Far More Than Just a Beautiful Face: Lauren Bacall’s 30 Most Glamorous Moments in the 1940s and 1950s

Since she strutted her way onto the screen as a teenager in the 1940s, Lauren Bacall has smoldered over American culture as a unmistakable presence of pure charisma. One of the great sharp-tongued heroines of the noir years, she’d eventually grow into a great lady of the American theater — all the while maintaining an outsized personality, both on and off the screen. A child of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, Bacall turned her name into a synonym for class and style.

Born on September 16, 1924 in New York City, Lauren Bacall was a fashion mag cover model before landing her debut film role in To Have and Have Not, co-starring with Humphrey Bogart, whom she would marry.

A decades-long career ensued with movies that included Key Largo, A Woman’s World, Murder on the Orient Express, The Fan, The Portrait and The Mirror Has Two Faces. Bacall died on August 12, 2014 at the age of 89.

Here are some of the great moments of an absolutely dazzling life:

Posing for a portrait, 1943.

Showing off her signature “Look,” 1943.

Bacall makes her movie debut in the wartime thriller To Have and Have Not, 1943.

Donning a black beret and overcoat, 1944.

Sitting cross-legged with her hands on her hips in a jumpsuit, 1944.

Wearing a bold floral print dress with just the right amount of skin showing, 1944.

Giving a come-hither glance, 1944.

A bold orange turtleneck and a matching bold lip, circa the '40s.

In 1945, she showed off a customary combination: striped tailored dress, smart wedges, and a cigarette.

Traveling in style with her dog, 1945.

A photo shoot in 1945.

In 1946, the actress got bookish in a wool suit, the work of designer Leah Rhodes.

Only she could ably ride a bike in a full skirt, 1948.

Glamorizing smoking on set in 1948.

An outtake from filming "Young Man With A Horn," 1949.

Strong shoulders and bold color in an undated publicity still.

A beautiful photo of Bacall, ca. 1950s.

Wearing red lips, a white dress and a string of pearls, 1950.

Sophisticated lounging-at-home style, circa 1950.

She was dubbed Languorous Lauren in this 1950 publicity shot.

Lauren Bacall, early 1950s.

Animal instinct: sporting a zebra-striped top and lizard-skin shoes, 1954.

Soaking up the sun in a minidress at her Brentwood home, 1954.

Working a statement necklace in 1955.

A master of color-blocking, mid-1950s.

Looking elegant in a billowy blouse and high-waist full skirt for a studio portrait, 1955.

Posing beside a piano in a macrame blouse and light blue pleated skirt, 1955.

Preparing for the Ford Star Jubilee production of "Blithe Spirit," 1956.

The most glamorous of gowns, in 1956.

The dog lover sported clean-cut separates and a wide-brimmed hat in 1957.