The Divine Miss M.
Bette Midler attends her "Hulaween" gala, a celebration of the singer's 60th birthday and the 10th Anniversary of the New York Restoration Project, at the Waldorf Astoria October 31, 2005 in New York City.
Audiences know singer-actress Bette Midler for playing brash and outrageous, in movie comedies like "Ruthless People"; tugging at heartstrings, in dramas like "Beaches"; and for the antic stage performances that long ago earned her the moniker "The Divine Miss M."
By CBSNews.com senior editor David Morgan
Las Vegas
Entertainer Bette Midler during the final performance of her show, "The Showgirl Must Go On" at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, January 31, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bette Midler
A Jewish girl born in New Jersey but raised in a Samoan neighborhood of Honolulu, Bette Midler studied acting in high school and college, and earned her first professional role as an extra in the 1966 film "Hawaii." The paycheck paid for her ticket to New York City, where she sang in Greenwich Village coffee shops and the Continental Baths on the Upper West Side; her first album, "The Divine Miss M." on Atlantic Records (1972), was a Top 10 hit on the Billboard charts.
Midler's Broadway performances include playing Tzeitel in "Fiddler on the Roof"; her 1973 concert performance at the Palace Theater; "Clams on the Half Shell Revue" (1975); and "Bette! Divine Madness" (1979), later filmed for a theatrical release.
Wardrobe
A metallic red and gold brocade, halter top dress accented with punched stones in red, orange, purple, citrine, green and iridescent designed by Bob Mackie, paired with with elaborate and colorful bird feather "wings" and tail feathers, was created for Bette Midler's 1979-1980 "Divine Madness" tour. It was part of the Bette Midler Collection of more than 300 pieces, that was auctioned in 2011 for more than a half-million dollars.
"The Rose"
"The Rose" (1979), the story of a 1960s rock star (and a fictionalized version of the life of Janis Joplin), was Bette Midler's first film role, for which she earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination and won two Golden Globes, as well as a Grammy Award for her performance of the film's title song.
Live Aid
Singer Bette Midler performs during the first Live Aid concert at JFK stadium in Philadelphia, July 13, 1985. In simultaneous gigs in London and Philadelphia, the 16-hour "global jukebox" reached some 95 percent of television sets worldwide, raising an estimated $275 million to aid famine victims in Africa.
"Ruthless People"
Midler's comedic talents were amply displayed in the 1986 black comedy "Ruthless People," an update of "Ransom of Red Chief" in which two kidnappers (Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater) hold captive a rather monstrous woman (Midler), much to the delight of her husband, played by Danny DeVito.
"For the Boys"
The 1991 film "For the Boys" spans nearly 50 years in the lives of song-and-dance partners Dixie Leonard and Eddie Sparks (Bette Midler and James Caan), who entertain U.S. troops during three wars. Midler won the Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nomination for her performance.
"Beaches"
One of Bette Midler's most affecting roles was in the 1988 tearjerker "Beaches," co-starring Barbara Hershey. The featured song "Wind Beneath My Wings" -- originally written in 1982 and recorded by, among others, Roger Whittaker, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Lou Rawls and Sheena Easton -- was a No. 1 Billboard hit for Midler, and won two Grammy Awards.
"The First Wives Club"
Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton starred in the 1996 comedy "The First Wives Club."
Emmy Awards
Bette Midler poses with her Emmy Award, won for Best Performance in a Variety or Music Program for "Bette Midler: Diva Las Vegas," at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif., September 14, 1997.
Billboard Music Awards
Bette Midler performs at the 1998 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nev.
Midler and Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey and Bette Midler pose, April 17, 2001, at a first anniversary party for Oprah Winfrey's O Magazine in New York.
"United We Stand"
Bette Midler performs at the "United We Stand: What More Can I Give?" Concert, a music benefit in support of recovery efforts from the September 11 attack, October 21, 2001.
"A Prayer For America"
Cardinal Edward Egan listens as Bette Midler performs the song "Wind Beneath My Wings," at "A Prayer For America" memorial service at New York's Yankee Stadium, September 23, 2001, in remembrance of the victims of the World Trade Center attack.
"The Stepford Wives"
Actors Glenn Close and Bette Midler talk at the after-party for Paramount's "The Stepford Wives," at the Armand Hammer Museum on June 6, 2004 in Los Angeles, California.
"The Stepford Wives"
The 2004 remake of "The Stepford Wives," which took a more satirical approach to Ira Levin's thriller novel, starred Nicole Kidman and Bette Midler. Troubles on the set, rewrites and reshoots, and cast replacements (Midler's role was originally to have been played by Joan Cusack) led to the film's box office failure.
Brisbane, Australia
Singer Bette Midler performs live in concert at the Boondall Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia, April 8, 2005.
New York Fashion Week
From left: Actors Marisa Tomei, Bernadette Peters, Bette Midler, Juliette Lewis and Kate Mara attend the Zac Posen Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Tent, Bryant Park on September 11, 2008 in New York City.
Midler and Ono
Actress Bette Midler and singer Yoko Ono attend the "John Lennon: The New York City Years" exhibit preview at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC, May 11, 2009 in New York City.
Las Vegas
Entertainer Bette Midler dances during the 100th performance of her show, "The Showgirl Must Go On," at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace June 7, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bennett and Midler
Tony Bennett and Bette Midler attends Bette Midler's New York Restoration Project's 8th Annual Spring Picnic at the New Leaf Restaurant & Bar on May 19, 2009 in New York City. The non-profit founded by Midler has helped rescue and support green spaces in New York City, particularly in under-resourced neighborhoods.
Songwriters Hall of Fame
From left: Bette Midler, Stevie Nicks, and Emmylou Harris attend the Songwriters Hall of Fame 43rd Annual induction and awards at The New York Marriott Marquis on June 14, 2012 in New York City.
"I'll Eat You Last"
In 2013 Bette Midler starred as Hollywood talent agent Sue Mengers in the play "I'll Eat You Last," at the Booth Theater in New York City.
"I really wanted to do something very, very different," Midler told CBS News' Mo Rocca. "So when this came in, I liked the script immediately. . . . I knew her, and I really adored her, even though I'm not sure she was crazy about me!"
"Hello, Dolly!"
Bette Midler received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Dolly Gallagher Levi in the 2017 revival of the Jerry Herman musical, "Hello, Dolly!"
Bows
Entertainer Bette Midler during the final performance of her show, "The Showgirl Must Go On," at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, January 31, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
For more info:
"Hello, Dolly!" (Official site)
"I'll Eat You Last" (Official site)
bettemidler.com
New York Restoration Project
By CBSNews.com senior editor David Morgan