Bette Midler

Bette Midler began her professional stage career in New York City in 1965, appearing in Tom Eyen's off-off-Broadway plays Miss Nefertiti Regrets and Cinderella Revisited. In October 1966, she joined the Broadway company of Fiddler on the Roof, playing Rivka and understudying the role of Tzeitel. She assumed the role of Tzeitel in February 1967 and continued in the production through February 1970. In 1969, she joined the original cast of Salvation.

In 1970, Midler began performing at the Continental Baths, where she worked with pianist and accompanist Barry Manilow. She starred in the first professional production of the Who's rock opera Tommy in 1971 and made her first appearance on The Tonight Show during the production's run.

Midler released her debut album, The Divine Miss M, in 1972. The album reached Billboard's Top 10 and earned her the 1973 Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Her self-titled follow-up album was released in 1973, followed by Songs for the New Depression in 1976 and Broken Blossom in 1977. In 1974, she received a Special Tony Award for her contribution to Broadway, with Clams on the Half Shell Revue playing at the Minskoff Theatre.

From 1975 to 1978, Midler provided the voice of Woody the Spoon on the PBS educational series Vegetable Soup. Her first television special, Ol' Red Hair Is Back, premiered in 1977 and won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Special – Comedy-Variety or Music. That same year, she released her first live album, Live at Last.

Midler made her feature film debut in 1979 in The Rose. Her performance earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. The film's title song earned her the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. Also in 1979, she released the album Thighs and Whispers. Her concert film Divine Madness was released in 1980.

In 1982, Midler appeared in Jinxed! She returned to music with the album No Frills in 1983 and released the comedy album Mud Will Be Flung Tonight in 1985. That year, she performed on the USA for Africa fundraising single "We Are the World" and participated in Live Aid. She also began a multi-picture deal with Walt Disney Studios and its Touchstone Pictures division.

Midler appeared in Down and Out in Beverly Hills, followed by Ruthless People in 1986, Outrageous Fortune in 1987 and Big Business in 1988. In 1988, she voiced Georgette in the animated film Oliver & Company and co-starred in Beaches. The Beaches soundtrack featured "Wind Beneath My Wings," which won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1990.

In 1990, Midler released Some People's Lives and starred in Stella. She appeared in Scenes from a Mall and For the Boys in 1991. Her performance in For the Boys earned her a second Golden Globe Award and a second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. In 1992, she won an Emmy Award for her performance on the penultimate episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

In 1993, Midler starred as Winifred Sanderson in Hocus Pocus. Her television work during the decade included an Emmy-nominated version of the stage musical Gypsy and a guest appearance on The Nanny. She appeared in the Seinfeld episode "The Understudy" in 1995 and had a supporting role in Get Shorty that same year. Her 1996 film credits included The First Wives Club, and her 1997 HBO special Diva Las Vegas earned her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program. She released the album Bathhouse Betty in 1998 and appeared in an episode of Murphy Brown and the animated musical film Fantasia 2000 in 1999.

In 2000, Midler starred in the CBS sitcom Bette, for which she received a People's Choice Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination. That year, she also made an uncredited cameo in What Women Want and starred in Isn't She Great and Drowning Mona. In 2003, she released Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook, followed by a U.S. tour with her show Kiss My Brass from 2003 to 2004. She appeared in The Stepford Wives in 2004 and released Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook in 2005.

Midler released the Christmas album Cool Yule in 2006 and appeared in Then She Found Me. In 2008, she debuted her Las Vegas production Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The production continued through January 2010 and received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 2011. Her other 2008 credits included the compilation album Jackpot: The Best Bette and the film The Women.

In 2009, Midler appeared on My Life on the D-List with Kathy Griffin and performed at the Royal Variety Performance. In 2010, she voiced Kitty Galore in Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore and released the compilation album Memories of You. She was also one of the producers of the Broadway musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, which opened in 2011.

In 2012, Midler co-starred in Parental Guidance. She returned to Broadway in 2013 as Sue Mengers in I'll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers, which later transferred to the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. In 2014, she performed "Wind Beneath My Wings" during the in memoriam tribute at the Academy Awards and released her 25th album, It's the Girls!

Midler returned to Broadway in the title role of the 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly!, for which she earned a Tony Award. She also appeared as Muv in the 2017 film Freak Show and continued with Hello, Dolly! through 2018.

In 2019, Midler performed "The Place Where Lost Things Go" from Mary Poppins Returns at the 91st Academy Awards and voiced Grandmama in the animated film The Addams Family. She reprised the role in The Addams Family 2 in 2021. Her later credits include portraying Bella Abzug in The Glorias in 2020, appearing in the second season of The Politician after guest starring in its first season, and playing Miriam Nessler in HBO's Coastal Elites.

Midler reprised her role as Winifred Sanderson in Hocus Pocus 2 in 2022. In 2023, she starred in the comedy-drama film Sitting in Bars with Cake.