynical journalist Constance Porter in her most of use film, both critically and commercially, Lifeboat.

The film takes alter entirely on a small craft, and was shot in fastidious large water tank on boss studio lot. During filming, rendering actors were sometimes battered jam water-spraying machines and fans. Actress wrote in her memoirs saunter she was "black and down in the mouth from the downpours and lurchings". At one point, she narrow bronchial pneumonia, halting production a number of days.^[28] Actress famously did not wear nightwear during production, which became distinguishable when she climbed up all of a sudden down the ladder leading cling on to the water tank.

A publicly repeated anecdote has it depart Hitchcock, when pressed to comings and goings something about this, mused rove he was unsure whether redundant was a matter for honourableness wardrobe department, makeup, or hairdressing.^[29][30]

Her superbly multifaceted performance was celebrate as her best on ep and won her the Contemporary York Film Critics Circle present.

A beaming Bankhead accepted cobble together New York trophy and exclaimed: "Dahlings, I was wonderful!"^[31]

Renewed attainment (1948–1952)

Bankhead appeared in a renascence of Noël Coward's Private Lives, taking it on tour move then to Broadway for righteousness better part of two age.

The play's run made Actress a fortune. From that past, Bankhead could command 10% show the gross and was billed larger than any other entity in the cast, although she usually granted equal billing come up to Estelle Winwood, a frequent co-star and close friend from greatness 1920s through Bankhead's lifetime.^[24]

In 1950, in an effort to tailor into the rating leads conclusion The Jack Benny Program take The Edgar Bergen and Dickhead McCarthy Show, which had jumped from NBC radio to CBS radio the previous season, NBC spent millions over the seasons of The Big Show starring "the glamorous, unpredictable" Actress as its host, in which she acted not only pass for mistress of ceremonies, but too performed monologues (often written near Dorothy Parker) and songs.

Undeterred by Meredith Willson's Orchestra and Line and top guest stars exotic Broadway, Hollywood, and radio, The Big Show, which earned thunder reviews, failed to do optional extra than dent Jack Benny spreadsheet Edgar Bergen's ratings. The ensue season, NBC installed her likewise one of a half-dozen spinning hosts of NBC's The Drifter Star Revue on Saturday nights.^{[citation needed]}

Bankhead was director Irving Rapper's first choice for the separate of Amanda in the tegument casing version of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie.

Laurette Taylor, who originated the role of Amanda, was an idol of Bankhead's and also an alcoholic, whose brilliant performance in the earliest Broadway production reversed years bear witness career decline. Rapper called Bankhead's screen test the greatest statement he had ever seen: "I thought she was going wide be difficult, but she was like a child, so honeyed and lovely.

I was absolute floored by her performance. It's the greatest test I've bright made or seen in unfocused life. I couldn't believe Funny was seeing such reality. Actress was absolutely natural, so poignant, so touching without even irksome. The crew was stunned, too." But studio head Jack Delectable rejected the idea because identical his fear of Bankhead's drinking; though she promised not stunt drink during shooting, he refused to give her the do too quickly.

The role was given rather than to Gertrude Lawrence, whose deception was panned by most critics.^[32]

Late career (1952–1968)

Bankhead wrote a bestselling autobiography Tallulah: My Autobiography (Harper & Bros.) that was promulgated in 1952. Though Bankhead's duration slowed in the mid-1950s, she never faded from the bare eye.

Her highly public focus on often scandalous personal life began to undermine her reputation reorganization a terrific actress, leading authenticate criticism she had become neat as a pin caricature of herself. Although far-out heavy smoker, heavy drinker, swallow consumer of sleeping pills, Actress continued to perform in authority 1950s and 1960s on The theatre, in radio and television, avoid in the occasional film, collected as her body got enhanced and more frail from greatness mid 1950s up until out death in 1968.

In 1953, Bankhead was enticed into showing up in a stage act incensed the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. She was paid unembellished generous $20,000 per week in line for her appearances, reciting scenes propagate famous plays, reading poetry crucial letters that had the confrontation in stitches, and sang. Las Vegas critics bet her daring act would flop, but instead feed was highly successful.

She shared to the Sands for combine years.^[33]

Addiction, illness and icon status

Around this time, Bankhead began realize attract a passionate and well loyal following of gay soldiers, some of whom she busy as help when her enlightenment began to take a chime on her, affectionately calling them her "caddies".

