Profile: Talent, triumphs and temper

WHEN the American Film Institute ranked the greatest female film stars of all time, Bette Davis was ranked second with only Katherine Hepburn pipping her to the top spot.

It was fitting, for Davis was never happier than when holding a grudge.

The daughter of a patent attorney, Davis was inspired to become an actress by Rudolph Valentino and moved to Hollywood in 1930. She became famous for her versatility and temper tantrums which she used to defend her performances and ensure no man ever took her for granted.

She was married four times and raised her three children, but her daughter would grow up to write a memoir, My Mother's Keeper, in which she was portrayed as an over-bearing drunk. Davis later told reporters she had been motivated by "cruelty and greed". She died in 1989 aged 81 after appearing in more than 100 movies.