Davis had Claudette Colbert’s bad back to thank for landing the role that resurrected her career following a string of box office disappointments.

Making effective use of her advancing years and temperamental rep to play margo, a Broadway vet exploited by anne Baxter’s two-faced ingénue, the star turned her self-absorbed diva into a profoundly moving portrait of feminine insecurity.

“Margo Channing was not a bitch,” she later declared. “she was an actress who was not happy about getting older. and why should she be?”

Greatest Moment: “Fasten your seatbelts – it’s going to be a bumpy night!”

Also See: Julie (Jezebel), Charlotte Vale (Now, Voyager), Baby Jane Hudson (What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?).