Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy read… Yes, this week the Lipster genuflects in the general direction of one Bette Davis, the straight-talking dame and Hollywood legend celebrating her centenary this year. By her own admission Bette approached her career like a battle. Would a modern actor ever dream of suing a studio for not giving them meaty enough roles? Admonish a reporter for suggesting she was known for being difficult to work with at one time: “At one time?! I've been known as difficult for 50 years!” Here are more reasons to love her:

1. She was good at the acting

Well, duh, she was an actress. But in an era that favoured pretty blondes with long legs (fancy that!), Bette favoured authenticity and would rather get her teeth into a good killer, adulteress or bitch than a loveable (read: lame) romantic heroine. When she was bad, she was great.

2. She was an award magnet

Bette received 10 Oscar nominations, starting with Of Human Bondage in 1935 and ending with Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? in 1963, with two wins for Dangerous and Jezebel. She even claimed to have named the statuette Oscar after her husband who had the same flat bottom.

3. She delivered the best one-liners

Insolence, impertinence, sarcasm – and those cyanide-laced remarks weren’t just reserved for the screen. Bette said that "being hysterical is like having an orgasm, it's good for you." Hear, hear.

4. She was brilliant at feuding

Bette was the vanguard of celebrity bitchin’ with her ongoing sparring-partner Joan Crawford. When asked why she avoided Crawford at parties, Bette replied: "You hang around that woman long enough and you'll pick up all kinds of useless shit." And, famously, "She's slept with every male star at MGM except Lassie." It's even rumoured that she had a Coca-Cola machine installed on the set of ...Baby Jane as a dig at Crawford, whose husband, a CEO of Pepsi, had just died. Take that, Paris and Nicole.

5. She had these eyes...

Though not a conventional bombshell, Bette was nonetheless a stunner who was always ready for her close-up, employing those fabulous peepers to dramatic effect. I feel a song coming on…

The Bette Davis 100th Anniversary Collection DVD set is out now.