Bette Midler Biography (1945-)

Born December 1, 1945, in Paterson, NJ (some sources cite Honolulu, HI or Aiea, HI); raised in Aiea, HI; daughter of Fred (a house painter) and Ruth (a seamstress; maiden name, Schindel) Midler; married Martin von Haselberg (a commodities trader and performance artist under the name Harry Kipper), December16, 1984; children: Sophie Frederica Alohilani. Addresses: Agent: International Creative Management, 8942 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211;(music) Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.; Publicist: Cheryl Maisel, PMK/HBH Public Relations, 700 San Vicente Blvd.,Suite G910, West Hollywood, CA 90069 (some sources cite 8500 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite 700, Beverly Hills, CA 90211).

Nationality: American
Gender: Female
Occupation: Actress, singer, producer, writer, composer
Birth Details: December 1, 1945; Paterson, New Jersey, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Film Appearances
Passenger, Hawaii, United Artists, 1966
Virgin Mary, The Thorn (also known as The Divine Mr. J), 1971
Mary Rose Foster (title role), The Rose, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1979
The Divine Miss M, Divine Madness! (concert film; also known as Bette Midler Is Divine Madness), Warner Bros., 1980
Bonita Friml, Jinxed!, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1982
Barbara Stone, Ruthless People, Buena Vista, 1986
Barbara Whiteman, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Buena Vista, 1986
Music teacher, The Lottery (short film shown at Walt Disney World), 1987
Sandy Brozinsky, Outrageous Fortune, Buena Vista, 1987
Cecilia Carol "C. C." Bloom, Beaches (also known as Forever Friends), Buena Vista, 1988
Sadie Shelton and Sadie Ratliff, Big Business, Buena Vista, 1988
Voice of Georgette, Oliver & Company (animated musical), BuenaVista, 1988
Stella Claire (title role), Stella, Buena Vista, 1990
Deborah Fifer, Scenes from a Mall, Buena Vista, 1991
Dixie Leonard, For the Boys, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1991
Winifred "Winnie" Sanderson, Hocus Pocus, Buena Vista, 1993
(Uncredited) Doris Saphron, Get Shorty, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1995
Brenda Morelli Cushman, The First Wives Club, Paramount, 1996
Lilly Leonard, That Old Feeling, Universal, 1997
Herself, Get Bruce!, Miramax, 1999
Segment hostess, Fantasia/2000 (live action and animated; also known as Fantasia Continued, Fantasia '99, and Fantasia 2000), Walt Disney Pictures, 1999
(Uncredited) Dr. J. M. Perkins, What Women Want, Paramount, 2000
Jacqueline Susann, Isn't She Great (also known as Ist sie nichtgrossartig?), MCA/Universal, 2000
Mona Dearly, Drowning Mona, Destination Films, 2000
Bobbie Markowitz, The Stepford Wives, Paramount, 2004
Linda Ashford, In the Pink, Columbia, 2007
Some sources cite an appearance as an uncredited extra in The Hawaiians (also known as Master of the Islands), United Artists, 1970.
Film Song Performer
Singing voice, Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers, Maron Films, 1971
Performer of songs have been featured in films, television broadcasts, and videos.
Film Producer
(With Bonnie Bruckheimer-Martell and Margaret Jennings South) Beaches (also known as Forever Friends), Buena Vista, 1988
(With Bruckheimer-Martell and South) For the Boys, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1991
Executive producer, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, WarnerBros., 2002
Television Appearances
Series
Host and voice of Woody the spoon, Vegetable Soup (live action andanimated), syndicated, 1975
Bette, Bette! (also known as Bette and The Bette Show), CBS, 2000-2001
Appeared in the series The Edge of Night, CBS, c. 1960s.
