Want to know the best Bette Davis movies? How about the worst Bette Davis movies? Curious about Bette Davis’s box office grosses or which Bette Davis movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Bette Davis movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which one got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place…. because we have all of that information and much more.
Bette Davis (1908-1989), a two time Oscar® winning actress. She was voted as the second greatest actress of all-time according to the American Film Institute. Her movie career started in 1931 and ended only months before her death in 1989. According to IMDB, she had 122 television and movie credits over her career.
Her IMDb page shows 123 acting credits from 1931-1989. This page ranks Bette Davis movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos, some early 1930 Davis movies and movies that were not released in North American theaters were not included in the rankings.
Bette Davis Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
79 Bette Davis Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Blue Movie Title is a link that will take to that movie’s trailer
- Sort Bette Davis movies by co-stars of her movies
- Sort Bette Davis movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Bette Davis movies by adjusted worldwide box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions) *** if domestic and worldwide box office are the same…then worldwide is unknown
- Sort Bette Davis movies by how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Bette Davis movie received.
- Sort Bette Davis movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
- Use the search and sort buttons to make this page very interactive….for example type Bogart in the search box and all 6 Bogart/Davis movies will pop up or type in *** in the search box and all of Davis Oscar® nominated performances will pop up.
| CreditRank | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Review % | Oscar Nom / Win | S | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CreditRank | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review % | Oscar Nom / Win | S | UMR Score |
| 1 | All About Eve (1950) AA Best Picture Win AA Best Actress Nom |
George Sanders & Marilyn Monroe |
8.90 | 198.9 | 282.3 | 9 | 92 | 14 / 06 | 100.0 | |
| 2 | The Little Foxes (1941) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actress Nom |
Teresa Wright & Directed by William Wyler |
4.40 | 168.5 | 274.0 | 39 | 87 | 09 / 00 | 98.9 | |
| 3 | Now, Voyager (1942) AA Best Actress Nom |
Claude Rains & Paul Henreid |
6.10 | 226.2 | 443.6 | 25 | 84 | 03 / 01 | 98.7 | |
| 4 | Jezebel (1938) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actress Win |
Henry Fonda & Donald Crisp |
4.30 | 170.2 | 233.2 | 36 | 84 | 05 / 02 | 98.6 | |
| 5 | Dark Victory (1939) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actress Nom |
Humphrey Bogart | 4.70 | 179.4 | 262.3 | 41 | 80 | 03 / 00 | 97.8 | |
| 6 | Watch on the Rhine (1943) AA Best Picture Nom |
Paul Lukas | 6.10 | 220.6 | 348.2 | 41 | 69 | 04 / 01 | 97.3 | |
| 7 | The Old Maid (1939) | Miriam Hopkins | 5.70 | 220.5 | 310.3 | 24 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 96.6 | |
| 8 | Old Acquaintance (1943) | Miriam Hopkins | 6.50 | 234.0 | 373.6 | 35 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 96.4 | |
| 10 | All This, and Heaven Too (1940) AA Best Picture Nom |
Barbara O'Neil | 4.20 | 161.3 | 271.4 | 29 | 78 | 03 / 00 | 96.3 | |
| 9 | The Letter (1940) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actress Nom |
Directed by William Wyler | 3.50 | 133.1 | 211.6 | 42 | 84 | 07 / 00 | 96.2 | |
| 12 | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) AA Best Actress Nom |
Joan Crawford | 10.20 | 147.3 | 212.2 | 20 | 84 | 05 / 01 | 95.9 | |
| 11 | A Stolen Life (1946) | Glenn Ford | 8.70 | 268.2 | 398.3 | 29 | 72 | 01 / 00 | 95.8 | |
| 13 | The Man Who Came To Dinner (1942) | Monty Woolley | 4.80 | 176.9 | 272.4 | 52 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 95.3 | |
| 14 | The Corn Is Green (1945) | John Dall & Joan Lorring |
6.10 | 193.9 | 321.4 | 53 | 70 | 02 / 00 | 95.1 | |
