What was Lauren Bacall's Net Worth?
Lauren Bacall was an American actress with a net worth of $50 million at her death. As a legendary star of Golden Age Hollywood, Bacall debuted opposite Humphrey Bogart in "To Have and Have Not". This marked the start of a distinguished career, featuring notable films like The Big Sleep, Dark Passage, Key Largo, How to Marry a Millionaire, Written on the Wind, The Shootist, and The Mirror Has Two Faces. On Broadway, she captivated audiences in Applause and Woman of the Year.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Born Betty Joan Perske on September 16, 1924, in the Bronx, New York City, Bacall was the sole child of Jewish parents Natalie, a secretary, and William, in sales. Her parents divorced when she was five, and she was raised by her mother. Bacall attended Highland Manor Boarding School and Julia Richman High School.
In 1941, Bacall took lessons at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where she was classmates with Kirk Douglas. Concurrently, she worked as a theater usher and fashion model, gracing the cover of Harper's Bazaar and appearing in Vogue. Nancy "Slim" Keith, the wife of director Howard Hawks, noticed Bacall's cover and persuaded her husband to give Bacall a screen test for his film To Have and Have Not.
Film Career, Part 1
Signing a seven-year contract with Howard Hawks, Bacall's debut in To Have and Have Not, adapted from the Ernest Hemingway novel, was remarkable. Acting alongside Humphrey Bogart, she delivered the iconic line: "You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow." After a less successful stint in Confidential Agent, Bacall rebounded with The Big Sleep and became a film noir icon through her performances in Dark Passage and Key Largo.
In 1950, Bacall starred in Bright Leaf with Gary Cooper and Young Man with a Horn with Doris Day. 1953 saw her as Schatze Page in How to Marry a Millionaire, followed by Woman's World. In 1955, she was featured in The Cobweb and Blood Alley. The next standout was Written on the Wind by Douglas Sirk, leading into the comedy Designing Woman and the British adventure North West Frontier.
Film Career, Part 2
The 60s and 70s saw fewer films from Bacall, with roles in Shock Treatment, Sex and the Single Girl, Harper, and The Shootist, John Wayne's last film. In the 80s, Bacall appeared in Robert Altman's HealtH, The Fan, Appointment with Death, and Tree of Hands. Her career resurgence in the 90s included Misery, A Star for Two, and Prêt-à-Porter. She earned an Academy Award nomination for Barbra Streisand's The Mirror Has Two Faces, followed by roles in My Fellow Americans, Day and Night, Diamonds, The Venice Project, and Presence of Mind.
In the 2000s, Bacall appeared in art films like Dogville, Birth, and Manderlay, voiced the English dub for Howl's Moving Castle, and worked in Paul Schrader's The Walker. Her final role was in 2012's The Forger.
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Television Career
Bacall graced the small screen with appearances in Dr. Kildare, Mr. Broadway, The Rockford Files, Chicago Hope, and The Sopranos. She starred in TV films like Perfect Gentlemen, A Little Piece of Sunshine, The Portrait, A Foreign Field, and Empire State Building Murders. Bacall also played the titular role in the 1999 miniseries Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke.
Stage Career
Bacall debuted on stage in 1942 with Johnny 2×4, returning in 1959 with Goodbye Charlie. Her theatrical career thrived with roles in Cactus Flower and the award-winning Applause. She continued with Wonderful Town, winning another Tony for Woman of the Year. Bacall's later stage credits included Sweet Bird of Youth, The Visit, and Waiting in the Wings, her last play.
Personal Life
Bacall married Humphrey Bogart in 1945, with whom she had two children: Stephen and Leslie. They remained together until Bogart's death in 1957. She briefly dated Frank Sinatra and later married Jason Robards in 1961, with whom she had a son named Sam. They divorced in 1969. Bacall passed away on August 12, 2014, in her Upper West Side Manhattan apartment.
Real Estate
In 1961, Bacall purchased a unit in New York City's Dakota building for $48,000. Posthumously, her family sold it for $23.5 million. Her collection of antiques was auctioned for over $3.6 million in April 2015.
