Lauren Bacall, born as Betty Joan Perske, died on August 12, 2014 at the age of 89 after suffering a massive stroke. Bacall was an actress and model, known for her inviting voice and sultry looks. During her modeling career, in the 40s, her agent recommended that she change her name to Lauren Bacall (Bacall was her mother’s surname) so that she would sound more appealing.

Bacall first appeared as the lead lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have and Have Not (1944) and continued to appear in other Bogart movies – The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948). Bacall also had key roles in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) with Marilyn Monroe and Designing Woman (1957) with Gregory Peck. Bacall worked on Broadway in musicals, earning Tony Awards for Applause in 1970 and Woman of the Year in 1981. Her performance in the movie The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) earned her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination.

In 1999, Bacall was ranked number 20 of the 25 actresses on the AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Stars list by the American Film Institute. In 2009, she was selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Academy Honorary Award “in recognition of her central place in the Golden Age of motion pictures.”