#2: Of Human Bondage (1934)
As Mildred Rogers in Of Human Bondage, Davis tore through the polite rules of female stardom. She was cruel, vulgar, needy, manipulative, and completely unforgettable. The performance was so fierce that her failure to receive an official Oscar nomination sparked outrage and a write-in campaign. It was the kind of role actresses were warned against taking. Davis took it and made timidity look unemployed.
