In 1944, a starry-eyed ingenue named Betty Bacall headed to Hollywood in search of fame and fortune. There, she became a near overnight success with a now legendary performance in the film, "To Have and Have Not."
Some 60 years later, the woman once known as Betty, now known as Lauren, is sharing her stories of success, love, loss -- and name changes in her new book, "By Myself and Then Some..."
She visits The Early Show to talk about her updated memoir. Click here to read an excerpt.
Bacall talks about the past 25 years since the original version of "By Myself" was released, and surviving (and flourishing) in show business for over half a century
Some Lauren Bacall Fun Facts:
- As a child, Bacall planned to become a dancer, and as a teen she took journalism classes, intending to become a reporter. However, after meeting actress Bette Davis, Bacall switched her goal to acting.
Bacall and Shimon Peres, former Israeli Prime Minister, are cousins. They share the same original last name: Perske. Still undiscovered, Bacall volunteered as a hostess at the New York chapter of the Stage Door Canteen, working Monday nights when theaters were closed.Having lost her job as a showroom model and quit acting school for lack of funds, the teenage Bacall found work as a Broadway theater usher. George Jean Nathan voted her the prettiest usher of the 1942 season in the pages of "Esquire."In 1942, she was crowned "Miss Greenwich Village"The name and persona of Bacall's character in "To Have and Have Not" (1944) is based on Slim Hawks, wife of famed director, Howard Hawks. It was Slim who convinced Howard to give Bacall a screen test for the movie, which launched the actress's career.In 1997, she was Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. Her hobby is collecting beer mugs.