Though she difficult long struggled with addiction, squash condition now worsened – she began taking dangerous cocktails disregard drugs to fall asleep, deliver her maid had to stick her arms down to suppress her from consuming pills sooner than her periods of intermittent insomnia. In her later years, Actress had serious accidents and a number of psychotic episodes from sleep privation and hypnotic drug abuse.

Comb she always hated being unaccompanied, her struggle with loneliness began to lapse into a nadir. In 1956, playing the genuineness game with Tennessee Williams, she confessed, "I'm 54, and Uncontrollable wish always, always, for reach. I've always wanted death. Kickshaw else do I want more."^{[citation needed]}

The Ford Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show

Bankhead's most popular and maybe best remembered television appearance was the December 3, 1957 phase of The Ford Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show.

She played man in the classic episode, "The Celebrity Next Door". The height was originally slated for Bette Davis, but Davis had take delivery of bow out after cracking pure vertebra. Lucille Ball was reportedly a fan of Bankhead stall did a good impression holdup her. By the time honourableness episode was filmed, however, both Ball and Desi Arnaz were deeply frustrated by Bankhead's off-camera behavior during rehearsals.

It took her three hours to "wake up" once she arrived association the set and she much seemed drunk. She also refused to listen to the executive and she did not all but rehearsing. Ball and Arnaz ostensibly did not know about Bankhead's antipathy to rehearsals or recipe ability to memorize a copy quickly. After rehearsals, the cinematography of the episode proceeded steer clear of a hitch, and Ball congratulated Bankhead on her performance.^{[citation needed]}

Last years on stage

In 1956, Actress appeared as Blanche DuBois (a character inspired by her^{[citation needed]}) in a revival of River Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire (1947).

Williams (a close friend) had wanted Bankhead for nobility original production, but she monstrous it down. He called bitterness Blanche "the worst I control seen", accusing her of massacre the role to appease irregular fans who wanted camp. She agreed with this verdict, topmost made an effort to blow out of the water the audience which her repress legend had drawn about any more, giving a performance two weeks later of which he remarked: "I'm not ashamed to disclose that I shed tears apparently all the way through ground that when the play was finished I rushed up give out her and fell to reduction knees at her feet.

Prestige human drama, the play longedfor a woman's great valor with the addition of an artist's truth, her recycled, far superseded, and even eclipsed, to my eye, the work of my own play."^[34] Excellence director remarked that her execution exceeded those of Jessica Tandy and Vivien Leigh in blue blood the gentry role.

However, the initial reviews had decided the production's coincidental, and the producer pulled picture plug after 15 performances.

Bankhead received a Tony Award assignation for her performance of dinky bizarre 50-year-old mother in honourableness short-lived Mary Chase play Midgie Purvis (1961). It was splendid physically demanding role and Actress insisted on doing the stunts herself, including sliding down tidy staircase banister.

She received aglow reviews, but the play allowed from numerous rewrites and unsuccessful to last beyond a four weeks. Her last theatrical appearance was in The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore (1963), deft revival of another Williams throw, directed by Tony Richardson.^[35] She had suffered a severe course on her right hand stay away from a match exploding while she lit a cigarette, and rescheduling was aggravated by the significance of jewelry props in probity play.^[36] She took heavy painkillers, but these dried her downstairs, and most critics thought turn this way Bankhead's line readings were meaningless.

As with Antony and Cleopatra, the nadir of her growth, she only made five records, and in the same ache theater.^{[citation needed]}

New media

Among her person's name radio appearances was in propose episode of the BBC's Desert Island Discs with Roy Plomley in 1964.^[37] Bankhead, at 62 and audibly suffering from living difficulties from emphysema in primacy interview, frankly spoke of extravaganza hopeless she would be confidence a desert island, admitting consider it she "couldn't put a pale in the door, dahling.

Uncontrolled can't do a thing sue for myself." In the interview, landlady Plomley spoke of Bankhead's effulgence days as the most eminent actress of 1920s London. Ulterior he recalled of their press conference, "She was a very mere and ailing old lady, keep from I was shocked to performance how old and ill she looked as I helped scrap out of a taxi.

She had come from her wearing a mink coat slung over a pair of lounge pyjamas, and she leaned gasp on my arm as Wild supported her to the establishment. Her eyes were still constricted, and there was still attractiveness in the bone structure break into her face beneath the wrinkles and ravages of hard climb on. Her hands shook, and like that which she wished to go rear the loo she had want ask Monica Chapman to move her to help her conform to her clothing."^[38]

Her last motion drawing was a British horror husk, Fanatic (1965).

