Humphrey DeForest BOGART
1. Humphrey
DeForest BOGART 1 was
born2 in 1889. He died3 in 1957.
From the time he decided to
pursue acting, Humphrey Bogart was committed to the art. In the more
than 80 films spanning his
career, he was never once late to the set or unprepared for his lines. He held
a deep respect for actors who
were serious about their performances, and was professional in every
aspect of his own career.
"[Bogart] achieved class
through his integrity and his devotion to what he thought was right," said
friend
Nathaniel Benchley in his
biography, Humphrey Bogart. "He believed in being direct, simple, and
honest, all on his own terms, and
this ruffled some people and endeared him to others."
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was born
on December 25, 1899. He was the son of a reputable doctor,
Belmont DeForest Bogart, and
Maude Humphrey, a respected portrait artist. Bogart and his two
younger sisters lived
comfortably. The family had a permanent residence in a prominent section near
New York City, and a seasonal
retreat on Canandaigua Lake. It was at their summer home that Dr.
Bogart taught his son how to play
chess and sail, two activities that Bogart would enjoy for the rest of
his life.
In May 1918, after a brief term
at the Andover Academy in Massachusetts, Bogart enlisted in the Navy.
He was assigned to the Leviathan,
his duties at which would result in the famous scar that marked the
right corner of his upper lip.
Despite numerous rumors, however, the injury was not a result of shrapnel.
The following story is probably
closest to the truth of what really happened. A Navy prisoner, whom
Bogart was escorting, asked for a
cigarette. When he reached for a match, the prisoner smashed
Bogart across the mouth with his
handcuffs and fled. Bogart's lip was severely torn, but he pursued and
apprehended the man, refusing
treatment until the prisoner was securely locked up.
Wetting his feet
Bogart�s career in entertainment developed slowly. In 1920,
established stage actress Alice Brady
noticed something special about
Bogart and asked her father to hire him. Bogart eventually became a
company manager, in charge of a
touring play called The 'Ruined' Lady, and earned $50 a week.
Neither Bogart nor Alice Brady
felt he was suited for the job, however, and soon she gave him a line to
read. Dr. Bogart, upon seeing his
son in his first role as a Japanese waiter, leaned over and whispered
to a companion, "The boy's
good, isn't he?" Critics weren't as quick to ascertain the unique quality
that
Dr. Bogart and Alice perceived,
but it didn't matter. Bogart had decided to become an actor.
During his time working in the
theater, Bogart married twice. His first wife, Helen Meken, was an
accomplished stage actress 10
years his senior who had immediately taken a liking to Bogart. He
reportedly resisted the
relationship, and was quoted as commenting to friends, �God, I don�t
want to
marry that girl.� Bogart and Helen eventually tied the knot on May 20,
1926. The marriage ended less
than a year later, and Helen
sailed overseas to star in a London theater production of Seventh Heaven.
Bogart�s second wife, Mary Philips, was also stage actress.
Bogart and Mary first met through mutual
friends in 1923, and during their
relationship they worked together in several theater productions,
including Nerves and The
Skyrocket. They married in April 1928 and were by most accounts a fun and
amicable couple.
Undeniable stage presence
After starring in a number of
stage productions, as well as several minor screen roles, Bogart's
breakthrough part was just around
the corner. In 1934, producer-director Arthur Hopkins contacted him
about a part in Robert Sherwood's
The Petrified Forest. Hopkins had Bogart try out for the part of Duke
Mantee, an escaped killer who
holds a handful of customers captive in a gas station. Duke Mantee�s
persona was much different than
the pretty-boy roles Bogart was used to playing, and but it was in this
new realm that Bogart�s talent shone through.
It is well recorded that, when he
walked onstage as the vicious Duke Mantee, there was a collective
gasp from the audience. Bogart's
icy stare, dangling hands, and stooped, convict's shuffle had the
audience convinced the actor was
a killer - and he hadn't even spoken yet.
Humphrey Bogart and Leslie Howard
in "The Petrified Forest," 1936 Warner Bros. Courtesy of MPTV In
light of the play�s success, Warner Bros. bought the movie rights to The
Petrified Forest. However, they
had their own actor, Edward G.
