Screen queen and
gay icon Bette Davis was honored Thursday with a
new U.S. postage stamp bearing her striking image.
The stamp,
unveiled in Boston, features a portrait of Davis as she
appeared in perhaps her most famous role -- theater actress
Margo Channing in 1950's beloved All About Eve.
In the film, for which Davis received an Academy Award
nomination, she played an aging star who has a
young ingenue nipping at her heels.
Davis was a
two-time Oscar-winner -- for 1935's Dangerous and
1938's Jezebel -- who garnered 11 nominations in her
decades-long career. Other notable films starring Davis
include Now, Voyager and What Ever Happened
to Baby Jane? The latter costarred Joan Crawford,
Davis's rumored nemesis.
The epitaph on
Davis's tombstone in Los Angeles reads, "She did it
the hard way." This was a testament to her fortitude and
toughness -- she famously sued the Warner Bros. studio
for not offering her roles worthy of her talent. That
proud nature and sometimes gruff demeanor turned Davis
into one of the most memorable screen
personalities of the 20th century. (Neal Broverman, The
Advocate)