Every Academy Award for Best Actress: A Complete History of the Winners

Bette Davis – 1939
Jezebel (1938)

Bette Davis’s role as a Southern belle in Jezebel came after career frustrations for the actress; Warner Bros. had sued her for breach of contract for pursuing roles outside the studio. Warner Bros. won the suit, though as a result, it finally began offering Davis the kind of roles she wanted. Davis appeared on the cover of Time magazine to promote the film. The halo of…