B.D. Hyman: The Troubled Legacy Of Bette Davis's "Hideous Daughter"
What happens when the daughter of Hollywood's most fearless star grows up to publicly call her mother a witch? The story of Barbara "B.D." Hyman is not a simple tale of celebrity offspring. It is a decades-long saga of a fiercely protected childhood, a scandalous teenage marriage, a brutal literary takedown, and a surprising turn toward evangelical ministry. Her life, forever framed by the towering shadow of Bette Davis, raises painful questions about family, fame, forgiveness, and the search for truth beyond the silver screen.
Biography and Personal Data
Before diving into the tumultuous relationship, let's establish the key facts of B.D. Hyman's life, pieced together from the fragments of her history.
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Birth Name | Barbara Davis Sherry |
| Known As | B.D. Hyman, Barbara Merrill |
| Date of Birth | May 1, 1947 |
| Place of Birth | Santa Ana, California, USA |
| Parents | Bette Davis (Mother), William Grant Sherry (Father) |
| Siblings | Margot Merrill (Adopted sister), Michael Merrill (Adopted brother) |
| Marriage | Jeremy Hyman (1963–2014; his death) |
| Children | None |
| Profession | Actress (former), Author, Christian Minister |
| Notable Works | My Mother's Keeper (1985), Narrow is the Way (1990) |
| Ministry | B.D. Hyman Ministry |
A Star is Born: The Making of B.D. Hyman
B.D. Hyman entered the world in 1947 as Barbara Davis Sherry, the biological daughter of cinematic titan Bette Davis and her third husband, artist William Grant Sherry. From the outset, her life was unlike any other child's. She was Bette Davis's daughter—a title that carried both privilege and an immense, often overwhelming, burden of expectation.
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Her mother's fourth husband, actor Gary Merrill, would adopt Barbara and her older sister, Margot (born 1951, adopted), solidifying the family unit that the world would later see in glimpses. This family, however, was far from conventional. Bette Davis was a force of nature: a brilliant, demanding, and notoriously difficult woman who dominated every room. For her daughter, growing up in this orbit meant navigating a landscape of intense love, volatile moods, and absolute control.
The Blind Date That Changed Everything
The pivotal moment that would define the rest of B.D.'s life occurred in 1963 in London. On the set of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, a film starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, a connection was made. Through her uncle, who was the nephew of Seven Arts Productions owner Eliot Hyman, B.D. met Jeremy Hyman. The meeting was arranged as a blind date for the screening of Baby Jane at the Cannes Film Festival.
Jeremy Hyman was a British businessman. B.D. was just 16 years old. He was 29. The age gap was vast, but the relationship swiftly became serious. With her mother's consent and public support, the couple decided to marry. This union, which began under such unusual circumstances, would become the one constant in B.D.'s turbulent life.
A Teenage Marriage and a Lifelong Partnership
The decision for B.D., at age 16, to marry Jeremy Hyman, then 29, with her mother's consent was sensational for its time. It was a move that seemed to offer an escape hatch from the Davis household. Bette Davis herself publicly supported the marriage, perhaps seeing it as a way to secure her daughter's future or simply as another dramatic episode in her own life story.
Whatever the motivation, the marriage proved enduring. The couple remained married for over 50 years until Jeremy's death in November (reported as 2014). This lengthy partnership became the bedrock of B.D.'s adult life, a stable island in a sea of familial strife. While her relationship with her mother fractured beyond repair, her marriage to Jeremy Hyman stood as a testament to a bond formed in youth that weathered every storm.
The Fracture: From "Keeper" to "Witch"
The relationship between Bette Davis and her daughter, Barbara B.D. Hyman, had a complicated relationship from the start. It was a dynamic of profound dependency and profound resentment. B.D. was her mother's assistant, confidante, and caretaker, roles she was thrust into from a young age. The affection was tangled with control, and the loyalty was marred by emotional abuse.
This toxic bond exploded into the public sphere in 1985 with the publication of B.D.'s memoir, My Mother's Keeper. The book was a bombshell. In it, Hyman, daughter of Bette Davis, wrote memoirs exposing their strained relationship. She detailed her mother's alleged alcoholism, temper, manipulation, and the suffocating nature of their life together. The title itself was a bitter irony: she had been her mother's keeper, but at a terrible cost.
