Tallulah Bankhead

Tallulah Bankhead (1903-68), American actor, noted for her beauty, husky voice, and sophistication. Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was born in Huntsville, Alabama, the daughter of William Brockman Bankhead, Democratic Party leader and speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1936-40). Bankhead left school at the age of 15. She made her theatrical debut in 1918 in New York City, scored notable success on the London stage from 1923 to 1931 in such plays as Noel Coward's Fallen Angels (1925), and returned to the U.S. to appear in several films from 1931 to 1933. For her acting in The Little Foxes (1939), by Lillian Hellman, and The Skin of Our Teeth (1942), by Thornton Wilder, she was voted best actress of the season by the New York drama critics. Her later films include Lifeboat (1944), A Royal Scandal (1945), and Die! Die! My Darling! (1965). She also performed on radio and television. Bankhead recounted her unconventional private life in her autobiography, Tallulah (1952).