Miniseries
Herself, 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll (also known as The Greatest), VH1, 1999
Movies
Herself, Jackie's Back (also known as Jackie's Back: Portrait of a Diva), Lifetime, 1999
Voice, The Magic 7 (animated), c. 2006
Specials
Multiple characters, Burt Bacharach: Opus No. 3, ABC, 1973
Neil Sedaka Steppin' Out, NBC, 1976
Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back, NBC, 1977
Bing! ... A 50th Anniversary Gala, CBS, 1977
People, CBS, 1978
The Barbara Walters Special, ABC, 1980, 1987, 1991
Bette Midler: Art or Bust, HBO, 1984
"Why Bother?," David Letterman's Holiday Film Festival (also knownas Late Night Film Festival), NBC, 1985
People Magazine on TV, CBS, 1989
Mother Nature, Time Warner Presents: The Earth Day Special (also known as The Earth Day Special), ABC, 1990
An Evening with Bette, Cher, Goldie, Meryl, Olivia, Lily, and Robin, ABC, 1990
Living in America, VH1, 1990
Sinatra 75: The Best Is Yet to Come (also known as Frank Sinatra: 75th Birthday Celebration), CBS, 1990
The Dream Is Alive: The 20th Anniversary Celebration of Walt Disney World (also known as Walt Disney World's 20th Anniversary Celebration), CBS, 1991
A User's Guide to Planet Earth: The American Environment Test, ABC, 1991
HBO's 20th Anniversary--We Hardly Believe It Ourselves, HBO and CBS, 1992
Mama Rose Hovick, Gypsy (musical), CBS, 1993
Voice, Earth and the American Dream, HBO, 1993
What Is This Thing Called Love?, ABC, 1993
Answering machine voice, How to Be Absolutely Fabulous, Comedy Central, 1995
(In archive footage) 50 Years of Funny Females (also known as Fifty Years of Funny Females), 1995
Golden Anniversary (also known as Rosemary Clooney's Demi-Centennial and Rosemary Clooney's Golden Anniversary), 1995
Hollywood Stars: A Century of Cinema, The Disney Channel, 1995
We Are the World: A 10th Anniversary Tribute, The Disney Channel,1995
Peter Allen: The Boy from Oz (documentary), c. 1995
Ladies' Home Journal's Most Fascinating Women of '96 (also known as The Most Fascinating Women of 1996), CBS, 1996
Wynonna: Revelations, CBS, 1996
Bette Midler: Diva Las Vegas (also known as Bette Midler in Concert: Diva Las Vegas), HBO, 1997
(In archive footage) Motown 40: The Music Is Forever, ABC, 1998
Tara Lipinski: From This Moment, CBS, 1999
Herself, Holidays with the Stars, E! Entertainment Television, 2000
Crossover, Independent Film Channel, 2001
A Prayer for America: Yankee Stadium Memorial, 2001
Twas the Night, HBO, 2001
United We Stand, ABC, 2001
(In archive footage) Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The 1970s, 2002
A Barry Manilow Christmas: Live by Request, Arts and Entertainment, 2003
Herself, AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Songs (also known as AFI's 100Years ... 100 Songs: America's Greatest Music in the Movies), CBS, 2004
(In archive footage) 50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs ... Ever, VH1, 2004
(In archive footage) Live from New York: The First 5 Years of SaturdayNight Live, NBC, 2005
Awards Presentations
Presenter, The 22nd Annual Tony Awards, NBC, 1968
The 16th Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1974
The 17th Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1975
The 19th Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1977
The 52nd Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1980
The 38th Annual Golden Globe Awards, CBS, 1981
The 23rd Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1981
Presenter, The 54th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1982
The American Film Institute Salute to Frank Capra (also known as The 10th American Film Institute Life Achievement Award: A Salute to FrankCapra), 1982
Host, MTV First Annual Video Music Awards, MTV, 1984
The 59th Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1987
The 32nd Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1990
The 33rd Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1991
The 64th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1992
The 46th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, ABC, 1994
Presenter, The 69th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1997
Presenter, The 40th Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1998
The 1998 Billboard Music Awards, Fox, 1998
The 18th Annual American Fashion Awards, E! Entertainment Television, 1999
Presenter, The 43rd Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 2001
(In archive footage) The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, CBS, 2005
Episodic
Musical guest, Saturday Night Live (also known as NBC's "Saturday Night," Saturday Night Live '80, SNL, and SNL 25), NBC, 1979
Herself, "The Divine Miss M," Entertainment Tonight (also known asEntertainment This Week, ET, E.T., ET Weekend, and This Week in Entertainment), syndicated, 1989
The Oprah Winfrey Show (also known as Oprah), syndicated, 1989
