Tallulah Brockman Bankhead
11 min read
Reading time
2,170
Words
Published
33
Film credits
1
Book
2
Awards
Tallulah Bankhead dominated London’s West End in the 1920s before returning to America for films like Lifeboat 1944. Known for her husky voice and unapologetic behavior, she inspired the character Cruella De Vil in One Hundred and One Dalmatians. She coined the greeting Hello Dahling, which remains well known.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Tallulah Bankhead — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Tallulah Bankhead by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Tallulah Bankhead — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
At age 15, Tallulah Bankhead started her stage career in local theater troupes in Huntsville, Alabama. Her father was William Brockman Bankhead, Speaker of the House of Representatives. She was born on January 31, 1902. Her mother died shortly after her birth, which Tallulah reportedly blamed herself for. She won a beauty contest at 16 and moved to New York City to attempt Broadway. After struggling there, she moved to London in 1923.
Her first films, Woman’s Law 1927 and His House in Order 1928, did not succeed, leading her back to stage. She returned to film with Tarnished Lady 1931 and My Sin 1931, but critics were mixed. Hitchcock’s Lifeboat 1944 revived her film career, featuring a cast including Gary Cooper, Charles Laughton, and Cary Grant in Devil and the Deep 1932. She also appeared in A Royal Scandal 1945 and later Die! Die! My Darling! 1965. On television, she played the Black Widow on Batman 1966.
Tallulah Bankhead married actor John Emery in 1937; they divorced in 1941. Her wild parties and habit of not wearing underwear became infamous. She shocked crew on the set of Lifeboat. She belonged to the Four Horsemen of the Algonquin clique with Eva Le Gallienne, Blyth Daly, and Estelle Winwood. She smoked 120 cigarettes a day. Her last coherent words were Codeine… bourbon.
Tallulah Bankhead inspired characters like Cruella De Vil in One Hundred and One Dalmatians and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire. She was nominated for a Tony Award for Midgie Purvis in 1961. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame. Her phrase Hello, Dahling remains cultural shorthand for flamboyance.
The complete filmography of Tallulah Bankhead — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Tallulah Bankhead — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Tallulah Bankhead's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
A wall of memorable lines from Tallulah Bankhead — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
I Read Shakespeare and the Bible, and I Can Shoot Dice. That’s What I Call a Liberal Education.
The Only Man in Theater Who Can Count on Steady Work Is the Night Watchman.
The Only Thing I Regret About My Past Is the Length of It. If I Had to Live My Life Again, I’d Make the Same Mistakes, Only Sooner.
Acting Is a Form of Confusion.
If You Want to Help the American Theater, Don’t Be an Actress, Dahling; Be an Audience.
It’s the Good Girls Who Keep Diaries; the Bad Girls Never Have the Time.
I’m as Pure as the Driven Slush.
I Have Three Phobias Which, Could I Mute Them, Would Make My Life as Slick as a Sonnet, but as Dull as Ditch Water – I Hate to Go to Bed, I Hate to Get Up, and I Hate to Be Alone.
My Father Warned Me About Men and Booze, but He Never Mentioned a Word About Women and Cocaine.
Cocaine Isn’t Habit-forming. I Should Know – I’ve Been Using It for Years.
Nobody Can Be Exactly Like Me. Even I Have Trouble Doing It.
No Man Worth His Salt, No Man of Spirit and Spine, No Man for Whom I Could Have Any Respect, Could Rejoice in the Identification of Tallulah’s Husband. It’s Tough Enough to Be Bogged Down in a Legend. It Would Be Even Tougher to Marry One.
Say Anything About Me, Dahling, as Long as It Isn’t Boring.
I’ve Tried Several Varieties of Sex, All of Which I Hate. the Conventional Position Makes Me Claustrophobic; the Others Give Me a Stiff Neck And/or Lockjaw.
On Strategy: I’m the Foe of Moderation, the Champion of Excess. If I May Lift a Line from a Die-hard Whose Identity Is Lost in the Shuffle, I’d Rather Be Strongly Wrong Than Weakly Right.
There Have Been Only Two Geniuses in the World, Willie Mays and Willie Shakespeare. But, Darling, I Think You’d Better Put Shakespeare First.
Do You Want to Know Why the Giants Are Going to Win the Pennant? Well, Darlings, I Can Tell You in Two Words: Willie Mays.