The fallout was immediate and absolute. Bette Davis publicly disowned her daughter, calling the book "vicious" and "full of lies." The two never reconciled. Bette's children—Barbara "B.D." Hyman, Margot Merrill, and Michael Merrill—were irrevocably divided, with B.D. cast as the ultimate betrayer. The memoir cemented her legacy not as a star's child, but as the author of one of Hollywood's most infamous family takedowns.
The "Witch" Claim and Haunting Legacy
The acrimony reached a supernatural pitch. Mia Farrow, 80, is getting candid on Bette Davis’s daughter, B.D., has relayed that B.D. Hyman claimed her mom was a witch. In interviews following her mother's death in 1989, Hyman revealed that the demons attached to Davis were still alive and haunted her. This wasn't just metaphor for her; it was a spiritual reality she believed in. This belief would eventually steer her toward a very different path.
From Hollywood to the Pulpit: The Ministry Years
In the wake of the memoir's scandal, B.D. Hyman retreated from Hollywood. She had made a small role in the film Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, but her acting career never blossomed. Her true calling, she would later say, was found in faith.
Hyman is a Christian teacher who proclaims the gospel of Christ and explains the scriptures. She established the B.D. Hyman Ministry, a platform dedicated to teaching the truth of God, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Her theology is strict and literalist. The ministry's statement of faith declares: "We believe… that the Bible is the inspired and infallible word of God and that the word is God (John 1:1) that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons."
A Mission Born from Global Concern
A key driver of her ministry work was a deep concern for global suffering. "We have all heard about the famines, wars, and other extreme hardships besetting the people of Africa and, though there are many Christians trying to relieve the suffering, we at the B.D. Hyman ministry were always troubled by the limited way in which the plight of these people was being addressed." Her approach combined evangelism with practical outreach, believing that spiritual truth was the ultimate solution to physical suffering.
She offers free audios, books and outreach programs to help people know the truth and be free. Her teachings emphasize personalized supplement stacks for longevity, emphasizing lifestyle first—diet, exercise, and stress management, blending spiritual health with physical wellness. Her radio program and online resources aim to provide what she sees as the unvarnished "ten new testament commandments of Jesus."
The Sequel: A Story of Faith
After the seismic impact of My Mother's Keeper, Hyman wrote a sequel, Narrow is the Way, which is the story of her faith. This book chronicled her journey from the Hollywood drama into the arms of evangelical Christianity. It was an attempt to reclaim her narrative, not as a victim or a betrayer, but as a saved soul. But Barbara “B.D.” Hyman says she hopes that her mother will be able to experience the saving power of Jesus Christ, and she continually prays for her. This ongoing prayer for her mother's salvation, despite the public feud, is the poignant, unresolved chord of her ministry's message.
Portrayals and Posthumous Reflections
The infamous Bette Davis–B.D. Hyman feud has fascinated cultural observers for decades. It was revisited in the 2017 FX series "Feud," where on Feud, Shipka portrays a young version of B.D., capturing the tense, watchful dynamic between the teenage girl and her legendary mother. The series highlighted how B.D. had a small role in the film Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and clearly existed within her mother's professional world, a world that ultimately consumed their personal one.
The grave of B.D.'s paternal grandmother, Myrtle D. Hyman (born 27 Apr 1894, died 14 Feb 1993), is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in California, a quiet footnote in a family history marked by so much noise and pain.
Conclusion: The Unending Search for Truth
The life of B.D. Hyman is a study in contradictions. She was the cherished child who became the public enemy. The teenage bride who found lifelong stability. The memoirist who exposed her mother and the minister who prays for her soul. Her story forces us to ask: can the truth of a family ever be fully known? Is there a path to healing after such public devastation?
B.D. Hyman chose her path. She traded the glitz of Hollywood for the certainty of scripture, the complexity of her mother for the simplicity of the gospel. Whether one sees her as a courageous truth-teller, a vindictive daughter, or a woman seeking redemption, her journey remains a powerful, cautionary tale about the price of living in the shadow of a legend. Her ministry continues, preaching "the whole truth, and nothing but the truth"—a final, ironic echo of a childhood lived under the relentless, unforgiving spotlight of her mother's own stark and brilliant truth.
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