Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 1, 1945, Bette Midler grew up in a Jewish family that was one of the few in a predominantly Asian neighborhood. She is the third of four children, with a mother named Ruth, who was a housewife and seamstress, and a father named Fred Midler, who worked at a Navy base in Hawaii as a painter and also did house painting.
Bette Midler is an accomplished American singer, actress, and comedienne, also known as The Divine Miss M. She was named after the actress Bette Davis, although Midler pronounces her first name with one syllable, unlike Davis, who used two. Throughout her career, Midler has won four Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. She has also been nominated for two Academy Awards. Currently, she is performing a new concert show, "The Showgirl Must Go On," live five nights a week as a headliner at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
As one of the world's best-loved and most versatile entertainers, Midler has received numerous accolades across all facets of show business. Her expansive body of work has been recognized with four Grammy Awards, two Academy Award nominations, three Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and nine American Comedy Awards. Midler began her legendary career as an entertainer in 1965 in New York, where she developed the trademark act that would make her one of the most renowned talents of her generation.
In addition to her successful career in entertainment, Midler is also committed to giving back to her community. In 1995, she founded the New York Restoration Project, an open space conservancy and New York City's largest private land trust. NYRP is dedicated to protecting and preserving community gardens and other green spaces throughout all five boroughs. NYRP owns and manages 52 community gardens, maintains over 80 acres of parkland, and has planted over 1,000,000 trees in New York City in collaboration with the New York City Parks Department.