Robinson, in mind for the role of Duke Mantee. Fortunately for Bogart,
friend and co-star Leslie Howard
ultimately refused to act in the film adaptation unless Bogart retained
the role. Warner Bros. eventually
relented and signed Bogart, who then went on to prove he was just as
powerful on screen as he was on
stage.
Bogart was always grateful for
Howard�s dedication and help in landing the breakthrough
part, and he
was later quoted as saying, �It�s not for nothing my daughter was
named Leslie.�
From villain to hero After The
Petrified Forest was released, Bogart worked steadily under his contract
with Warner Bros., and it was
necessary for him to make a permanent move out West. Unfortunately,
when Bogart and Mary�s career paths broke apart, so did the marriage. After
a brief try at life in
Hollywood, Mary returned East to
continue her successful career as a stage actress.
During a visit to a mutual
friend, Bogart had crossed paths with aspiring actress Mayo Methot. Bogart
was amused by her loud,
unpredictable personality, and Mayo was extremely taken with the handsome
newcomer. They quickly developed
a serious relationship, and were married in August 1938. Although
Bogart and Mayo cared for each
other, the marriage was tumultuous from the start. Mayo�s alcohol
dependency, paranoid jealousy and
violent temper was no secret. Mild arguments quickly escalated
into physical confrontations, and
they became known as the �Battling Bogarts.�
Living in Hollywood was exciting
at first, but Bogart became understandably bored with his on screen
roles. He made 12 pictures with
Warner Bros. during the first two years, and in eight of those he played
a gangster/criminal. Bogart was
looking for variety and the chance to prove his versatility. In 1940, he
readily accepted the leading role
in the screenplay adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's novel The Maltese
Falcon. It was a perfect fit.
Bogart�s flawless delivery of private eye Sam Spade,
portrayed with an
exciting mix of cunning,
sexuality and honor, made Hollywood virtually stand up and take notice.
Bogart had once again defined his
career as an actor, and it was just in time for the casting of the
romantic war drama, Casablanca.
Directors engaged talented beauty Ingrid Bergman as Bogart's co-
star, and watched (amid a flurry
of writers and revisions) as the story naturally metamorphosed through
the last day of shooting. The
result was a movie that still vies for the best picture ever made. Released
on January 23, 1943, it
captivated audiences everywhere. Casablanca won Academy Awards for Best
Picture, Best Screenplay and Best
Director, and received nominations in five other categories, including
Bogart for Best Actor.
Love of a lifetime
In 1944, Warner Bros. paired
Bogart with 20-year-old Betty Perske, a personable up-and-comer who
went by the stage name Lauren
Bacall. A sultry beauty, Betty already had a highly successful modeling
career with Harper�s Bazaar, and was looking to break into the movie
business. The two were slated to
star in a screenplay adaptation
of Ernest Hemingway's novel To Have and Have Not. Upon meeting her,
Bogart told Betty, "I saw
your test. We're going to have a lot of fun together."
He could not have been more
right. The electricity between Bogart and Betty was tangible, and yet their
connection was much more than
physical. Betty�s self confidence and dedicated work ethic matched
Bogart�s, and her warm, nurturing manner complimented his
softer side nicely. Bogart�s connection
with Betty gave him the final
push he needed to end the ailing marriage with Mayo. Their divorce was
final on May 10, 1945, and Bogart
and Betty were married less than two weeks later on May 21.
The newlyweds settled into a
rustic home, tucked back in a semi-secluded section in Beverly Hills,
where they accumulated an array
of animals. Their pets included 14 chickens, eight ducks and a large
dog. In 1947, Bogart secured his
financial future with a unique contract from Warner Bros. which
guaranteed him $1 million a year
for 15 years. In 1949, Betty gave birth to their son, Stephen Humphrey.
Although he was initially
cautious (and perhaps a little intimated) when they discovered Betty was
pregnant, Bogart reveled in his
new role as a parent. Three years later, daughter Leslie Howard was
born to complete the family.
