Bette Davis's Daughter B.D. Hyman Reveals Her Strained Relationship With Her Mother

Feb 04, 2022

Bette Davis was one of the greatest female actresses during Hollywood’s classical cinema era, and her career spanned more than 50 years with over 100 acting credits. Davis was most known for playing a variety of groundbreaking roles, specifically as unsympathetic characters, pioneering the idea of female villainy in films and television series. 

Her range was unlimited, as she starred in contemporary crime dramas, historical movies, suspense, horror, and even comedies. Davis’ most renowned roles came from her experience acting in romantic dramas. Some of the movies she has starred in include “Marked Woman” and “Death on the Nile.” Her acting abilities were above par, as she was intense and came across as a perfectionist, always putting her best foot forward.

Along with a plethora of acting credits, Davis also was the recipient of several awards during her lifetime, including two Academy Awards. She continued to act as she grew older, working until just shortly before her death from breast cancer in 1989. The actress has since left a long-lasting legacy on the world, and her memory is carried out by her fans and loved ones.

Davis was married a total of four times during her life, divorcing three and left widowed once. Her work left her constantly busy, ultimately leading to the downfall of many of her relationships. Davis mostly raised her three children as a single parent. Just a few years before Davis’ death, her daughter, B. D. Hyman, wrote a controversial memoir about her childhood, depicting her complicated relationship with Davis. Read on to find out more about Davis’ life, career, and relationship with her daughter.

Davis moved to Hollywood in 1930 at the age of 22. She landed a few roles here and there before finally making her breakthrough in the 1937 film “Marked Woman.” From that point on, Davis made her mark as a substantial actress, acquiring several more landmark roles as her career progressed. Many people were pleased with her performances, and even today, she is recognized as one of the most influential actresses. There is even a song written about her beauty called “Bette Davis Eyes.”

However, not everyone was a fan of Davis. She actually had a rivalry with actress Joan Crawford. According to Vanity Fair, they both brought their daughters to the set of “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” and both seemed to have some complicated relationships with their girls. Crawford’s daughter Christina wrote a tell-all memoir titled “Mommie Dearest,” detailing the traumatic events she went through during her childhood. Similarly, Davis’ own daughter also released a memoir about her own childhood as the daughter of Davis.

Hyman is the daughter of Davis and William Grant Sherry. Today, she is known as an author and pastor. However, she was once cast to play the role of the neighbor’s daughter in “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” although she didn’t receive much screen time. 

According to Vanity Fair, this was sadly the start of the downfall between the mother and daughter. While promoting the film, Hyman met her future husband – Jeremy, the nephew of Seven Arts head Eliot Hyman. Just a year later, Hyman married a 29-year-old Jeremy, despite only being 16 years old at the time.

Hyman and Davis continued to have problems down the road. According to Country Living, Hyman said that her mother experimented with witchcraft and would cast spells on her enemies. Her 1985 memoir titled “My Mother’s Keeper: A Daughter’s Candid Portrait of Her Famous Mother” ultimately led to the downfall of the pair’s relationship, as Hyman revealed several details about her childhood. Country Living reported that Davis was never able to forgive her daughter for what she wrote.

The Washington Post reviewed the book, describing Hyman’s depiction of her mother “as a salty-tongue, egomaniacal, heavy-drinking performer who steamrolled over anyone in her career path. It was an unflattering portrait, but hardly the genuine catalog of horrors contained in ‘Mommie Dearest.’”

The book was released around the time Davis was struggling with her health, having just recovered from a broken hip, a mastectomy, and a stroke, according to Vanity Fair. However, Hyman claimed she published the book as a way to reach her mother, insisting it had nothing to do with the $100,000 advance she was paid. “I could have written the manuscript and sent it to Mother and not published it,” Hyman told PEOPLE. “She wouldn’t have read it.”

Davis published her own thoughts about her daughter in her 1987 memoir “This n That.” She expressed her confusion about her daughter’s interpretation of her childhood. Davis wrote, “If my memory serves me right, I’ve been your keeper all these many years. I am continuing to do so, as my name has made your book about me a success.” Davis died in 1989, and her daughter has continued to defend the words she wrote about her mother.

What do you think about Bette Davis’ life and career? Were you surprised to hear about what her relationship was like with her daughter? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your loved ones, too.