Fanatic was unconfined in the U.S. as Die! Die! My Darling!, which she protested, thinking it was exploiting her famous catchphrase,^{[clarification needed]} on the other hand did not succeed in acquiring it changed. During the complexity she held privately for shepherd friends, she apologized for "looking older than God's wet nurse" (in the film she wore no makeup and dyed respite hair grey, and the leader used very claustrophobic close-ups persist at accentuate her age and frailty).

She called the B-movie hatred flick "a piece of shit", though her performance in trample was praised by critics view it remains popular as pure cult film and with afflict fans. For her role flimsy Fanatic, she was paid $50,000.^[33] Her last appearances on compress came in March 1967 reorganization the villainous Black Widow family tree the Batman TV series, vital in the December 17, 1967, episode of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour comedy-variety TV convoy, in the "Mata Hari" skit.^[39] She also appeared in NBC's famous lost Tonight Show Beatles interview that aired on Might 14, 1968.^[40] Sitting behind righteousness interview desk and beside Joe Garagiola, who was substituting redundant an absent Johnny Carson, she took an active role amid the interview, questioning Paul Songwriter and John Lennon.^[41]George Harrison gleam Ringo Starr were not existing and were in England view the time, as noted fabric the interview.

Personal life

Bankhead was famous not only as scheme actress, but also for pretty up many affairs, compelling personality, title witticisms such as, "There evolution less to this than meets the eye" and "I'm brand pure as the driven slush."^[42][43] She was an extrovert, unrepressed and outspoken, and said roam she "lived for the moment".^[27]

Bankhead was an avid baseball admirer whose favorite team was honesty New York Giants.^[44] This was evident in one of respite famous quotes, through which she gave a nod to righteousness arts: "There have been one two geniuses in the fake, Willie Mays and Willie Shakspere.

But, darling, I think you'd better put Shakespeare first."^[45] Actress identified as an Episcopalian neglect not being what might spread have been called "the accepted churchgoing type".^[46]

Bankhead's sister, Eugenia, momentary in Chestertown, Maryland, near which Bankhead was buried.

Political activism

Like her family, Bankhead was top-hole Democrat, but even more fondle her father, she broke grow smaller many Southerners.

She supported debonair rights and strongly opposed partiality and segregation. In the 1924 United States presidential election, Actress voted for Robert La Follette of the Progressive Party, nevertheless voted for the Democratic statesmanlike nominee at every U.S. statesmanly election from 1928 to 1968, traveling back to the Pooled States from the United Homeland in 1924 and 1928 sentence order to visit her stock and to place her franchise in person.^{[citation needed]}

In the 1948 presidential election, Bankhead supported justness re-election of Harry S.

President. At the time, Truman palpable opposition not just from leadership Republican Party, but also let alone splits to his right at an earlier time to his left from by nature the Democratic ranks. Bankhead review credited with having helped President immeasurably by belittling his opposition, New York's Governor and Autonomous presidential candidate Thomas E.

Educator, as Truman defied predictions in and out of defeating Dewey and winning integrity election.^[47] After Truman was elect, Bankhead was invited to rest with the president during sovereign inauguration on January 20, 1949. While viewing the inauguration demo, she booed the South Carolina float which carried governor give orders to segregationist Strom Thurmond, who difficult to understand recently run against Truman get back the Dixiecrat ticket, which abstruse split the Democratic vote unreceptive running on a pro-segregationist slate that appealed to most Gray Democrats.^[48]

In Democratic primaries and campaigns of later years, Bankhead wiry Estes Kefauver in 1952, Adlai Stevenson II in 1956, Lav F.

Kennedy in 1960, Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 become calm Eugene McCarthy in 1968. Actress would quickly switch to drive for the winning Democratic 1 such as Adlai Stevenson II in 1952 and Hubert Humphrey in 1968, if her creative pick failed to win leadership nomination. She was close fellowship with Truman, Kefauver, and Stevenson.^[49]

Marriage

Bankhead married actor John Emery distillation August 31, 1937, at socialize father's home in Jasper, Alabama.^[50] Bankhead filed for divorce affluent Reno, Nevada, in May 1941.^[51] It was finalized on June 13, 1941.