| 15 | Mr. Skeffington (1944) AA Best Actress Nom |
Claude Rains | 7.90 | 266.9 | 415.2 | 24 | 66 | 02 / 00 | 94.6 | |
| 16 | In This Our Life (1942) | Olivia de Havilland & Directed by John Huston |
4.70 | 175.3 | 296.7 | 54 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 93.7 | |
| 17 | Deception (1946) | Claude Rains & Paul Henreid |
5.80 | 177.5 | 271.5 | 60 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 92.9 | |
| 18 | Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) | Olivia de Havilland & Agnes Moorehead |
10.70 | 122.9 | 122.9 | 24 | 80 | 07 / 00 | 92.7 | |
| 19 | The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941) | James Cagney | 4.70 | 180.8 | 265.4 | 33 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 92.4 | |
| 20 | The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) | Errol Flynn & Olivia de Havilland |
3.80 | 147.1 | 248.4 | 50 | 71 | 05 / 00 | 91.8 | |
| 21 | Juarez (1939) | John Garfield | 4.70 | 180.0 | 251.3 | 39 | 61 | 02 / 00 | 91.1 | |
| 22 | The Great Lie (1941) | Mary Astor | 3.90 | 150.4 | 248.6 | 54 | 69 | 01 / 01 | 90.7 | |
| 23 | Kid Galahad (1937) | Humphrey Bogart & Edward G. Robinson |
4.10 | 172.0 | 251.6 | 38 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 90.7 | |
| 24 | Marked Woman (1937) | Humphrey Bogart | 3.10 | 128.4 | 190.9 | 70 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 87.9 | |
| 25 | The Petrified Forest (1936) | Humphrey Bogart & Leslie Howard |
1.90 | 83.8 | 119.3 | 102 | 82 | 00 / 00 | 87.3 | |
| 26 | It's Love I'm After (1937) | Olivia de Havilland | 2.30 | 95.9 | 156.9 | 101 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 86.4 | |
| 27 | The Sisters (1938) | Errol Flynn | 3.70 | 147.1 | 214.8 | 46 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 85.6 | |
| 28 | Pocketful of Miracles (1961) | Glenn Ford & Directed by Frank Capra |
7.00 | 101.9 | 101.9 | 33 | 67 | 03 / 00 | 84.6 | |
| 30 | June Bride (1948) | Robert Montgomery | 5.00 | 133.5 | 172.6 | 71 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 84.0 | |
| 29 | Dead Ringer (1964) | Karl Malden & Peter Lawford |
5.70 | 65.5 | 95.0 | 52 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 83.7 | |
| 31 | Of Human Bondage (1934) AA Best Actress Nom |
Leslie Howard | 1.50 | 72.3 | 90.7 | 73 | 75 | 01 / 00 | 82.9 | |
| 32 | Beyond the Forest (1949) | Joseph Cotten | 3.70 | 92.7 | 121.0 | 95 | 68 | 01 / 00 | 82.9 | |
| 33 | Seed (1931) | Zasu Pitts | 1.70 | 89.3 | 89.3 | 69 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 82.1 | |
| 34 | Death on the Nile (1978) | Peter Ustinov & Mia Farrow |
14.60 | 67.1 | 67.1 | 49 | 72 | 01 / 01 | 81.0 | |
| 35 | Phone Call From a Stranger (1952) | Shelley Winters | 3.80 | 73.5 | 73.5 | 92 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 79.0 | |
| 36 | Fashions of 1934 (1934) | William Powell | 1.60 | 76.3 | 129.2 | 70 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 78.3 | |
| 37 | The Nanny (1965) | Wendy Craig | 3.50 | 37.1 | 37.1 | 72 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 76.9 | |
| 38 | Dangerous (1935) AA Best Actress Win |
Franchot Tone | 1.30 | 59.8 | 92.9 | 101 | 68 | 01 / 01 | 76.6 | |
| 39 | That Certain Woman (1937) | Henry Fonda | 3.00 | 124.2 | 165.2 | 73 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 76.6 | |
| 40 | Front Page Woman (1935) | George Brent | 1.00 | 46.1 | 65.2 | 126 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 75.8 | |
| 41 | Jimmy The Gent (1934) | James Cagney | 0.90 | 44.5 | 62.5 | 116 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 74.3 | |
| 42 | Three on a Match (1932) | Humphrey Bogart | 1.00 | 47.3 | 62.2 | 119 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 74.2 | |
| 43 | 20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932) | Spencer Tracy | 1.40 | 70.6 | 130.9 | 68 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 73.2 | |
| 44 | The Rich Are Always with Us (1932) | George Brent | 1.10 | 54.9 | 54.9 | 107 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 71.6 | |
| 45 | Another Man's Poison (1951) | Gary Merrill | 2.40 | 52.1 | 52.1 | 140 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 71.1 | |
