Career
In 1965, she shifted to New York City and made her debut on stage with American playwright and theatre director Tom Eyen’s Off-Off-Broadway plays— ‘Miss Nefertiti Regrets’ and ‘Cinderella Revisited’.
She played the unaccredited role of a background actor, ‘Miss David Buff’ in the 1966 American film, ‘Hawaii’, a role which helped her earn money to relocate from Hawaii to New York.
From 1966 to 1969, she became acquainted with the Broadway style of acting and appeared on the Broadway show ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and the Off-Broadway rock musical, ‘Salvation’.
In 1970, she gained attention while singing at ‘The Continental Baths’, a gay bathhouse located in New York City. It was here that she attracted numerous guests and gathered a huge fan following.
In 1972, her debut album ‘The Divine Miss M’ was released by Atlantic Records. The album featured the singles ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’, ‘Chapel of Love’, ‘Do You Want to Dance?’, ‘Hello In There’ and ‘Friends’.
In 1973, she came out with her second album, a self-titled compilation, ‘Bette Midler’, which was released by the Atlantic Records and was produced by Arif Mardin and Barry Manilow.
In 1976, she came out with her third album titled ‘Songs for the New Depression’, which peaked at the 27th position on the ‘Billboard 200’. With this album she made her first attempt at composing.
In 1977, her fourth studio album named ‘Broken Blossom’ was released. The same year she was also seen on the Emmy Award winning television special, ‘Ol' Red Hair is Back’.
In 1979, her fifth studio album ‘Thighs and Whispers’ was released and the same year she played the role of ‘Mary Rose Foster’ in the Academy Award nominated musical drama film, ‘The Rose’.
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In 1980, she starred in the concert film titled ‘Divine Madness’, which was based on her 1979 concert, held at the Pasadena's Civic Auditorium. The film also featured her attempt at stand-up comedy.
In 1983, her sixth album titled ‘No Frills’ was released. The album featured the singles ‘All I Need to Know’, ‘Favourite Waste of Time’ and ‘Beast of Burden’.
In 1986, she played the role of ‘Barbara Whiteman’ in the comedy film ‘Down and Out in Beverly Hills’, directed by Paul Mazursky. That year she was also seen in the comedy movie, ‘Ruthless People’.
In 1987, she played the role of ‘Sandy Brozinsky’ in the Golden Globe nominated movie ‘Outrageous Fortune’, directed by Arthur Hiller. The film was a commercial success.
In 1990, she came out with her seventh studio album ‘Some People's Lives’. The album was released under the Atlantic Records label and featured one of her most popular hit singles ‘From a Distance’.
In 1991, she appeared in the Golden Globe winning film ‘For the Boys’ and played the role of ‘Deborah Fifer’ in the film ‘Scenes from a Mall’. The following year, she was seen on the ‘The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson’.
In 1993, she appeared in the Golden Globe Award winning film ‘Gypsy’, in which she played the role of ‘Mama Rose’. The same year she also appeared in the film ‘Hocus Pocus’.
In 1995, her eighth album ‘Bette of Roses’ was released. The album received mixed critical reviews but was an immense commercial success. That year, she was also seen in the film ‘Get Shorty’.
In 1997, she was seen on the TV special ‘Diva Las Vegas’ and played a part in the sitcom ‘The Nanny’. That year, she also acted in the romantic comedy film ‘That Old Feeling’.
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In 1998, she came out with her ninth studio album titled ‘Bathhouse Betty’, which was a reasonably successful album. The album featured the singles ‘That's How Love Moves’, ‘My One True Friend’ and ‘I'm Beautiful’.
Released in the year 2000, her album ‘Bette’ was released under the label of Warner Bros. Records. The album featured the singles ‘Nobody Else But You’ and ‘In These Shoes’.
In 2003, her album ‘Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook’ was released. It was nominated for Grammy Award and album featured the hit single ‘White Christmas’ and was dedicated to singer Rosemary Clooney, who died the previous year.
In 2005, her album titled ‘Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook’ was released. The following year, she came out with the holiday themed album ‘Cool Yule’, which featured many Christmas melodies.
In 2012, she acted in the family comedy film ‘Parental Guidance’, which was directed by Andy Fickman.
Major Works, Awards & Achievements
Her debut album, ‘The Divine Miss M’ received the Grammy Award. The album peaked at the 10th position on the Billboard 200 and the song ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’ peaked at the 1st position on the Billboard ‘Adult Contemporary’ chart.
The hit single, ‘From a Distance’ from the album ‘Some People's Lives’ became an international hit and received a Grammy Award.
In 1980, she received two Golden Globe Awards in the categories, ‘Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy’ and ‘New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture – Female’ for the film ‘The Rose’.
In 1981, she won the Grammy Award in the category, ‘Best Female Pop Vocal Performance’ for ‘The Rose’.
In 1990, she won the Grammy Award in the category, ‘Record of the Year’ for ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’.
In 1992, she received the Golden Globe Award in the category, ‘Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical’ for the film, ‘For the Boys’.
In 1994, she received the Golden Globe award in the category, ‘Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV’ for ‘Gypsy’.