Narrator, "Weird Parents," Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories (animated), Showtime, 1992
Voice of herself, "Krusty Gets Kancelled," The Simpsons (animated), Fox, 1993
Herself, "The Understudy," Seinfeld, NBC, 1994
Herself, "You Bette Your Life," The Nanny, CBS, 1996
Herself, Intimate Portrait: Bette Midler, Lifetime, 1997
Caprice Feldman (secretary number ninety-three), "Never Can Say Goodbye:Part 1," Murphy Brown, CBS, 1998
Herself, Intimate Portrait: Patti LaBelle, Lifetime, 1998
Herself, "Bette Midler," Behind the Music (also known as Behindthe Music: Bette Midler, BtM, and VH1's "Behind the Music"), VH1, 1999
Herself, Joan Rivers: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 2001
Herself, "Bette Midler," Biography (also known as A&E Biography: Bette Midler), Arts and Entertainment, 2004
(In archive footage) E! 101 Most Starlicious Makeovers (also knownas E's "101"), E! Entertainment Television, 2004
(In archive footage) "Lo veraniego," La tierra de las 1000 musicas, 2005
Television Guest Appearances
Episodic
The David Frost Show, syndicated, 1970
The Merv Griffin Show, CBS, 1970
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (also known as The Bestof Carson), NBC, multiple appearances, from 1970 through 1992
The Mike Douglas Show, syndicated, 1971
Cher, CBS, 1975
Today (also known as NBC News Today and The Today Show), NBC, 1979, 1983, 2003
The Midnight Special, NBC, 1980, 1981
"Wetten, dass ... ? aus Saarbruecken," Wetten, dass ... , 1990
Top of the Pops (also known as All New Top of the Pops andTOTP), BBC, 1991
The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, multiple episodes from 1996to 2002

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, 1996, 2003
Mundo VIP, 1997
The Ruby Wax Show, Fox, 1997
"Wetten, dass ... ? aus Linz," Wetten, dass ... , 1998
The Entertainment Business, Bravo, 1998
The Roseanne Show, syndicated, 1998
Entertainment Tonight (also known as Entertainment This Week, E.T., ET Weekend, and This Week in Entertainment), syndicated, 1998, 2004
Ruby Wax Meets, BBC, 2001
"New York Special" (also known as "Ground Force in New York"), GroundForce, 2002
The Caroline Rhea Show, syndicated, 2003
Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show (also known as Ellen and The Ellen DeGeneres Show), syndicated, 2003
Larry King Live, Cable News Network, 2003
The View, ABC, 2003, 2004, 2005
Inside the Actors Studio, Bravo, 2004
The Jane Pauley Show, NBC, 2004
Late Show with David Letterman (also known as The Late Showand Late Show Backstage), CBS, 2004
Siskel & Ebert & the Movies (also known as Ebert &Roeper, Ebert & Roeper and the Movies, Roger Ebert & the Movies, and Siskel & Ebert), 2004
Live with Regis and Kelly, syndicated, 2004, 2006
Corazon de ... , Television Espanola (Spain), multiple episodes in2005
Good Morning America (also known as GMA), ABC, multiple episodes in 2005
(In archive footage) Showbiz Tonight, Cable News Network, 2005
Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC, 2006
Parkinson, Independent Television (England), 2006
Television Appearances
Pilots
Mondo Beyondo and Eudora P. Quickly, Bette Midler's "Mondo Beyondo" (also known as Mondo Beyondo), HBO, 1988
Bette, Bette! (also known as Bette and The Bette Show), CBS, 2000
Television Executive Producer
Series
Bette! (also known as Bette and The Bette Show), CBS, 2000-2001
Some of My Best Friends (also known as Kiss Me Guido, Kiss Me, Guido, and Me and Frankie Z), CBS, 2001
Television Producer
Specials
Bette Midler: Art or Bust, HBO, 1984
Executive producer, Bette Midler: Diva Las Vegas (also known as Bette Midler in Concert: Diva Las Vegas), HBO, 1997
Television Work
Pilots
Creator, Bette Midler's "Mondo Beyondo" (also known as Mondo Beyondo), HBO, 1988
Stage Appearances
Cinderella Revisited, c. 1965
Miss Nefertiti Regrets, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, New York City, 1966
Member of chorus, Fiddler on the Roof (musical), Imperial Theatre,New York City, 1966
Tzeitel, Fiddler on the Roof (musical), Majestic Theatre, New YorkCity, 1966-69
Betty Lou, Salvation (musical), Jan Hus Playhouse, New York City,1969-70
Acid Queen and Mrs. Walker, Tommy (rock opera), Seattle Opera Company, Seattle, WA, 1971
Bette at the Palace (concert; also known as Bette Midler),Palace Theatre, New York City, 1973
Clams on the Half-Shell (revue), Palace Theatre, 1973-74, then Minskoff Theatre, New York City, 1975
A Star Spangled Night for Rights, 1977
Bette! Divine Madness (also known as Divine Madness), Majestic Theatre, 1979-80
Experience the Divine (concert), Radio City Music Hall, New York City, 1993
Doin' What Comes Natur'lly (tribute concert), 1998
Nora, "I Hate My Purse," Short Talks on the Universe, Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York City, 2002
Also appeared in Bette Midler: Art or Bust, and in other productions and benefit productions.