| 46 | Special Agent (1935) | George Brent | 1.40 | 62.9 | 62.9 | 95 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 71.0 | |
| 47 | Winter Meeting (1948) | Janis Paige | 2.30 | 62.4 | 76.8 | 130 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 70.4 | |
| 50 | Payment on Demand (1951) | Barry Sullivan | 4.40 | 93.9 | 143.2 | 79 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 69.1 | |
| 48 | The Virgin Queen (1955) | Richard Todd & Joan Collins |
2.70 | 56.3 | 56.3 | 119 | 63 | 01 / 00 | 69.1 | |
| 49 | The Man Who Played God (1932) | George Arliss | 1.50 | 75.0 | 116.9 | 56 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 69.0 | |
| 51 | The Anniversary (1968) | Sheila Hancock | 3.90 | 31.8 | 31.8 | 78 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 66.8 | |
| 52 | The Catered Affair (1956) | Ernest Borgnine & Debbie Reynolds |
2.70 | 53.0 | 82.2 | 120 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 66.5 | |
| 53 | Bordertown (1935) | Paul Muni | 2.50 | 114.3 | 158.7 | 49 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 66.2 | |
| 54 | The Bad Sister (1931) | Humphrey Bogart | 0.80 | 42.9 | 42.9 | 161 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 65.5 | |
| 55 | The Golden Arrow (1936) | George Brent | 1.30 | 56.2 | 79.6 | 128 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 63.8 | |
| 56 | Where Love Has Gone (1964) | Susan Hayward | 8.30 | 95.0 | 95.0 | 31 | 45 | 01 / 00 | 61.6 | |
| 57 | Right of Way (1983) HBO Movie |
James Stewart | 0.10 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 175 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 60.4 | |
| 58 | Parachute Jumper (1933) | Douglas Fairbanks Jr. | 0.70 | 31.9 | 52.8 | 147 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 59.4 | |
| 60 | The Cabin in the Cotton (1932) | Richard Barthelmess | 1.20 | 60.1 | 60.1 | 94 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 59.4 | |
| 59 | The Dark Horse (1932) | Warren William | 0.90 | 42.3 | 51.2 | 126 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 59.2 | |
| 61 | Return from Witch Mountain (1978) | Christopher Lee | 16.40 | 75.7 | 75.7 | 42 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 57.7 | |
| 62 | The Working Man (1933) | George Arliss | 1.10 | 53.7 | 110.1 | 80 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 56.9 | |
| 64 | So Big! (1932) | Barbara Stanwyck | 1.10 | 55.2 | 66.2 | 105 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 56.7 | |
| 63 | Housewife (1934) | George Brent | 0.70 | 34.0 | 43.5 | 146 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 56.4 | |
| 65 | Connecting Rooms (1970) | Michael Redgrave | 2.40 | 16.9 | 16.9 | 96 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 55.9 | |
| 66 | The Star (1952) AA Best Actress Nom |
Sterling Hayden | 2.80 | 54.4 | 54.4 | 121 | 52 | 01 / 00 | 51.5 | |
| 67 | The Whales of August (1987) | Lillian Gish & Vincent Price |
1.30 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 158 | 68 | 01 / 00 | 50.1 | |
| 68 | The Girl From 10th Avenue (1935) | Ian Hunter | 0.90 | 41.3 | 54.9 | 141 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 48.2 | |
| 69 | The Empty Canvas (1963) | Horst Buchholz | 1.40 | 17.9 | 17.9 | 112 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 47.7 | |
| 70 | Ex-Lady (1933) | Gene Raymond | 0.70 | 30.5 | 37.9 | 152 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 46.8 | |
| 71 | Fog Over Frisco (1934) | Margaret Lindsay | 0.70 | 34.8 | 52.1 | 142 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 42.6 | |
| 72 | John Paul Jones (1959) | Robert Stack | 2.40 | 43.5 | 91.9 | 95 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 41.8 | |
| 73 | Bureau of Missing Persons (1933) | Lewis Stone | 1.00 | 45.3 | 45.3 | 108 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 39.3 | |
| 74 | Bunny O'Hare (1971) | Ernest Borgnine | 2.60 | 16.7 | 16.7 | 102 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 33.5 | |
| 75 | The Watcher in the Woods (1980) | Lynn-Holly Johnson | 5.00 | 20.7 | 20.7 | 102 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 28.8 | |
