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Tallulah Bankhead Timeline

Tallulah Bankhead is born in Huntsville, Alabama. Her mother dies from complications in childbirth. Her father, William B. Bankhead, served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1936 to 1940. Her grandfather, John H. Bankhead, was a United States Senator. Moves to New York with her aunt Louise. She and her aunt Louise move into the Algonquin Hotel where Tallulah becomes a peripheral member of Dorothy Parker's Algonquin Round Table. Moves to London and takes the West End by storm, spending eight years in the city and appearing in more than 12 plays. After sending her father a letter that reads, "Hollywood for me I’m afraid," Tallulah returns to New York and signs a contract with Paramount Pictures. Marries actor John Emery. Divorces John Emery. She stars in Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth, directed by Elia Kazan. After audience members complain that she isn't wearing any underwear, the Actors’ Equity orders her to wear panties onstage. Receives the New York Screen Critics' Award for her role in the Alfred Hitchcock film, Lifeboat. Bankhead campaigns for the reelection of Harry Truman. Tallulah sues Proctor and Gamble after they launch a radio advertising campaign for Prell shampoo with a character called "Tallulah The Tube". The case is settled out of court. Publishes her autobiography, Tallulah: My Autobiography. It is the fifth best-selling nonfiction book of 1952. Nominated for a Tony Award for Best Dramatic Actress for her role in Midgie Purvis. Her last film role is in Die! Die! My Darling! with Stephanie Powers. Attends Truman Capote's Black and White Ball. Tallulah makes her final public appearance on the Tonight Show, chatting with fellow guests Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Bankhead dies after a bout of influenza leads to double pneumonia. Her last words are: "Codeine ... bourbon."