Bette Midler

The Divine Miss M

From her early days in the bathhouses to her rise as the star of her own concert film, Bette Midler has always brought a campy playfulness to her performances. She has also proven herself to be a very capable actress in a string of both dramatic and comedic roles.

Bette developed a popular nightclub act that included comedy and singing of a variety of kinds of material, (show tunes, pophits, even a takeoff on The Andrew Sisters). She told dirty jokes and belted out songs in Manhattan's Continental Baths in 1971, and she became a campy cult figure on the local gay scene. She was noticed by an executive from the David Frost show. Her appearances on David Frost's show, The Tonight show, and in nightclubs exploded into hit pop albums.