Her Daughter's Book Sparked A Family Feud
Bette Davis survived some of Hollywood's fiercest feuds, but in 1985, she faced a controversy much closer to home. While the 77-year-old actress was recovering from breast cancer, her own daughter published a shocking tell-all accusing her of cruel and controlling behavior. Davis was devastated, and the fallout tore their family apart. But the most heartbreaking twist was still to come.
Silver Screen Collection, Getty Images
A Hollywood Legend Facing Her Toughest Battle
By the early 1980s, Bette Davis had become one of Hollywood's most celebrated actresses, with two Academy Awards and a career spanning more than five decades. Known for her fierce personality and unforgettable performances, she had never been afraid of confrontation. But behind her famously tough exterior, Davis was approaching a particularly difficult period in her life.
George Hurrell, Wikimedia Commons
Her Health Suddenly Collapsed
In 1983, Davis was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. Soon afterward, she suffered a series of strokes that affected her ability to walk and speak. Further health complications left the famously independent actress facing one of the greatest challenges of her life.
Recovery Was A Difficult Road
Davis faced a long rehabilitation as she worked to regain her strength, having also suffered a broken hip. Her personal assistant, Kathryn Sermak, helped her relearn how to walk and perform everyday activities. Although Davis was determined to continue acting, she feared her health problems might prevent her from ever working again.
Then Came A Family Controversy
While Davis was struggling with her health, her daughter Barbara Davis Hyman was preparing a book about their family. Known as B.D., she had spent years living in the shadow of her famous mother. What she eventually wrote would challenge the public's understanding of one of Hollywood's biggest stars.
B.D. Had Grown Up In Hollywood's Spotlight
Barbara Davis Sherry was born on May 1, 1947, during Davis's marriage to artist William Grant Sherry. Davis was 39 when she welcomed her first child, having already established herself as a major Hollywood star. Following her mother's marriage to actor Gary Merrill, B.D. became part of a family that also included adopted siblings Margot and Michael.
ullstein bild Dtl., Getty Images
Mother And Daughter Once Shared A Close Bond
Despite their eventual estrangement, Davis and B.D. had enjoyed periods of genuine closeness. The actress frequently brought her daughter along when working on film productions and traveling abroad. Sermak later recalled that Davis proudly displayed photographs of her children in dressing rooms and spoke fondly of their earlier relationship.
B.D. Even Appeared In Her Mother's Movies
As a teenager, B.D. appeared alongside her mother in the 1962 thriller What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? She played a neighbor's daughter in the film, which famously reunited Davis with her longtime Hollywood rival Joan Crawford. Although B.D. had also made an earlier screen appearance as a child, she ultimately chose not to follow her mother into acting.
Screenshot from What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Warner Bros. Pictures (1962)
A Trip To France Changed Everything
In 1963, Davis traveled to the Cannes Film Festival with her teenage daughter to promote What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? During the trip, B.D. met Jeremy Hyman, a British film executive considerably older than herself. Their romance quickly became a source of disagreement between mother and daughter.
A Marriage Davis Struggled To Accept
B.D. married Jeremy Hyman when she was just 16, while her husband was 29. Davis strongly disapproved of the marriage, and Hyman later claimed her mother repeatedly interfered in their relationship. Years afterward, Davis herself blamed the marriage for the growing rift between them, even calling the trip to Cannes where they met one of the greatest mistakes of her life.
Their Lives Took Different Directions
Davis had devoted much of her adult life to acting, becoming famous for her ambition and professional determination. B.D., meanwhile, chose marriage and motherhood over a Hollywood career. She eventually had two sons, Ashley and Justin, and settled into a family life far removed from her mother's demanding profession.
Studio Publicity, Wikimedia Commons
Her Grandson Even Became Her Co-Star
In 1981, Davis appeared alongside her grandson J. Ashley Hyman in the television drama Family Reunion. The production featured Davis as a retired schoolteacher trying to bring her scattered relatives together, with Ashley playing one of the supporting characters. But despite this family collaboration, tensions between Davis and her daughter were growing.
Screenshot from Family Reunion, Columbia Pictures Television (1981)
The Grandchildren Became Part Of The Conflict
According to B.D., those tensions increasingly involved her two sons, Ashley and Justin. Hyman alleged that Davis frequently criticized the boys and made family visits unpleasant. These claims were disputed, but they became central to Hyman's explanation for distancing herself and her children from Davis.
A Visit In 1983 Became A Breaking Point
Hyman claimed that a troubling incident occurred during a family visit in the spring of 1983. According to her account, Davis threatened to spank six-year-old Justin after he refused to eat his peaches. Hyman said the confrontation contributed to her decision to limit contact between her children and their grandmother.
She Began Writing A Tell-All
By late 1983, Hyman was working on a memoir about growing up as Bette Davis's daughter. Titled My Mother's Keeper, the book described a childhood that Hyman believed was overshadowed by emotional turmoil and her mother's demanding personality. It presented a very different picture of Hollywood family life from the glamorous image outsiders might have imagined.
The Accusations Were Devastating
In the book, Hyman portrayed Davis as domineering, emotionally unpredictable, and prone to excessive drinking. She alleged that her mother frequently humiliated relatives and used her fame and influence to control those around her. Davis and people close to her disputed this characterization, making the memoir a deeply contested account of their family life.
Warner Bros. Studio, Wikimedia Commons
One Allegation Was Particularly Disturbing
Among the book's more troubling stories, Hyman alleged that Davis had once pretended to take her own life to frighten her as a child. She described the incident as an example of the emotional pressure she believed she experienced growing up. The allegation attracted considerable attention, although it remained part of Hyman's disputed account.
