Walt Disney Records:
Biography of Bette Midler
Picture of Bette Midler Bette Midler performs a rendition of "God Help the Outcasts" in classic, pop-diva style on the Walt Disney Records soundtrack The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Midler started her career in New York City with singing engagements at a host of popular cabarets, including a record-breaking run at the city's Continental Baths. She created such a sensation that it wasn't long before she had signed a contract with Atlantic Records.

In 1973, Midler took Grammy Award honors for Best New Artist in recognition of her Divine Miss M debut album (now certified RIAA platinum). That same year, she received a Tony Award for her appearance at Broadway's Palace Theatre. Midler's meteoric career continued to escalate with her "Clams on the Half Shell" revue, "The Fabulous Bette Midler Show" for HBO, the Emmy Award-winning TV special "Ol' Red Hair Is Back," and a string of albums: The Mardin co-produced Bette Midler, Songs For the New Depression, Live At Last, Broken Blossom, and the Mardin-produced Thighs And Whispers.

In 1979, Midler's portrayal of the tormented, self-destructive rock singer in Mark Rydell's The Rose earned her an Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress and Newcomer of the Year. The Rose soundtrack hit RIAA platinum and brought Midler a Grammy Award, her second, for the RIAA gold title track smash. That same night, she took home another Grammy Award - for "Blueberry Pie" from the children's compilation album, In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record.

In 1982, Midler recorded her ninth album, No Frills, which included her version of the Rolling Stones' "Beast of Burden." With a companion video co-starring Mick Jagger, the clip became a favorite in the early days of MTV. The album was complemented by an HBO special based on Midler's extensive 1982-83 "De Tour."

After the release of her 1985 comedy album, Mud Will Be Flung Tonight!, Midler focused her energies on her movie career. The result was a string of films, including: Down And Out in Beverly Hills, Ruthless People, Outrageous Fortune and Big Business.

In 1988, Midler starred in Beaches, the first film to be released through her own All Girl Productions. The film's original soundtrack - her first music release in six years - put Midler's recording career back on the fast track. The RIAA triple platinum Beaches was highlighted by the RIAA platinum single, "Wind Beneath My Wings." The song earned Midler and producer Arif Mardin the 1989 Grammy Award for Record of the Year. It was her fourth Grammy. The song also brought Song of the Year Grammy honors to songwriters Larry Henley and Jeff Silbar.

After Beaches, Midler began a virtually non-stop work schedule. In the midst of this dizzying schedule, she managed to release another hit album. Produced by Mardin, 1990's Some People's Lives soared into the top ten, scored RIAA double platinum, and yielded the #1 platinum single, "From a Distance." The song, which earned songwriter Julie Gold the Song of the Year Grammy Award, touched the hearts of American service personnel and their loved ones during the war in the Persian Gulf.

In 1993, Atlantic released Midler's RIAA gold greatest hits collection, Experience the Divine, which included a previously unreleased live version of the Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen classic "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)."

Last year, Midler released her first non-soundtrack album of new material since 1990's RIAA double platinum Some People's Lives. Entitled Bette of Roses, Midler's 16th album began to take shape back in 1993, when she was on the road during her long-awaited return to the concert stage. The sold-out, cross-country "Experience the Divine" tour was her first in a decade (highlighted by a record-breaking six-week engagement at New York's famed Radio City Music Hall).

In more unexpected arenas, Bette recently made a guest voice-over appearance on Fox-TV's "The Simpsons," guest-starred on this year's much-touted "Seinfeld" NBC-TV season-finale, and even had her name posted as a litter removal sponsor on adopted stretches of the Long Island Expressway and Bronx River Parkway.