Bette Midler

Season 10, Episode 1017

Original Airdate: June 6, 2004

Bette Midler joins host James Lipton for an hour of laughter, tears, and gripping questions as she details a career that has lasted almost four decades and seen four Grammys, two Oscar nominations, three Emmys, and four Golden Globes

In this captivating episode of “Inside the Actors Studio,” Bette animatedly tells the story of how a girl who began working at a pineapple factory on the island of Honolulu became one of today's most accomplished performers. Born in Hawaii in 1945, even Bette's name seemed to point her towards a career on screen: her mother named her after Bette Davis, unwittingly mispronouncing the famed actress' name.

Bette got her first taste of show business when the 1966 film “Hawaii” came to Honolulu looking for natives to play extras. She was cast, and immediately hooked on pursuing acting. Bette moved to New York after a year studying drama at the University of Hawaii to take classes with former director of the Actors Studio Lee Strasberg.

In this episode, Bette discusses with James Lipton some of her earliest performances, including auditioning for Jerome Robbins for her first Broadway role in “Fiddler on the Roof,” performing as The Divine Miss M at the New York club The Continental Baths, and being cast in her first major motion picture, “The Rose.”

She also candidly describes her experiences working on movies such as “Down and Out in Beverly Hills,” “Big Business,” “Beaches,” and “The First Wives Club,” as well as with actors Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, Nick Nolte and Lily Tomlin.

Bette also gives the audience a preview of her character in the upcoming film, “The Stepford Wives,” and shares some “behind-the-scenes” information about her career, such as why her production company's motto is “We hold a grudge,” why she considers her performance in “Hocus Pocus” to be her finest hour, and why she thinks Miss Piggy's creators may owe her a small royalty.