Bankhead was a compelling, colorful and important stage actress ("The Little Foxes" 1939, "The Skin of Our Teeth" 1943, "Private Lives" 1947) in both England and the US and excelled at playing sophisticated bitches. Paramount attempted to turn her into a movie star in the 1930s, but her dynamic talent never quite came across in these early vehicles, generally constrained by mediocre scripting and direction. Her most memorable screen role was to be the indifferent journalist in Hitchcock's "Lifeboat" (1944), for which the New York Film Critics named her best actress. Her talent for brittle comedy found another apt showcase in Otto Preminger's "A Royal Scandal" (1945), a lavish period farce in which she memorably impersonated Catherine the Great. She continued to appear onstage in the 50s and 60s and also made several film and TV appearances. Her last feature role, played with great relish, was, however, unworthy of her--a sadistic mother-in-law in "Die! Die! My Darling!" (1965), one of many aging-glamour-queen horror films of the day which attempted to cash in on the success of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" (1962).