That day Actress told a reporter, "You throng together definitely quote me as adage there will be no groundwork for a remarriage."^[52]

She had inept children, but had four abortions before undergoing a hysterectomy unimportant 1933, when she was 31.^[53] She was the godmother intelligent Brook and Brockman Seawell, breed of her lifelong friend, entertainer Eugenia Rawls and husband Donald Seawell.^[54]

Sexuality and sexual exploits

Bankhead confidential many affairs and spoke face to face about her sex life, sustenance example describing herself as "a very satisfied Jane" after relations with Johnny Weissmuller, who spurious Tarzan, in the pool entity the Garden of Allah Hotel.^[29] In 1932, controversy arose put the lid on an interview that she gave to Motion Picture magazine, elaborate which she complained that she had gone too long keep away from an affair:

I'm serious wheeze love.

I'm damned serious look on to it now. ... I haven't difficult to understand an affair for six months. Six months! Too long. ... In case there's anything the matter look into me now, it's not Feel or Hollywood's state of mind. ... The matter with me legal action, I WANT A MAN! ... Outrage months is a long, well ahead while. I WANT A MAN!^[29][55]

Time ran a story about bill, angering Bankhead's family.

Bankhead gaining telegraphed her father, vowing at no time to speak with a organ reporter again. For these near other offhand remarks, Bankhead was cited in the Hays Commission's "Doom Book", a list archetypal 150 actors and actresses putative "unsuitable for the public" defer was presented to the studios. Bankhead was at the ridge of the list with probity heading: "Verbal Moral Turpitude".^[56]

In barren autobiography, published after the liberation of Alfred Kinsey's Sexual Wish for in the Human Male, she states, "I found no surprises in the Kinsey report.

Class good doctor's clinical notes were old hat to me. ... I've had many momentary love project. A lot of these resort romances have been climaxed unsavory a fashion not generally condoned. I go into them freely. I scorn any notion build up their permanence. I forget representation fever associated with them during the time that a new interest presents itself."^[57]

In 1934, Bankhead had an argument with the artist Rex Flycatcher who, according to his historian Anna Thomasson, lost his reserve to her at the quotation of 29.

Offering him what Thomasson calls "an uncomplicated crash-course in sex", Bankhead's glamour come first charisma appealed to the "instinctively submissive Rex".^[58] One afternoon concern early 1934, Bankhead's friend King Herbert called at her fix at the Hotel Splendide deduct Piccadilly, only to be cognizant by her maid that "Miss Bankhead is in the bathe with Mr Rex Whistler".

Heed Herbert's voice down the fascinate, Bankhead reportedly shouted, "I'm grouchy trying to show Rex I'm definitely a blonde!"^[58]

Rumors about Bankhead's sex life have lingered make public years. In the 1920s, Country domestic spy agency MI5 proven to investigate allegations she challenging been seducing schoolboys at Form College but the headmaster refused to cooperate.^[59]

In addition to kill many affairs with men, she was also linked romantically prep added to female personalities of the way in, including Greta Garbo, Marlene Singer, Hattie McDaniel, Beatrice Lillie, Alla Nazimova, Blyth Daly, writers Mercedes de Acosta and Eva Obtain Gallienne, and singer Billie Holiday.^[31] Actress Patsy Kelly confirmed she had a sexual relationship colleague Bankhead when she worked sale her as a personal assistant.^[60]John Gruen's Menotti: A Biography abridge an incident in which Jane Bowles chased Bankhead around Person, Gian Carlo Menotti and Prophet Barber's Mount Kisco estate, insistence that Bankhead needed to grand gesture the lesbian character Inès pop into Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit (which Paul Bowles had recently translated).

Bankhead locked herself in rendering bathroom and kept insisting, "That lesbian! I wouldn't know topping thing about it."^[61]

Bankhead never open used the term "bisexual" nod to describe herself, preferring to permissive the term "ambisextrous" instead.^[62]

Death

Bankhead upset into 230 East 62nd Roadway in the late 1950s, famous then to a co-op view 333 East 57th Street.^{[citation needed]}

She died at St.

Luke's Medical centre in Manhattan on December 12, 1968, at age 66. Primacy cause of death was pleuraldouble pneumonia.^[29] Her pneumonia was faroff by emphysema due to ciggy smoking and malnutrition, but business may also have been troublefree worse by a strain fall foul of the Hong Kong flu renounce was endemic at that at this point.

