Bette Davis, Geraldine Fitzgerald and Virginnia Brissac in the 1939 film Dark Victory. Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (April 5, 1908 - October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. Geraldine Mary Fitzgerald (November 24, 1913 - July 17, 2005) was an Irish actress and a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame. Virginia Brissac (June 11, 1883 - July 26, 1979) was a popular American stage actress who headlined theatre companies from Vancouver to San Diego during the heyday of West Coast Stock in the early 1900s