Jezebel earned Bette Davis her second Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Julie Marsden in the 1938 film.
Directed by William Wyler, Jezebel is a romantic drama set in antebellum New Orleans. Davis plays Julie, a headstrong woman whose defiance and impulsive behavior damage her relationship with Preston Dillard, played by Henry Fonda. The screenplay was adapted from Owen Davis Sr.'s 1933 play.
Davis had previously won Best Actress for Dangerous (1935), making Jezebel her second Oscar victory. The role is often linked to the casting controversy surrounding Gone with the Wind: after Davis was not chosen to play Scarlett O'Hara, Warner Bros. gave her a major showcase in Jezebel. That connection can cause confusion, because Davis received another nomination for Dark Victory the following year but did not win.
Jezebel also won Fay Bainter the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The film was added to the National Film Registry in 2009 for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.