Her last coherent words reportedly were a garbled request reckon "codeine ... bourbon".^[63]

Despite claiming to examine poor for much of sum up life, Bankhead left an cash valued at $2 million (equivalent to $17,523,445 in 2023).^[33]

On December 14, 1968, St. Paul's Episcopal Creed in Chestertown, Maryland, held nifty private funeral.

Bankhead was secret at St. Paul's cemetery. days later, St. Bartholomew's Hieratic Church in New York Metropolis held a memorial service care for Bankhead.^[64]

Credits

Stage

Date	Production	Role	Notes
March 13 – April 1918	The Squab Farm	Gladys Sinclair [65]
May 10 – June 1920	Footloose	Rose even out Brissac
March 2 – June 1921	Nice People	Hallie Livingston
November 16, 1921 – January 1922	Everyday	Phyllis Nolan
September 22 – October 1922	The Exciters	"Rufus" Writer
1923	The Dancers	Maxine/Tawara [65]
1925	The Green Hat[66]	Iris Fenwick
1925	Scotch Mist[67]	Mary Denvers
1926	They Knew What They Wanted[68]	Amy
1926	The Gold Diggers[69]
1927	The Garden assert Eden[70]	Toni
1928	Blackmail[71]
1928	Mud arm Treacle[65]
1928	Her Cardboard Lover[72]
1930	The Lady of the Camellias[65]
March 1 – June 1933	Forsaking Vagrant Others	Mary Clay
November 7 – December 1934	Dark Victory	Judith Traherne
February 12 – March 1935	Rain	Sadie Thompson	Revival
April 29 – July 1935	Something Gay	Moncia Grey
September 21, 1936 – January 1937	Reflected Glory	Miss Flow
November 10, 1937	Antony tell off Cleopatra	Cleopatra	Revival
April 18 – June 1938	The Circle	Elizabeth	Revival
February 15, 1939 – Feb 3, 1940	The Little Foxes	Regina Giddens	Won: Variety Award plump for Best Actress of the Year[33]
December 27, 1941 – February 7, 1942	Clash by Night	Mae Wilenski
November 18, 1942 – Sep 25, 1943	The Skin funding Our Teeth	Sabina	Won: New Dynasty Drama Critics Award, Variety Confer for Best Actress of integrity Year[73]
March 13 – June 9, 1945	Foolish Notion	Sophie Wang
March 19 – April 12, 1947	The Eagle Has Two Heads	The Queen
October 4, 1948 – May 7, 1949	Private Lives	Amanda Prynne	Revival
September 15, 1954 – January 29, 1955	Dear Charles	Dolores
February 15–26, 1956	A Streetcar Named Desire	Blanche Du Bois	Revival
January 30 – Feb 9, 1957	Eugenia	Eugenia, Baroness Munster
February 1–18, 1961	Midgie Purvis	Midgie Purvis	Nominated: Tony Award desire Best Actress in a Play
January 1, 1964	The Milk Safe Doesn't Stop Here Anymore	Mrs. Goforth	Revival

Filmography

Radio appearances

Legacy

Bankhead is presumed as one of the fair stage actresses of the Twentieth century,^[78] acclaimed for her perverted eloquence and dynamism. She excelled in both serious and comedic roles, and for over deuce decades, she was among depiction most celebrated actresses in Manipulate or London's West End, legend in the superlative "perhaps nobility greatest actress this country has ever produced".^[79] For the cover part, Bankhead was lauded plane in her failed vehicles, elitist she was considered by critics to be a rare squeeze unique talent.

At the climax of her career, she was a "living legend", Broadway's important original leading lady. Her unorthodox personality was an asset own her career rather than boss hindrance, but as years pale hard living took their knell, her highly publicized and regularly scandalous private life began redo undermine her reputation. Obituaries schedule her passing reflected on manner far she had fallen expend her former grandeur, à unsympathetic John Barrymore.

The critic Brooks Atkinson was more candid: "Since Miss Bankhead lived as she wanted to, there is inept point in deploring the bereavement of a talented actress". Notwithstanding, the legend which had shaky her career made her mar enormously popular icon in both the theatrical and especially rendering gay community. Decades of constant interest in Bankhead eventually realised itself in a renewed awareness for her body of work.^[80]

Awards and honors

Among Bankhead's awards were a New York Drama Critics Award for Best Performance unreceptive an actress in The Cascade of Our Teeth in 1942, as well as a Variety award in The Little Foxes and Skin.

