Five things you didn't know about Lauren Bacall

Hollywood actress dies at the age of 89 following a long career on the stage and screen

American actress Lauren Bacall
(Image credit: Baron/Getty Images)

Lauren Bacall, a star of Hollywood's golden age, passed away after a major stroke yesterday at the age of 89. Born Betty Joan Perske in Brooklyn, she made her screen debut in 1944 at the age of 19 in To Have and Have Not, starring opposite her future husband Humphrey Bogart, who was 25 years her senior. Her career on stage and screen lasted seven decades and included action movies with John Wayne and comedy with Marilyn Monroe. Her Broadway musical Cactus Flower was sold out for two years in the 1960s at the Royale Theatre, where she once worked as an usher. Five years ago she was awarded an honorary Academy Award for what was described as "her central place in the golden age of motion pictures". Here are five lesser-known facts about the star of the silver screen:

She heard John Lennon being shot

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More