Major Tours
The Divine Miss M Tour, 1973
The Depression Tour, 1975
The Club Tour, 1977
The World Tour, international cities, 1978
Divine Madness, U.S., European, and African cities, 1980
De Tour, 1982
Experience the Divine, 1993-94
Diva Las Vegas, U.S. cities, 1996-97
Bathhouse Betty Club Tour, 1999
The Divine Miss Millennium Tour, 1999
Kiss My Brass, U.S. cities, 2003
RECORDINGS
Albums
The Divine Miss M, Atlantic, 1972
Bette Midler, Atlantic, 1973
Songs for the New Depression, Atlantic, 1975
Broken Blossom, Atlantic, 1977
Live at Last, Atlantic, 1977
The Best of Bette, Atlantic, 1978
New Depression, Atlantic, 1979
Thighs and Whispers, Atlantic, 1979
Divine Madness! (soundtrack), Atlantic, 1980
No Frills, Atlantic, 1984
Mud Will Be Flung Tonight! (comedy album), Atlantic, 1985
Some People's Lives, Atlantic, 1991
Divine Collection, Atlantic, 1993
From a Distance, Atlantic, 1993
Experience the Divine--Greatest Hits, 1993, Canadian version withadditional selections, 1997
Bette of Roses, Atlantic, 1995
Bathhouse Betty, Warner Bros., 1998
Bette, Warner Bros., 2000
3 for One (box set), Wea International, 2000
Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook (also known as Rosemary for Remembrance), Sony/Columbia, 2003
Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook, Columbia, 2005
Other albums include In Concert, Atlantic.
Albums; with Others
Ringo Starr, Ringo the 4th, Atlantic, 1977
The Rose (soundtrack), Atlantic, 1979
In Harmony/A Sesame Street Record, 1980
Beaches (soundtrack), Atlantic, 1988
Oliver and Company (soundtrack), 1988
Atlantic Hit Singles: 1980-1988 (also known as Atlantic Hit 45s: '80-88), Atlantic, 1990
Disney for Our Children, 1991
For the Boys (soundtrack), Atlantic, 1991
Home Alone 2 (soundtrack), 1992
Gypsy (soundtrack), 1993
The First Wives Club (soundtrack), 1996
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (soundtrack), 1996
That Old Feeling (soundtrack), 1997
The Rainforest Foundation Carnival!, 1997
Appeared in albums by other artists.
Singles
"Do You Want to Dance?," 1972
"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," 1973
"Friends," 1973
"In the Mood," 1974
"Old Cape Cod," 1976
"Strangers in the Night," 1976
"Daybreak (Storybook Children)," 1977
"Paradise," 1977
"You're Moving Out Today," 1977
"Big Noise from Winnetka," 1979
"Married Men," 1979
"Hang on in There Baby," 1980
"In My Mother's Eyes," 1980
"The Rose," 1980
"When a Man Loves a Woman," 1980
"All I Need to Know," 1983
"Favorite Waste of Time," 1983
(With Mick Jagger) "Beast of Burden," c. 1983
(With USA for Africa) "We Are the World," 1985
"Wind beneath My Wings," 1988
"Under the Boardwalk," c. 1988
"From a Distance," 1990
"The Gift of Love," 1990
"Moonlight Dancing," 1990
"Every Road Leads Back to You," c. 1991
"In My Life," c. 1991
"Night and Day," c. 1991
"Yakety Yak Take It Back," c. 1991
"In This Life," 1995
"To Deserve You," c. 1995
"My One True Friend," 1998
"To Deserve You," c. 1998
Videos
(In archive footage) Oscar's Greatest Moments, 1992
A Perfect World: The Making of "The Stepford Wives," Paramount Home Video, 2004
Stepford: A Definition, Paramount Home Video, 2004
The Stepford Husbands, Paramount Home Video, 2004
The Stepford Wives, Paramount Home Video, 2004
Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, 2005
Music Videos
(With Mick Jagger) "Beast of Burden," 1983
"Favorite Waste of Time," 1983
"Under the Boardwalk," 1988
"Wind beneath My Wings," 1989
"From a Distance," 1990
"Night and Day," 1990
"Every Road Leads Back to You," 1991
"In My Life," 1991
"Night and Day," 1991
"Yakety Yak Take It Back," 1991
"To Deserve You," 1995
"To Deserve You," 1998
WRITINGS
Screenplays
(With Jerry Blatt and Bruce Vilanch) Divine Madness! (concert film; also known as Bette Midler Is Divine Madness), Warner Bros., 1980
Teleplays
Specials
(With others) Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back, NBC, 1977
(With Jerry Blatt) Bette Midler: Art or Bust, HBO, 1984
Pilots
(With others) Bette Midler's "Mondo Beyondo" (also known as Mondo Beyondo), HBO, 1988
Film Music
Songs
Songs "Oh Industry" and "Otto Titsling," Beaches (also known as Forever Friends), Buena Vista, 1988
Wrote songs that have been featured in films, television broadcasts, andvideos.
