It was 1943. 19-year-old Lauren Bacall worked as a janitor in Broadway theaters and moonlighted as a model after hours. It was then that she caught the attention of Howard Hawks’ wives. At her instigation, the director invited Lauren to a casting for his latest film. Initially, she was supposed to play alongside Cary Grant in To Have and Have Not. As fate would have it, the star was eventually replaced by the idol of women, Humphrey Bogart, which did not particularly please the aspiring actress. However, she soon succumbed to his charm.
Their romance began on the set. Bogart was married at the time
Bogart was already a big Hollywood star at that time, and his role in the movie was permanently recorded. He was constantly surrounded by women, which was the envy of his then third wife, Mayo Methot. Theirs, however, was turbulent, because the unfulfilled actress and singer liked to look into the glass, and jealousy of her husband even pushed her to fisticuffs. He was not happy, and although the environment commented on his private life, he was much more reserved in this matter. Everything changed when he met Lauren Bacall. A woman 25 years his junior immediately caught his attention, but it was the many hours spent together on the set that made him fall in love. One day, right after shooting, he asked her to write her number on a matchbox. So began the legendary Hollywood couple.
At first, few were successful. It was speculated that it was a fleeting affair, as Lauren liked many men, including director with whom she made her debut. Her mother had warned her that the relationship would end in heartbreak because Bogart, a twice-divorced and cheating man, had a bad reputation. However, she was bothering him. He was afraid that at some point his beloved would find happiness in the arms of the younger one. – Various people in Hollywood predicted the imminent end of this relationship. They moaned that it wouldn’t last long. What they didn’t know was that the Bogarts are really in love with each other – Bacall years later.
Their happiness did not last long. Bacall became a 33-year-old widow
The couple met in secret for a while, because Bogart still had an unclear situation with the then . Finally Bacall in 1945 and they have been inseparable ever since. After 4 years, their son, Steve, appeared in the world, and after another three years, Leslie. With the enlargement of the family, the actress decided to suspend her career and focus on raising her offspring. She never regretted it. “If I had staked everything on my career, I would have missed God, children, the very essence of life,” she said.
The idyll lasted until 1956, when the actor was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Despite immediate treatment, his condition continued to deteriorate. He was in pain, and Bacall followed him closely. On January 13, 1957, at the age of 58, Humphrey Bogart died after saying goodbye to his wife with the words “goodbye, baby, come back soon.” Lauren was 33 years old. Later, several men appeared in her life, and she even remarried and had a third child, but, as she herself emphasized, she was never so happy.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
