Bette Midler, or The Divine Miss M as she is known to her fans, was born in 1945 in Hawaii to a seamstress/housewife and a house painter who were formerly from New Jersey.  Her parents named her after the actress Bette Davis, although she took to using only one syllable instead of two.  Her family was one of the few Jewish families in a neighborhood of mostly Asians.  Bette attended the University of Hawaii for three semesters and earned money as an extra on the movie Hawaii.

At the age of 20, she moved to New York City and landed her first professional onstage role in a couple of off-off-Broadway plays.  She went on to play Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway from 1966 to 1969.  In 1970, Bette started singing the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse, where she was accompanied by pianist, Barry Manilow.  Manilow subsequently produced Midler’s first album entitled “The Divine Miss M” in 1973, for which she won a Grammy for Best New Artist.

Bette received a Special Tony Award for her Broadway show, Clams on the Half Shell Revue, in 1974.  From 1975 to 1978, Midler provided the voice of Woody the Spoon on the PBS series, Vegetable Soup, while also recording albums.  In 1976, she released “Songs for the New Depression”, 1977 releases included “Live at Last” and “Broken Blossom”, and in 1979, “Thighs and Whispers” released.

In 1979, she starred in her first major film as a drug-addicted rock star in The Rose, for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.  The soundtrack for The Rose was a huge success and went double platinum.  In 1982, she starred in the forgettable Jinxed!; but later found success as an actress when she went on to star in six hit movies from 1986 to 1988, including the drama, Beaches.  Bette won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1989 for the hit theme song from Beaches, “Wind Beneath My Wings.”

In 1984, Bette wed Martin von Haselberg in Las Vegas and in 1986; the couple welcomed a daughter Sophie.  In 1985, she participated in the USA for Africa fundraiser recording of “We Are The World” and performed at the “Live Aid” event in Philadelphia. Additional charity work of Midler’s include her founding of the New York Restoration Project, a neighborhood revitalization program; and the opening of Swindler Cove Park, a five-acre public park on the Harlem River shore.

In 1991, she won yet another Grammy for Song of the Year for her hit, “From a Distance.”  Bette also received an Oscar nomination for her role in the movie For the Boys in 1991.  Other films that she starred in during the 1990’s were Scenes from a Mall, Hocus Pocus, Gypsy, and First Wives Club.  In 1992, she won an Emmy for her performance on The Tonight Show when she sang “One for My Baby” to retiring host, Johnny Carson.

Her music’s popularity became most apparent when the American Film Institute announced “The 100 Years of the Greatest Songs” in 2004 and two of Midler’s singles – “Wind Beneath My Wings” at #44, and “The Rose” at #83.

In the early 2000’s, Midler had a short-lived, self-titled sitcom and a break-up with Warner Brothers.  Also, after a 20-year feud with Barry Manilow was dissolved, they collaborated on “Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook”, which was one of her best-selling albums in 20 years and was nominated for a Grammy.  Following her highly successful Kiss My Brass tour in 2003-2004, Bette and Barry worked together again on “Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook”, which debuted at #10.

In 2006, Midler released “Cool Yule”, a Christmas album featuring the title song and a duet with Johhny Mathis.  “Cool Yule” was nominated for a Grammy in December 2007 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.  In 2007, The Divine Miss M appeared on American Idol singing “Wind Beneath My Wings” live for the show’s season finale.

Bette is slated to headline at Caesars Palace in early 2008, replacing Celine Dion.  She also has a movie, Then She Found Me, releasing in mid 2008 with Helen Hunt, Colin Firth, and Matthew Broderick.  In late 2008, The Women, will release in which Bette Midler stars along with Meg Ryan, Eva Mendes, and Carrie Fisher.