Television Music
Series
Bette! (also known as Bette and The Bette Show), CBS, 2000-2001
Albums
with Others
The Divine Miss M, Atlantic, 1972
Bette Midler, Atlantic, 1973
Songs for the New Depression, Atlantic, 1975
Broken Blossom, Atlantic, 1977
Live at Last, Atlantic, 1977
The Best of Bette, Atlantic, 1978
New Depression, Atlantic, 1979
Thighs and Whispers, Atlantic, 1979
Divine Madness! (soundtrack), Atlantic, 1980
No Frills, Atlantic, 1984
Mud Will Be Flung Tonight! (comedy album), Atlantic, 1985
Some People's Lives, Atlantic, 1991
Divine Collection, Atlantic, 1993
From a Distance, Atlantic, 1993
Experience the Divine--Greatest Hits, 1993, Canadian version withadditional selections, 1997
Bette of Roses, Atlantic, 1995
Bathhouse Betty, Warner Bros., 1998
Bette, Warner Bros., 2000
3 for One (box set), Wea International, 2000
Other albums include In Concert, Atlantic.
Singles
(With others) "You're Moving Out Today," 1977
(Additional lyrics) "Big Noise from Winnetka," 1979
Wrote other songs, including "Shoot the Breeze (Dustin's Tune)" with Dustin Hoffman. Wrote songs recorded by others, including "I Could Have Loved You," "Something Your Heart Has Been Telling Me," and "Steal Away Again."
Nonfiction
A View from a Broad, Simon & Schuster, 1980
Writings for Children
The Saga of Baby Divine, Crown, 1983

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

Bego, Mark, Bette Midler: Outrageously Divine; An Unauthorized Biography, New American Library, 1987
Bego, Mark, Bette Midler: Still Divine, Cooper Square Press, 2003
Collins, Ace, Bette Midler, St. Martin's Press, 1989
Contemporary Musicians, Volume 50, Thomson Gale, 2005
International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 2: Actors and Actresses, fourth edition, St. James Press, 2000
Mair, George, Bette: An Intimate Biography of Bette Midler, CarolPublishing, 1994
Spada, James, The Divine Bette Midler, Scribner, 1984
Waldman, Allison J., The Bette Midler Scrapbook, Citadel Press, 1997

Periodicals

Advocate, November 10, 1998, p. 38
Cleo, November, 1975
Entertainment Weekly, June 16, 1995, p. 11; October 16, 1998, p. 86
Good Housekeeping, March, 1996, p. 82
InStyle, March, 1997
Ladies' Home Journal, July, 1993, p. 96; September, 1996, p. 134
Mirabella, November, 1998, p. 190
Movieline, December, 1991
Ms., December, 1987; March, 1989, pp. 52-57
Newsweek, June 30, 1986, pp. 58-59; November 25, 1991, pp. 54-55
New Yorker, January 19, 2004, p. 90
People Weekly, January 7, 1980, pp. 52-56; November 14, 1983, pp.115-19; January 16, 1984, pp. 43-44; February 3, 1986, pp. 92-96
Rolling Stone, November 13, 1997
Time, March 2, 1987, pp. 64-70; November 1, 2004, p. 105
Variety, March 27, 2000, p. 61

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