An iconic symbol of glamor, and great acting chops, film actress Lauren Bacall died Wednesday at age 89 of a stroke.

Confirming her death, Stephen Bogart, one of her two children by fellow actor Humphrey Bogart, said her life spoke for itself. She lived a magical, wonderful life, he added.

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Known for a throaty, sultry voice and come-hither look, Bacall was discovered as a teenager and immediately found acting fame for a starring role in "To Have and Have Not," Howard Hawks' 1944 cinematic rendering of Ernest Hemmingway's classic novel. Bacall played opposite Humphrey Bogart, fell in love and later married him.

Bacall's character in the Hawks movie fashioned a catchphrase that became her signature line further defining her as a leading lady in years to come. Telling Bogart's character he didn't have to act with her or even say anything to get her attention. He just had to "put your lips together and blow." 

Bacall starred in more than 40 films. She played film noire sirens in "Key Largo and "The Big Sleep," starring alongside Bogart. She acted well into later years with "Dogville" in 2003 and "Mandalay" in 2005. She worked with the likes of directors Robert Altman and Lars von Trier along with fellow stars like Gregory Peck and Marilyn Monroe.

Bacall didn't work consistently in films, but made her mark as signified by an Oscar nomination in 1997 and honorary Academy Award in 2009. She was a multifaceted performer and artist as well. She won numerous Tony Awards for Broadway stage acting starting with "Goodbye Charlie" in 1959 and "Cactus Flower" in "1965."

Bacall was especially honored for her 1970 turn in "Applause" and "Women of the Year" in 1981. Her 1980 memoir, "Lauren Bacall: By Myself" won the National Book Award. She published a 2005 sequel, "By Myself and Then Some."

Born Betty Joan Perske, she was raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., by Jewish immigrant parents who divorced when she was six years old. She and her mom moved to Manhattan where she became known as Betty Bacal, a variation of her mother's maiden name Weinstein-Bacal. She added an "l" to Bacal and Hawks called her first name to Lauren. Her close friends and family, however, continued to call her Betty.

Bacall modeled as a teenager and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before having to leave due to financial difficulties in her close-knit but always money-challenged family. She was "discovered" by Hawks' wife who told the director to audition her for a role.

Her 1945 marriage to Bogart produced two children and four movies together. Following his death, she married actor Jason Robards and had another child. She also had a famous, but brief, relationship with Frank Sinatra and was a charter member of the Rat Pack.

Working in cinema and theater, Bacall developed what came to be called "The Look," keeping her head low while casting her eyes to the sky. She said she adopted the look due to nervousness that made her shake and tremble otherwise when acting.

Speaking when she received the 1997 Kennedy Center Honor, a celebrated award, she said she went into acting because she enjoyed it and was good at it, adding that any award she got was merely "a perk...just an extra."

TagsLauren Bacall, film actress, humphrey bogart, arts and entertainment, film, lauren bacall quotes, lauren bacall movies, stroke, death