Lauren Bacall Dead At 89


One of Hollywood’s leading ladies, a golden actress in a golden era, has died. Lauren Bacall, 89, has passed away, according to the Humphrey Bogart Estate’s facebook page.

“With deep sorrow for the magnitude of our loss, yet with great gratitude for her amazing life, we confirm the passing of Lauren Bacall,” said the Facebook message posted Tuesday night.

According to TMZ, a source says that Bacall suffered a massive stroke in her home on Tuesday morning.

“The Look”

Lauren Bacall first emerged as a mega-star and perpetual leading lady with her debut in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have and Have Not in 1944. Having found the perfect spot for her deep, husky voice and seductive, sultry good looks, Bacall continued on within the film noir genre, with leading roles in movies such as The Big Sleep, Dark Passage and Key Largo. She certainly had a thing for Bogart films…and Humphrey Bogart himself. Bacall wed Bogart in 1945, and they remained married until his death in 1957. They had two children together – Leslie and Stephen.

Bacall eventually remarried after Bogart’s death, to Jason Robards, Jr., with whom she had a son, Sam. Bacall starred in only a few films while with Robards, but after their divorce in 1969, she went on to play the lead role in a Broadway musical, Applause, which earned her a Tony…even though she wasn’t a singer.

“I finally felt that I came into my own when I went on the stage,” Bacall said.

She was a writer, as well, penning her first memoir, By Myself, in 1978, and following it up with Now, published in 1994. Bacall discussed openly the many problems and difficulties she had faced, including the fact that both of her husbands were alcoholics.

Age certainly didn’t limit her talent- in 1996, she earned a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for her performance in the movie The Mirror Has Two Faces. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked her as #20 on an exclusive list of only 25 actresses on the AFI’s 100 Years…100 Stars list.

According to legend, Bacall developed what would later become known as “The Look” because of nerves. She would draw her chin down towards her chest in order to keep it from shaking, and then look upwards with her beautiful eyes, enhancing her sultry look unknowingly. She became known for that look.

Bacall was, undoubtedly, a beautiful woman and a legend in her own time. After all, at age 72, she was named one of People’s 50 “Most Beautiful.” It seems only fitting, then, that she is known for saying “I think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud of that.”

[Image via New York Natives]

Share this article: Lauren Bacall Dead At 89
More from Inquisitr