The Divine Miss M

“Let’s get the trash off the ground and back on stage where it belongs.”
Bette Midler said to a full house at the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota Tuesday night as part of the SmartTalk Connected Conversations Series.



Bette Midler is famous for her film and stage career, winning tree Emmy Awards, Four Grammy Awards, Four Golden Globes and a special Tony Award “for adding luster to the Broadway season.” She starred in films such as “The Rose,” “Beaches,” and “Ruthless People” as well as 32 other films. She has 13 albums, has starred in 23 Television productions and is a producer, writer and composer. Yet still, she has found time to clean up New York.



Born in Hawaii on December 1st 1945, Midler learned early to organize and clean when her mother became overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for her special needs son. She also learned that when she sang, people paid attention to her. Little did anyone know that these two skills would bring passion and joy into her life.


Bette Midler at the Continental Baths, 1971

In 1965 Midler mover to New York to pursue her career. She worked as an actress and singer but probably is the most famous for working at the Continental Baths with Barry Manilow starting in 1970. During that time the Aids epidemic took many of her friends and coworkers. She threw herself into fund raising and education. Midler says that she “sunk like a stone” from losing so many friends.



Midler moved from New York to LA to star in “The Rose,” in 1979. “The Rose” was the story of a drug addicted rock star and said to be modeled after the late Janis Joplin. Midler says the story is her story as well Joplin’s and that she caught up in the life style.

In 1984, six weeks after meeting Martin Von Haselber she married him and two years later at 40 years old, Midler gave birth to their daughter Sophie. Midler threw herself into motherhood and later mover back to New York.



Midler was saddened to find that New York was a mess. Parks were abandoned and trash was everywhere and in 1995, Midler, the organizer and cleaner, threw herself into action and founded the nonprofit New York Restoration Project (NYRP).

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The NYRP has picked up more than 133000 bags of trash from the city’s green spaces, owns and manages 55 community gardens and has planted hundreds of thousands of trees, bushes and flowers to clean up and “green” New York city. You can read more about the organization and learn what you can do to make a difference in your own community by clicking here.

Midler advises people to use their natural gifts and follow their obsession to find their passion and joy. She goes on the say, “If you haven’t found your thing, remember, there is always trash.”