The recent passing of ever-beautiful actress, wife and mother, Lauren Bacall, reminds us that the epic Golden Age of Hollywood is rapidly fading away. New generations of actors have risen and will continue to rise to take their place, but Lauren Bacall will stand out as the most sultry actress ever, and here are 5 reasons why.
1. Lauren Bacall – The Look:
Bacall had a special way of tilting her chin downward, cocking her head to the side and lifting one eyebrow slightly, her big eyes begging for action, her entire face capable of instantly igniting a smoldering flame or withering a weak-kneed heart. This expression came to be known in company as “The Look” and was what the audience waited expectantly for during every one of her movies … all 72 of them!
2. Her Low, Velvety, Chocolaty Voice:
In her very first film appearance, Lauren Bacall’s softly spoken, “You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow,” instantly become a legend. Just like that, she was famous. Can anyone name that film? Pssst, it was To Have and Have Not (1944).
3. The Obvious Chemistry She Shared with Husband Humphrey Bogart:
It’s pretty easy, as well as pretty painful, to watch a romance where the principal players have no semblance of an attraction to one another. No light behind the eyes, no special something in the smile that is reserved for a person that is truly loved. Film-goers were treated to the beautiful glimpses of love light in Bacall’s eyes for four films, the ones in which she starred with her deeply loved husband, Humphrey Bogart. They were To Have and Have Not (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948) Being the great actress that she was, she found she could imitate these loving looks when playing with actors other than her husband, but only by pretending really hard that she was seeing Bogie, instead of some other guy.
4. Her Deep Femininity:
Many actresses that came and went like a puff of pretty smoke lacked one great thing that made Lauren Bacall truly sultry. It was her unapologetic femininity. Strong and independent, not clingy and anxious, her strength showed her true character by the way she wielded it. To chose to love her husband so much that she willingly gave up screen roles, vacation time, and playing with actors he particularly disliked, did not make her weak; it made her in control. This mysterious strength some women have tends to captivate a loving audience, and it certainly helps rank Bacall among the most sultry actresses.
5. Her Modesty:
While other actresses felt the need to teem with noise and create drama in order to get attention, Bacall did quite the opposite. She tended to steer away from the madding crowd and downplay her talents, unwilling to expose intimate moments to the world. Instead of begging for media interviews and accepting small sums of money for the privilege of having her home invaded for the public’s delight, Bacall fiercely protected her little nest from the curious eyes of the world and devoted her time to keeping Bogie comfortable during his last years of sickness before his eventual death. This level of self-esteem is rare to find among actors, and quite alluring, certainly making the list of why Lauren Bacall is the most sultry actress ever.
While her films and life spent with Humphrey Bogart are the period of her life her fans most wish to keep alive, Bacall spent almost every year of her life, from the time she was 19 until her death, working on something.