One of the brightest and most versatile performers of the last decades of the twentieth century, Bette Midler has conquered every entertainment medium: movies, television, recordings, and the concert stage. Candid, intelligent, and supremely talented, Midler, who burst upon the scene with her ability to shock and provoke, eventually assumed her place as one of America's most beloved entertainers.

Named after actress Bette Davis by a star-stuck mother, Midler was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. A white, Jewish outsider in a mostly Asian environment, Midler caught the performing bug in high school, which helped to overcome some of her social anxieties. After filming a bit part in George Roy Hill's Hawaii in 1965, Midler left her far-flung home for New York City—where she quickly landed a role in the chorus—and later a supporting role, in the Broadway sensation, Fiddler on the Roof. She remained...