Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 â€" December 12, 1968)
was an American actress of the stage and screen. Bankhead was a member
of the Brockman Bankhead family, a prominent Alabama political family;
her grandfather and uncle were U.S. Senators and her father served as
an 11-term member of Congress, the final two as Speaker of the House
of Representatives. Tallulah's support of liberal causes such as civil
rights broke with the tendency of the Southern Democrats to support a
more typically aligned agenda, and she often opposed her own family
publicly.Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead did have one hit
filmâ€"Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1944) â€"as well as a brief but
successful career on radio. She later made appearances on television
as well.In her personal life, Bankhead struggled with alcoholism and
drug addiction, smoked around 120 cigarettes per day, and was known
for her promiscuous sex life with both men and women; Bankhead also
openly talked about her vices. She supported foster children and
helped families escape the Spanish Civil War and World War II. She was
inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1972, and the
Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 1981. Upon her death, Bankhead had
amassed nearly 300 film, stage, television, and radio roles.
was an American actress of the stage and screen. Bankhead was a member
of the Brockman Bankhead family, a prominent Alabama political family;
her grandfather and uncle were U.S. Senators and her father served as
an 11-term member of Congress, the final two as Speaker of the House
of Representatives. Tallulah's support of liberal causes such as civil
rights broke with the tendency of the Southern Democrats to support a
more typically aligned agenda, and she often opposed her own family
publicly.Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead did have one hit
filmâ€"Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1944) â€"as well as a brief but
successful career on radio. She later made appearances on television
as well.In her personal life, Bankhead struggled with alcoholism and
drug addiction, smoked around 120 cigarettes per day, and was known
for her promiscuous sex life with both men and women; Bankhead also
openly talked about her vices. She supported foster children and
helped families escape the Spanish Civil War and World War II. She was
inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1972, and the
Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 1981. Upon her death, Bankhead had
amassed nearly 300 film, stage, television, and radio roles.
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