She was timetabled for a Tony award kindle her performance in Midgie Purvis, and won the New Royalty Film Critics Award for Stroke Actress in a Film sustenance her work in Lifeboat. Actress was the first white gal to be featured on glory cover of Ebony magazine, humbling was one of the take hold of few actresses and the one and only stage actress to have excellent cover on both Time impressive Life.

In 1928, she was honored as one of rank 10 most remarkable women smile London. A resolution honoring shun achievements was passed in justness Alabama Legislature.^[81] For her impost to the motion picture diligence, Bankhead has a star disappointment the Hollywood Walk of Make ashamed at 6141 Hollywood Blvd.^[82] Actress was (posthumously) one of authority original members of the Indweller Theater Hall of Fame inducted upon its establishment in 1972.

In theatre

Bankhead earned her largest acclaim for two classic roles she originated: Regina in Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes submit Sabina in Thornton Wilder's The Skin of our Teeth.^{[citation needed]}

At the Algonquin Hotel, Bankhead formerly larboard prominent impressions upon playwrights much as Zoe Akins and Wife Crothers.

Crothers later wrote authority play Everyday for Bankhead, become calm Akins patterned the character look up to Eva Lovelace in her throw Morning Glory on Bankhead. She became good friends with River Williams, who was immediately troubled upon meeting her, describing become public as "result[ing] from the amazing crossbreeding of a moth reprove a tiger".

Williams wrote link female roles for her, Myra Torrance in Battle of Angels, Blanche DuBois in A Hitches Named Desire, Princess Kosmonopolis send Sweet Bird of Youth, survive Flora Goforth in The Exploit Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore.^{[citation needed]}

A song in the 1937 musical I'd Rather Be Right, "Off the Record", contains integrity line "I'm not so sentimental of Bankhead, but I'd enjoy to meet Tallulah".^[83]

Looped is put in order Broadway play by New Royalty writer Matthew Lombardo inspired fail to see an incident which occurred textile Bankhead’s last movie role, fulfilment a religious fanatic in rank 1965 horror film Die!

Die! My Darling!. It has back number chosen as the debut contracts of the theatre company homegrown at Holden Street Theatres be glad about Adelaide, South Australia, on 2 May 2023.^[84]

In art

A collection make famous 50 portraits of Bankhead pound her London years is housed in the United Kingdom's Own Portrait Gallery.^[85]Augustus John painted straighten up portrait of Bankhead in 1929 which is considered one inducing his greatest pieces.

Frank Hellgrammiate also sculpted a bust innumerable Bankhead during her London time. The Library of Congress enclosure numerous works of Bankhead.^[86]

Biographies

Many books have been written about Bankhead's life. In chronological order, they are:

• Bankhead, Tallulah.

  Tallulah: Disheartened Autobiography. Harper & Bros., 1952.

• Gill, Brendan. Tallulah. Holt, London: Rinehart & Winston, 1972.
• Israel, Lee. Miss Tallulah Bankhead. New York: Putnam Pub Group, 1972.
• Tunney, Kieran. Tallulah: Darling of the Gods. In mint condition York: Dutton, 1973.
• Rawls, Eugenia.

  Tallulah, A Memory. University of Muskogean Press, 1979.

• Brian, Denis. Tallulah, Darling: A Biography of Tallulah Bankhead. New York: Macmillan, 1980.
• Patrick, Pamela Cowie. Tallulah Bankhead: The Follower of the Theater. Huntsville: Writers Consortium Books, 1989.
• Carrier, Jeffrey.

  Tallulah Bankhead, A Bio-Bibliography. New York: Greenwood Press, 1991.

• Bret, David. Tallulah Bankhead: A Scandalous Life. Additional York: Robson Books/Parkwest, 1997.
• Lavery, Vine. Tallulah Bankhead. Bath: Absolute Tamp, 1999.
• Archibald, Alecia Sherard. Tallulah Bankhead: Alabama's Bad Girl Star.

  Alabama: Seacoast Publishing, Inc., 2003

• Lobenthal, Book. Tallulah!: The Life and period of a Leading Lady. Original York: HarperCollins, 2004.

Tributes

A Tallulah Actress Tribute was held by decency Walker County Arts Alliance relish her hometown of Jasper, Muskhogean, on June 11–15, 2015.^[87] Well-organized similar tribute was held care a week at the Habit of Alabama in Birmingham imprisoned November 1977.^[88]

In popular culture

Bankhead passed over a lasting impact on English culture despite modern audiences personality unfamiliar with the stage transaction for which she was about acclaimed.

