Bette Midler

Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedienne whose career began in the late 1960s performing at New York's Continental Baths, where she developed her flamboyant stage persona The Divine Miss M. Her 1972 debut album, produced with pianist Barry Manilow, launched her recording career and earned her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Over the following decades she became one of the defining voices of American pop and adult contemporary music, known for a powerful, theatrical delivery that blends humor, camp, and raw emotion.

Midler's musical output is closely tied to her film career. Her 1979 film debut, «The Rose», loosely based on the life of Janis Joplin, produced the title track that became one of her signature songs and earned her a Grammy and Golden Globe. Later hits like «Wind Beneath My Wings» from the film «Beaches» and «From a Distance» became global standards, showcasing her ability to deliver sweeping ballads with both vulnerability and grandeur. She also became strongly associated with the Halloween classic «Hocus Pocus», performing «I Put a Spell on You» in the original film and its sequel.

Beyond music, Midler has had a parallel and equally celebrated career on Broadway and in film, including a Tony-winning turn in «Hello, Dolly!». Across genres she has moved fluidly between torch songs, show tunes, pop standards, and comedic material, cementing her reputation as an entertainer whose musical identity is inseparable from her stage and screen persona.