Humphrey Bogart’s Marriage to Lauren Bacall ‘Straightened Him Out’: ‘She Was the Love of His Life’

The legend of Humphrey Bogart has been examined from every conceivable angle, but a new documentary, Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes, seeks to shed new light on his private life through the wom­en who influenced him most. “It’s totally different and very interest­ing,” Stephen Bogart, the Oscar­ winner’s son and an adviser on the project, tells Closer. “Each wom­an was the beginning of a new seg­ment in his life.” Told in the actor’s own words, Bogart, directed by Belfast-­born filmmaker Kathryn Ferguson, will premiere in select theaters on November 15.

Bogie’s mother, Maud Hum­phrey, looms large over his child­hood and early adulthood. A Paris and New York educated art­ist, she cultivated a robust ca­reer as a commercial illustrator and was very active in the suf­fragette movement. “I can’t say I ever loved my mother,” said Bogie, who was her frequent mod­el. “I admired her.” Stephen adds that Maud “was a cold woman” not prone to coddling her children.

She and Bogie’s father, Belmont Bogart, a surgeon, expressed dis­may after their son was kicked out of boarding school. “It was like, ‘We’re not supporting you. Get out and do something,’” ex­plains Stephen. “So, my father joined the Navy.” In the military, Bogie discovered a love of the ocean and sailing that would stick with him for life.

Inside Humphrey Bogart’s Marriages

Upon his discharge, Bogie re­turned to New York. His first two wives, Helen Menken and Mary Philips, were successful theater actresses who helped hone his early career as a stage actor. “They were both beautiful women, but I think in the end they were looking for something different,” says Ste­phen, whose father was increas­ingly drawn to film acting. “Helen and Mary kind of made him realize he really didn’t want to make a living on the stage.”

Bogie’s breakthrough in Holly­wood in 1941’s High Sierra came during his marriage to film ac­tress Mayo Methot. Wed in 1938, the couple became known in the tabloids as the “Battling Bogarts” for their frequent public brawls. “They were drinking buddies,” says Stephen. “With two alcoholics in the same household, it’s never going to work out well.”

During their volatile marriage, Bogie made the leap from a character actor often playing gangsters to a leading man. “It’s interesting that his marriage didn’t affect his popularity,” com­ments Stephen. “Then, of course, he met my mother, who kind of straightened him out.”

Despite a 25-­year age difference, Bogie enjoyed some of the best years of his life and career with Lauren Bacall. “He was the highest paid actor in Hollywood,” says Stephen. “And she was the love of his life, other than the movies.”