What can I say about Bette Davis? The icon, the legend. Since aged five, when I first encountered, one rainy afternoon with my mother, the remarkable Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962), I was hooked. That incredible portrayal, in all its grotesque, poignant glory, remains a haunting example of the finest acting I have ever seen.

Bette Davis was the first actor, male or female, to receive ten Academy Award nominations, winning for both Dangerous and Jezebel, and made almost one hundred movie appearances.

Davis was a non-conformist, a pioneer and feminist icon, standing up for people who were...