| 76 | The Scapegoat (1959) | Alec Guinness | 1.60 | 29.3 | 61.3 | 125 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 28.4 | |
| 77 | The Big Shakedown (1934) | Charles Farrell | 0.60 | 26.0 | 26.0 | 171 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 25.9 | |
| 78 | Satan Met a Lady (1936) | Warren William | 0.90 | 38.2 | 45.1 | 155 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 23.2 | |
| 79 | Burnt Offerings (1976) | Karen Black & Oliver Reed |
4.70 | 23.9 | 23.9 | 85 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 22.3 | |
| 80 | Storm Center (1956) | Brian Keith | 1.50 | 28.8 | 28.8 | 156 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 17.6 | |
| 81 | Wicked Stepmother (1989) | Barbara Carrera | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 231 | 27 | 00 / 00 | 0.4 |
Possibly Interesting Facts About Bette Davis
1. Bette Davis made her movie debut in 1931’s The Bad Sister. The movie also starred another newcomer, Humphrey Bogart. Davis and Bogart would appear in 6 movies together from 1931 to 1939.
2. Bette Davis was nominated 11 times for a Best Actress Oscar®. She won twice…..1935’s Dangerous and 1938’s Jezebel. Only one of her films won the Best Picture Oscar®….1950’s All About Eve.
3. Bette Davis holds the record with Greer Garson for most years in a row to receive an Oscar® nomination…..5 years in a row. Davis was nominated every year from 1938-1942. Garson did the same accomplishment 1941-1945.
4. Bette Davis was married four times in her life. Her marriages to Harmon Nelson (1932-1939) and Arthur Farnsworth (1940-till his death in 1943) produced no children. She had one daughter with her third husband William Sherry(1945-1950) and two adopted children(boy and a girl) with fourth husband Gary Merrill(1950-1960).
5. Roles Bette Davis turned down or was seriously considered for during her career: Cool Hand Luke, The African Queen, Come Back Little Sheba, 1931’s Frankenstein, Mary Poppins and Gone With The Wind. Davis really wanted the Scarlett O’Hara role but her studio would not allow her to work for another studio.
6. Bette Davis and Lucille Ball both attended the John Murray Anderson Dramatic School. Davis was the star of the school, while Ball was sent home because she was too shy to become an actress.
7. Bette Davis was one of the founders of the Hollywood Canteen in 1942. The Hollywood Canteen was a nightclub where soldiers passing through Los Angeles during World War II got to see Hollywood stars perform live on stage. Often Davis would spend all day making a movie and all night performing for soldiers at the Hollywood Canteen. She felt that the Hollywood Canteen was one of her greatest accomplishments.
8. Bette Davis once sold over two million dollars worth of war bonds for the troops during World War II in only two days.
9. In 1981 Kim Carnes released the song “Bette Davis Eyes”. The song would reach number one and earn gold and platinum record status. Bette Davis Eyes helped Davis be discovered by a new generation.
10. One of the best collection of Bette Davis fans can be found on Facebook at Bette Davis Babylon. If you are a Bette Davis you have to join this group….it is easily the best movie group on Facebook that I have come across….and I am in many Facebook movie groups.
Check out Bette Davis‘s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Steve Lensman’s Bette Davis You Tube Video
For comments….all you need is a name and a comment….please ignore the rest.
Bette was an incredible actress although I did’nt see many of her movies until much later when they were run on the classics channel. Baby Jane scared the **** out of me….but the one that stands out to me is “Pocket Full of Miracles” which I loved so much, I would watch it every time it was scheduled. Trivia Question: In what Liz Taylor movie does she do an impersonation of Bette Davis?
Hey fpherj48….thanks for the visit. I agree What Happened to Baby Jane is scary….and I love her role as Apple Annie in Pocketful of Miracles. The beauty of our great technology is these older movies are so much easier to watch…..between TCM, VHS tapes, Blu-Rays, DVDs, internet feeds…if you want to see a movie all you have to do is look for it.
