Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 1939
Bette Davis Jezebel 1939
SEX WORKER ROLE
Mary Dwight Strauber in Marked Woman 1937
Character Is A Prostitute
Bette Davis in Marked Woman 1937
The actress Bette Davis has not only won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, but she has also played the role of a prostitute twice on film. It was in a movie that was partially based on the real-life experiences of Manhattan District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey that she played her second hooker role. He is most known for his conviction of Lucky Luciano, a notorious criminal boss. To accomplish this, it was necessary to persuade several of Luciano’s ‘girls’ to testify against their former boss. Bette is the one who fulfills this function. She works as a nightclub hostess, also known as a prostitute, and the federal government is successful in persuading her to testify against her criminal boss. On the other hand, she quickly discovers that she is a “Marked Woman,” as the title suggests.
Watch clip of the film “Marked Woman”
Bette has played more than one hooker role on film.
Go to Dangerous 1936 to read her other prostitute role.
To read more about other Oscar-winning actresses playing characters working in the sex trade industry, please continue perusing Oscar Hookers