Friends fondly remembered how the
children's curiosity and innocence amazed Bogart. When Steve
was six, Bogart brought him on a
regular weekend excursion on Santana, Bogart's 54-foot sailboat.
After watching others set lobster
traps, Steve tried to catch one of his own. He lowered a cricket cage
off the deck and checked it
constantly until bedtime. When his son was asleep, Bogart placed the upper
body of a lobster in Steve�s cage (it was all that would fit) for the boy to find
in the morning. Steve,
though he recalled the
"catch," never knew Bogart was responsible.
A �meat
and potatoes� guy
Bogart�s favorite place for lunch or dinner was Romanoff's, a
popular Beverly Hills restaurant. He
shared a special friendship with
the owner, whom he called "Prince," and the two often played chess.
He enjoyed harassing Prince,
especially when it came to Romanoff's mandatory shirt and tie policy.
Bogart, who liked to dress
casually for lunch, fought with Prince over the matter. The battle was settled
when Bogart had a jeweler design
a one-inch wide, enameled bow tie. After examining the pin, Prince
allowed Bogart to be seated.
"Damn you - I hate you," Prince said, "but it passes." In
1952, Bogart once
again redefined acting parameters
when he starred in The African Queen with Katharine Hepburn. He
won an Academy Award for Best
Actor, beating out Marlon Brando's nomination for A Streetcar Named
Desire. The movie was one of the
year's most successful. A New York Times critic raved, "Bogart, in
what is very likely the best
performance of his long career, plays a man who is crude only on the
surface; there is a goodness
underneath his unshaven appearance and the actor does a fine job of
bringing this quality out in the
action and dialogue." Still, the humble star tried not to let it go to his
head.
�The best way to survive an Oscar is to never try to
win another one,� Bogart said. �You�ve seen what
happens to some Oscar winners.
They spend the rest of their lives turning down scripts while searching
for the great role to win another
one. Hell, I hope I�m never even nominated again. It�s meat-and-potato
roles for me from now on.�
A valiant fight
Following the success of The
African Queen, Bogart starred in several other notable movies, including
Sabrina, Beat the Devil and The
Caine Mutiny. Unfortunately, in 1957, his amazing career was cut short.
Despite undergoing radical
surgery to remove a cancerous growth around Bogart's esophagus, the
disease continued to spread. He
put up a valiant fight, but in the early morning hours of Monday,
January 14, Bogart lost his
battle with cancer.
The following Thursday, January
17, Betty held a memorial at All Saints�
Episcopal Church in Beverly
Hills. Because Bogart wished to be
cremated, she placed a glass encased model of his boat, Santana,
in lieu of a casket. Friend and
director John Huston gave a simple, heartfelt eulogy, and Reverend
Kermit Castellanos presided over
the service. In addition to reciting the Ten Commandments,
Castellanos also read Alfred Lord
Tennyson�s hymn "Crossing the Bar." It was a fitting
and comforting
tribute to a man who lived
earnestly, spoke openly and in doing so was not afraid of what the future
would bring.
From: http://www.humphreybogart.com
Humphrey married (1) Helen MEINKEN
4 on 20 May 1926. The
marriage ended in divorce.Helen was born on 12 Dec 1901. She died on 27 Mar
1966.
Humphrey married (2) Mary PHILIPS in 1928.
Humphrey married (3) Mayo METHOT 5
in 1938. The marriage ended in
divorce.Mayo was born on 3 Mar 1904. She died on 9 Jun 1951.
Humphrey married8 (4) Lauren BACALL 6,7 in 1945. Lauren was born9 on 16 Sep 1924.
Appendix A - Sources
1. Robby,
World Connect Project pages of Robby (http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=SHOW&db=robby1940).
2. Compiler:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Family Search Ancestral
File , Family History Library, 35 N West Temple Street, Salt Lake City,
Utah 84150 USA.
3. Compiler:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Family Search Ancestral
File .
4. Wikipedia
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Monroe).
5. Wikipedia
.
6. Robby,
World Connect Project pages of Robby .
7. Wikipedia
.
8. Wikipedia
.
9. Compiler:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Family Search Ancestral
File .