Screenshot taken by Spinoziano from the film, Wikimedia Commons
The Timing Could Hardly Have Been Worse
My Mother's Keeper reached American bookstores in May 1985, just before Mother's Day. Davis was 77 and still dealing with the aftermath of her mastectomy, strokes, and other health problems. Rather than enjoying a quiet recovery, she found herself at the center of a deeply personal public controversy.
The Book Immediately Made Headlines
Hyman embarked on a promotional tour as the memoir climbed the bestseller lists. Journalists questioned her about the accusations, her childhood, and whether she had considered how publication might affect her mother's health. The controversy quickly became one of Hollywood's most talked-about family disputes.
B.D. Explained Why She Wrote It
Despite the book's harsh contents, Hyman maintained that she had never intended to harm her mother. Having embraced Pentecostal Christianity, she said she hoped the memoir would encourage Davis to reconsider her behavior and improve their relationship. Hyman described the book as an open letter to her mother, insisting that reconciliation remained possible.
The Book Came With A $100,000 Advance
Hyman's memoir also attracted attention for the financial arrangements surrounding its publication. She received a reported $100,000 advance, but maintained that money was not her motivation for writing it. Hyman said she donated much of the payment to her church and various Christian organizations.
Hollywood Was Already Drawing Comparisons
The memoir immediately drew comparisons to Mommie Dearest, Christina Crawford's controversial 1978 book about her mother, Joan Crawford. The similarities attracted particular interest because Davis and Crawford had famously clashed during their careers. However, Hyman rejected the comparison, explaining that she had published her book while Davis was still alive and able to respond.
NBC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Davis Had Once Defended Joan Crawford
Years earlier, Davis had publicly criticized Mommie Dearest, despite her famously difficult relationship with Joan Crawford. She believed Christina Crawford had treated her mother unfairly by publishing such a damaging account after her death. The situation became especially ironic when Davis found herself confronting a similarly unflattering memoir written by her own daughter.
Warner Bros. Studios, Wikimedia Commons
Davis's Former Husband Publicly Fought Back
One of the book's most outspoken critics was Gary Merrill, Davis's fourth husband and B.D.'s former stepfather. Despite his own turbulent marriage to Davis, Merrill publicly condemned Hyman's memoir and questioned her motivations. He even protested outside a bookstore in Portland, Maine, carrying a sign urging customers not to purchase it.
Warner Bros. Studio, Wikimedia Commons
Her Lawyers Also Challenged The Book
Davis's legal representatives raised objections as the controversy unfolded. Her attorney sent a letter to publisher William Morrow challenging passages considered potentially libelous. Hyman stood by her account, arguing that the publisher's lawyers had carefully examined the manuscript before publication.
Mother And Daughter Stopped Speaking
By May 1985, Hyman told reporters she had not spoken with Davis since the previous December, when her mother learned about the forthcoming book. She nevertheless sent Davis a Mother's Day card and publicly expressed hope that they might eventually reconcile. But the public disagreement revealed just how differently the two women understood their relationship.
Davis Revealed How Deeply The Book Hurt Her
Davis had built a reputation for surviving Hollywood's fiercest battles, but her daughter's accusations affected her deeply. In a later interview, she compared the emotional shock of the book to the devastating stroke she had suffered. Davis regarded the publication as a profound personal betrayal, while Hyman continued to maintain that she had hoped it would open the door to reconciliation.
Davis Published Her Own Response
In 1987, Davis released her memoir This 'N That, which included an open letter addressed to Hyman. She questioned her daughter's portrayal of their relationship and challenged the family history presented in My Mother's Keeper. Davis also objected to the book's title, arguing that she had spent years supporting B.D. rather than depending on her.
A Second Book Deepened The Divide
The public disagreement continued in 1987 when Hyman and her husband published Narrow Is the Way. The book explored their religious beliefs while revisiting their troubled relationship with Davis. Instead of bringing mother and daughter closer together, the competing accounts demonstrated how differently they remembered their family life.
Even Her Son Took A Side
Davis's adopted son, Michael Merrill, remained supportive of his mother throughout the controversy. Following the publication of My Mother's Keeper, he stopped speaking to B.D., further widening the family rift. The disagreement had now affected relationships between siblings as well as between mother and daughter.
Davis Made A Surprising Decision About Her Will
On September 2, 1987, Davis signed a will that deliberately excluded B.D. and her two sons, Ashley and Justin. Her adopted daughter Margot was also omitted, while Michael Merrill and longtime assistant Kathryn Sermak became the principal beneficiaries. The document specifically acknowledged the exclusions, confirming that Davis had consciously decided how her estate would be divided.
Ron Galella, Ltd., Getty Images
They Never Reconciled
In 1989, Davis's breast cancer returned, bringing her long health struggle to a devastating conclusion. She died in France on October 6, 1989, at the age of 81, without reconciling with B.D. Hyman had publicly expressed hope that they would eventually repair their relationship, but Davis's death ended that possibility. Their conflicting accounts of family life remained unresolved, leaving behind one of Hollywood's most painful mother-daughter disputes.
You May Also Like:
The Hollywood Scandal That Nearly Ended Debbie Reynolds And Elizabeth Taylor's Friendship
Hollywood’s Biggest Studios Wanted Claudia Cardinale—But She Refused To Let Them Own Her
_Bette_Davis_(2).png){kind=link}