As for your question….you have me stumped….I think I remember reading about that at some point, but I do not know which movie that happened in…..but I will hunt down the answer…I like trivia hunts.
Hi cogerson; Davis one of the greatest, if not THE greatest actress ever. (Possibly second to Kate Hepburn) I’ve seen “All About Eve” a dozen times and I never get tired of it. Amazing performance.
I was recently watching her in “Elizabeth and Essex” and I remembered reading that she didn’t want to work with Errol Flynn because he was “just a pretty boy”. But years later she watched the film again and admitted he was perfect for the part.
Her famous feud with Joan Crawford is show business legend. I’ve heard that Crawford took great delight in the fact that David didn’t age well. One famous story has them meeting before they filmed ‘Baby Jane’ and Crawford sayng to people “She looks like my mother”.
I’d never seen Bette Davis in anything until 1984 when she starred in a TV series called “Hotel” and my uncle told me that she was the greatest actress in the world so I started watching some of her films. I watched “All about Eve”, “little Foxes” and “Hush hush sweet Charlotte” on VHS and I saw what he meant.
Hey Rob…thanks for the comment and the visit. I think the Crawford/Davis feud would make a great movie….it could cover all the legendary stories of the feud and it would cover almost 40 years of their mutual hatred for each other.
Get some current talented young actresses like Amanda Seyfried as Davis and Rachael McAdams as Crawford…they could play the young, middle age and old age versions. So what do you think?
As for Davis, I think I was very unaware of her until the song Bette Davis Eyes became so popular on the radio. Then I started to pay a little more attention to her….it was sad that she is only remember now by her very strange Oscar appearance in the 1980s.
I have seen What Happened To Baby Jane….but I have never seen Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte….I will have to add that one to my list of movies to watch….plus it got 7 Oscar nominations so has to have some merits.
I am a long-time Bette Davis fan, but am surprised that my favorite among her many films is not mentioned: “Of Human Bondage.” Thanks for this retrospect. Lynda
Hey Immartin…let’s see Of Human Bondage came in ranked as her 23rd best movie on the big Movie Score table. It did not earn much at the box office back in 1934…but at the time her performance was not only considered one of the best of the year but also one of the best ever. When she did not get nominated for Best Actress….a write in campaign was launched and she almost won the Oscar with all the write in votes she received. Thanks for checking out my Bette Davis page
Hey Cogerson, Bruce, son, Bette Davis was such a good actress or actor as they say today. I have seen so many of her movies. Dark Victory was a good movie, George Brent played the doctor and he was good too. It was remade by Susan Hayward too and that was good as well. All About Eve was a great movie role for her. Not sure just how many of her movies that I have seen but lots of them. Joan Crawford should be an interesting HUB – she was also a great actress though her MOMMY role was not a good one in real life so we hear…hope that I did an okay job with the MOMMY role, ha, ha, ha. I know that I enjoy being a mother, mother-in-law, grandmother and last but not least a great-grandmother. I enjoyed being married to your father very much and miss him and just knowing that this Christmas will be our first without him will be tough. I think about that a lot getting ready for the big day but having the little ones around will be fun. HAVE A GOOD DAY COGERSON, son, husband, father and grandfather all rolled into one.
Hey BERN1960….thanks for stopping by. I just checked out Dark Victory from the library. I was unaware that it had been remade with Susan Hayward. Well maybe Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were not the best mothers.
But I can tell you that you were and are a great mother…so you do not have to worry about me writing a hub on how you would not let us use wire hangers…..but maybe there will be a hub on how you used to use the paddle in the bottom drawer in the kitchen on us when we were being perfect children….lol. Dad will be with us, as he always is, during the holidays.
Samantha has agreed to spend the night with you tomorrow night…so I think she has forgiven you for not letting her spend last weekend with you…..thanks for the comments and for sharing how you are feeling. Love your Cogerson.
Bette Davis’ style of acting,funny enough to me,is the Christopher Walken of of unique and unusual acting styles and personality…she’s one of a kind for sure.;-))
Hey Mentalist Acer…a very interesting comparison between Walken and Davis…they both have very distinctive eyes and were willing to play some very unusual and not so nice characters. When I was researching her movies I could not believe how many books were out there on her life and career….easily the most I have ever come across when researching these pages. I agree 100% with you that Bette Davis was one of a kind.