Midler, Bette (1945–)
Midler, Bette (1945–)
American musician. Born Dec 1, 1945, in Paterson, NJ; grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii; attended University of Hawaii; m. Martin von Haselberg (commodities trader and performance artist), 1984; children: Sophie (b. 1986).
Played small part in film, Hawaii (1966); appeared off-Broadway, then on Broadway in Fiddler on the Roof; with Barry Manilow on piano, sang and performed comedy routines at the Continental Baths in NYC, becoming cult figure (1970s); released gold debut album, The Divine Miss M (1972), which earned Grammy for Best New Artist; nominated for Academy Award for Best Actress for The Rose (1979) and also performed on soundtrack, which went platinum; wrote bestselling memoir, A View From a Broad (1980), and children's book, The Saga of Baby Divine (1983); acted in comedies, including Ruthless People (1986) and Big Business (1988); won Grammy for "Wind Beneath My Wings" from Beaches (1989), in which she also acted; nominated for Oscar for For the Boys (1991); other films include Stella (1990), Scenes From a Mall (1991), The First Wives Club (1996), and What Women Want (2000); other albums include Songs for the New Depression (1974), Broken Blossom (1977), Bette of Roses (1995), Bathhouse Betty (1998) and Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook (2003); performed in tv series, "Bette" (2000).