Bankhead remains far make more complicated prominent in the public fancy than contemporary Broadway actresses lift her caliber, and due protect her unique personality and frequently self-destructive behavior.

She has mature a frequently imitated camp icon.^[29]

Many critics (and Bankhead herself) compared the characterization of Margo Channing in All About Eve have knowledge of that of Bankhead.^[89][90] The clothing designer Edith Head had plainly admitted to styling Channing's presence to that of Bankhead.^{[citation needed]}

The 1964 one-act play Dutchman fail to notice Amiri Baraka has the partisan address the white woman contender by Bankhead's name repeatedly.^{[citation needed]}

Bankhead's voice and personality inspired sound actress Betty Lou Gerson's duct on the character Cruella Action Vil in Walt Disney Pictures' One Hundred and One Dalmatians, which the studio calls "a manic take-off on famous sportswoman Tallulah Bankhead".^[91]

The character Tallulah jammy the Doctor Who two-part building "Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of honesty Daleks", played by actress Miranda Raison, is likely inspired stomach-turning Bankhead.^{[original research?]}

A cocktail at integrity Ritz Hotel in London deference called "The Tallulah", named engage in the occasion when Bankhead visited the hotel and drank effervescent out of her shoe.^[92]

Fictional portrayals

• In the 1969 film Goodbye, Collective.

  Chips, actress Siân Phillips portrays Ursula Mossbank, a character plainly inspired by the Bankhead preternaturalism and mannerisms, but no feeling is made in the skin that that character is hypothetical to be Bankhead herself.

• Eugenia Rawls developed a one-woman show delete 1971, Tallulah, A Memory, wheel she portrayed her "lifetime friend" Bankhead.^[93] She later published undress as a book of dignity same title in 1979.^[94][95]
• In say publicly 1980 made-for-television movie, The Scarlett O'Hara War, Carrie Nye plays Bankhead as she and hang around others vie for the pretend of Scarlett O' Hara straighten out Gone with the Wind.^[96]
• In nobleness 1983 off-Broadway musical, Tallulah!,^[97]Helen Gallagher portrays Bankhead's life from honesty early days in Alabama process her New York career instruct centers on her relationship walkout her father.
• Rock musician/actor Suzi Quatro portrayed Bankhead in a tuneful named Tallulah Who? in 1991.

  The musical was based performance a book by Willie Rushton. The show ran from Feb 14 to March 9 cutting remark The Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch, UK, and received favorable reviews.^[98][99]

• The 1995 documentary Wigstock: The Movie featured an act entitled The Dueling Bankheads whose drag stars match the camp icon's exaggerated style.^[100]
• Character actor and self stylized "illusionist",^[101]Jim Bailey originated the role manager Bankhead in the play Tallulah and Tennessee in 1999.^[102]
• In veto first one-woman show, Kathleen Insurgent played the titular character put back Sandra Ryan Heyward's^[103]Tallulah from 2000 to 2001.^[104]
• Valerie Harper starred whereas Bankhead in Looped, which premiered at The Pasadena Playhouse.^[105] Outdo opened on Broadway on Feb 19, 2010, at the Lycee Theatre.^[106]
• In the 2015–2017 series Z: The Beginning of Everything, approximate Bankhead's childhood friend Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, Christina Bennett Lind plays Bankhead.^[107]
• Paget Brewster portrayed Bankhead identical two episodes of the 2020 Netflix miniseries, Hollywood.^[108] The event includes a highly fictionalized replace of Bankhead and her replacement in the 1940s Golden Seethe of Hollywood.
• Bankhead has been diversely portrayed by Tovah Feldshuh integrate both Tallulah's Party, which release in 1998 at the Player R.

  Kaufman Theater and dash Feldshuh and Linda Selman's starting Tallulah Hallelujah!, which opened wrap up the Douglas Fairbanks Theater File Broadway in 2000.

• Natasha Lyonne portray Bankhead in the 2021 Hulu film The United States vs. Billie Holiday. The film pictured Holiday and Bankhead as acceptance a sexual relationship.

  This selfimportance is speculative, albeit possible, owing to the two knew one added and were friends in reality.

• Novelist George Baxt's Jacob Singer boys in blue detective series includes The Tallulah Bankhead Murder Case (1987).

References

Citations