I’ve Played Private Lives Everywhere Except Underwater.
They Used to Photograph Shirley Temple Through Gauze. They Should Photograph Me Through Linoleum.
I Only Read One Book in My Life, White Fang. Fortunately It Was so Good I Never Needed to Read Another.
Little-known facts about Tallulah Bankhead — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
The character Cruella De Vil in Disney’s One Hundred and One Dalmatians 1961 was inspired by Bankhead.
Bankhead was an ardent supporter of civil rights; she became the first white woman to appear on the cover of Ebony magazine.
Her role as the Black Widow on the television series Batman 1966 is the last on-screen appearance she made.
Once told an interviewer that the reason she addressed everyone she saw as Dahling was because she was bad at remembering names.
Tennessee Williams wrote four characters for her: Myra Torrance in Battle of Angels, Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire, Princess Kosmonopolis in Sweet Bird of Youth and Flora Goforth in The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore.
She smoked around 120 cigarettes a day.
She was infamous for not wearing underwear; during filming of Lifeboat 1944, Alfred Hitchcock quipped it was a matter for wardrobe or hairdressing after crew complained.
Her last coherent words were Codeine… bourbon.
She is credited with helping Harry S. Truman win the 1948 election by publicly castigating rival candidate Dewey.
Her mother died of complications from childbirth shortly after she was born; according to Hedy Lamarr, Tallulah blamed herself for her mother’s death.
She was a member of a clique of lesbians and bisexuals at the Algonquin round table called the Four Horsemen of the Algonquin, consisting of her, Eva Le Gallienne, Blyth Daly, and Estelle Winwood.
Loved jazz music and was a mainstay at many popular jazz clubs in New York and Los Angeles.
Bankhead used the monogram TBB because when she originally used TB, it was jokingly said to stand for Total Bitch.
Was an avid baseball fan, especially of the New York Giants and Willie Mays.
Sent to Catholic convent schools by her father in hopes she would learn to stay out of trouble, which did not happen.
At a press conference once, she said: I’m so glad to see there’s a man here from the New York Times, because if I say goddammit, they will print it good heavens or good gracious.
She narrowly missed out getting the role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind 1939, which went to Vivien Leigh.
In 1949, Procter and Gamble launched a radio advertising campaign for its Prell shampoo using a jingle and the character Tallulah the Tube; she sued and settled out of court.
Originated the female lead in Clifford Odets’ Clash by Night on Broadway; the role was taken by Barbara Stanwyck in the movie. She also originated leads in Forsaking All Others, Dark Victory, and The Little Foxes, all later played by Joan Crawford or Bette Davis.
Her father was Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1936 to 1940.
Irving Rapper said her screen test for Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie was the greatest performance he had ever seen, but Jack Warner feared casting two alcoholics and gave the role to Gertrude Lawrence.
Named after the Tallulah Falls in Georgia.
Was an animal lover who collected assorted pets, including a pet lion named Winston Churchill, a myna bird named Gaylord, and a monkey named King Kong.
She was close friends with Zelda Fitzgerald and Estelle Winwood.
Was considered for the role of Margo Channing in All About Eve 1950 after Claudette Colbert dropped out, but Bette Davis was cast instead.
Considered one of the Great Ladies of 20th century Broadway, she also conquered film, radio, and television.
Described by theatrical legend Lynn Fontanne as the greatest natural talent of her time.
The screen credit for her role as the Black Widow on Batman 1966 is Miss Tallulah Bankhead.
Was nominated for Broadway’s 1961 Tony Award as Best Actress Dramatic for Midgie Purvis.
Profiled in the book Funny Ladies by Stephen Silverman 1999.
Her father was William B. Bankhead; mother was Adeline E. Sledge.
Was referenced in the 1958 song Give Him the Ooh-La-La by Blossom Dearie.
Portrayed by Natasha Lyonne in The United States vs. Billie Holiday 2021.
Portrayed by Paget Brewster on the FX television series Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood.
Portrayed by Christina Bennett Lind in Z: The Beginning of Everything 2015.
She was the inspiration for the character Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire.
Portrayed by Carrie Nye in The Scarlett O’Hara War 1980.
Tallulah is the great-great-great aunt of film critic Lauren Turner.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Tallulah Bankhead.
Celebrities similar to Tallulah Bankhead — same craft, ranked by reach.
🇺🇸 United States
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
