As the shrewish Mildred in Of Human Bondage (1934), Davis was acclaimed for her dramatic performance.
By the late 1930s, Davis was Warner Brother's most successful actress, and they began to portray her as a figure of glamor, such as in the trailer for the film Dark Victory (1939)
Davis's distinctive eyes were used to dramatic effect, such as in this close-up from The Letter trailer (1940).
Davis completed Mr. Skeffington (1944) after the death of her husband. The difficult production was marred by Davis's reported erratic behavior and was followed by some negative reviews of her performance.