Hollywood screen legend Lauren Bacall dead at 89

PHOENIX — The “Bacall” of “Bogie and Bacall” has died.

A family member
says screen legend Lauren Bacall passed away Tuesday after suffering a stroke at age 89.

Known for her sultry looks and husky voice, Bacall became one of
film noir’s most famous leading ladies starring in several movies in the 1950s
with fellow screen legend and late husband Humphrey Bogart. Together, they were
known as “Bogie and Bacall,” sharing screen time in films such as “To Have and
Have Not,” “The Big Sleep,” “Dark Passage” and “Key Largo.”

Born Betty Joan Perske in Bronx, New York on Sept. 16, 1924, Bacall
made her acting debut on Broadway at age 17. She also worked as a fashion
model, which caught the attention of Hollywood agents who invited her to
audition for “To Have and Have Not,” where she met Bogart. The two married in
1945 and remained wed until Bogart’s death in 1957.

“How To Marry A Millionaire” with Marilyn Monroe and “Designing Woman” with
Gregory Peck were also among her early film credits. Bacall appeared in fewer
films in the 1960s though she did appear in memorable star-studded features such
as “Sex and the Single Girl” and won Tony Awards back on Broadway for her work
in “Cactus Flower” and “Applause.” In 1997, Bacall earned her first Oscar
nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “The Mirror Has Two
Faces.” She received the Kennedy Center Honors later that year, and in 2009 the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented her with an Honorary
Oscar.

In 1961, Bacall wed actor Jason Robards with whom she had three children before
their divorce in 1969. Bacall’s famous first cousin is former Israeli Prime
Minister Shimon Peres, whose term expired just last month.