#Fact1According to friend Patsy Kelly, Bankhead used the monogram TBB because when she originally used TB, it was jokingly said to stand for "Total Bitch.".2Tennessee Williams wrote four characters for her: Myra Torrance in Battle of Angels, Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire, Princess Kosmonopolis in Sweet Bird of Youth, and Flora Goforth in The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore.3Father: William B. Bankhead; Mother: Adeline E. Sledge.4Named after the Tallulah Falls in Alabama.5Her mother died of complications of childbirth shortly after she was born. According to actress Hedy Lamarr, who met Tallulah, when the latter was doing stage in Vienna, in an interview, shortly before her own death, until the day she died, Tallulah had blamed herself for her mother's death. Evan Tallulah's father could not convince her otherwise.6Was referenced in the 1958 song "Give Him the Ooh-La-La" by Blossom Dearie.7Irving Rapper said the actress's screen test for Amanda Wingfield in "The Glass Menagerie" was the greatest performance he had ever seen in his life. Jack Warner feared casting two alcoholics in the film (Errol Flynn had already been cast), and though Tallulah promised not to drink during filming, the role was given to Gertrude Lawrence, whose acting was panned by most critics.8Once told an interviewer that the reason she addressed everyone she saw as "Dahling" was because she was bad at remembering names.9She was close friends with Zelda Fitzgerald and Estelle Winwood.10Was an avid baseball fan, especially of the New York Giants and Willie Mays.11Her father was Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1936 to 1940.12Profiled in the book "Funny Ladies" by Stephen Silverman (1999).13Was considered for the role of Margo Channing in All About Eve (1950) after Claudette Colbert dropped out due to a back injury before filming began. However, Bette Davis, who went on to receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance, was cast instead.14She smoked 150 cigarettes a day.15Her last coherent words were "Codeine... bourbon".16Her role as the Black Widow on the television series Batman (1966) is the last on-screen appearance she made.17Loved jazz music and was a mainstay at many popular jazz clubs in New York and Los Angeles.18Was nominated for Broadway's 1961 Tony Award as Best Actress (Dramatic) for "Midgie Purvis".19A bisexual, she had a one-time affair with actress Hattie McDaniel, according to chronicler of the Hollywood underground Kenneth Anger, and a longer-term arrangement with singer Billie Holiday, according to Joe Lobenthal's "Tallulah! The Life and Times of a Leading Lady".20Originated the female lead in Clifford Odets "Clash by Night" on Broadway. The role was taken by Barbara Stanwyck in the movie Clash by Night. She also originated the Broadway lead in "Reflected Glory", which became a Joan Crawford vehicle, and "Dark Victory" and "The Little Foxes", both which became Bette Davis vehicles to her chagrin.21She was infamous for not wearing underwear. According to Hume Cronyn, during the filming of Lifeboat (1944) the crew complained about her flashing them when she had to climb a ladder to go into the mock-up of a lifeboat. When their objections to Bankhead's exhibitionism reached director Alfred Hitchcock, he reportedly quipped that he did not know if it was a matter for wardrobe or hairdressing.22She was said to be the inspiration for the character of Cruella De Vil in Walt Disney's 101 Dalmatians (1961).23At a press conference once, she said, "I'm so glad to see there's a man here from the New York Times, because if I say 'goddammit', they will print it 'good heavens' or 'good gracious.'".24In 1949, Procter and Gamble launched a radio advertising campaign for its Prell shampoo, using a jingle and the character "Tallulah the Tube". Miss Bankhead was so closely identified by her first name that she sued, eventually settling out of court.25She narrowly missed out getting the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939), which went to Vivien Leigh.26The screen credit for her role as the Black Widow on the television series "Batman" (1966) "Miss Tallulah Bankhead".27Sent to Catholic convent schools by her father in the hopes (unrealized) that she would learn to stay out of trouble.28She was a member of a clique of lesbians and bisexuals in the Algonquin round table called the "Four Horseman of the Algonquin", consisting of her, Eva Le Gallienne, Blyth Daly, and Estelle Winwood.29An ardent supporter of civil rights, Bankhead was the first white woman to appear on the cover of Ebony magazine. She also appeared on the cover of TIME and LIFE.30Was an animal lover who collected assorted pets, including a pet lion named Winston Churchill, a myna bird named Gaylord, and a monkey named King Kong.31She is credited with helping Truman win the 1948 election by publicly castigating rival candidate Dewey. President Harry S. Truman claimed that her 1952 autobiography was the best book he had read since coming to the White House.32Considered one of the "Great Ladies" of 20th century Broadway, she also conquered other mediums - appearing on film, radio, and television.

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