Bette Davis is a male star.
Ruth Elizabeth `` Bette '' Davis ( April 5 , 1908 -- October 6 , 1989 ) was an American actress of film , television , and theater . Until the late 1940s , she was one of American cinema 's most celebrated leading ladies , known for her forceful and intense style . She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice , was the first person to accrue ten Academy Award nominations for acting , and was the first woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute . Married four times , she was once widowed and three times divorced , and raised her children as a single parent . In 1999 , Davis was placed second behind Katharine Hepburn on the American Film Institute 's list of the greatest female stars of classic Hollywood cinema .