During the filming, while the 45-year-old actor was still married to his third wife, Mayo Methot, he began a romance with the 19-year-old newcomer actress.
Considered one of the most iconic lines in cinema, when Bogart passed away on January 14, 1957, at the age of 57, Bacall, his widow, placed a small golden whistle inside the coffin. Devastated by the loss of the love of her life, the actress found the strength to raise their two children, Stephen (77) and Leslie (73), named in honor of actor Leslie Howard - the unforgettable Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind (1939) - who had helped Bogart secure his first major opportunity in the film industry in The Petrified Forest (1936).
In her biography Lauren Bacall: By Myself (1978), the star recalled their first romantic encounter during the filming of the classic: "He was behind me, we were joking as usual, when suddenly he leaned in, put his hand under my chin, and kissed me."
Humphrey Bogart lived a short life but had the opportunity to portray some of the most iconic characters in cinema history, such as Charlie Allnutt in The African Queen (1951), which celebrates 75 years this 2026. The film's leading lady, directed by John Huston, is the unforgettable Katharine Hepburn. Legend has it that all the actors fell ill with dysentery from drinking water, while Bogart and Huston remained unscathed because they only drank whiskey.
Bogart was a rebellious youth born into a wealthy family residing in the exclusive Central Park West in New York. After attending various private schools, his parents' ambition was for Humphrey to enroll at Yale University, but he was expelled and decided to join the U.S. Navy during World War I.
Upon his return, drinking and late-night revelry became his favorite pastime, albeit an expensive one. As an expert chess player, he earned a dollar for every game won.
Once in Hollywood, Bogart didn't abandon his mischievous side, which was further accentuated alongside Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. who were known for their legendary drinking sessions. For this reason, Bacall dubbed this group The Rat Pack because after seeing them tipsy and disheveled, she exclaimed, "They look like a damn pack of rats."
In addition to alcohol, Bogart was a heavy tobacco smoker. Despite being diagnosed with esophageal cancer, he never gave up these vices.
When Bacall met him, he was already a star. In 1941, he starred in The Maltese Falcon and a year later Casablanca -earning $2,200 weekly- alongside Ingrid Bergman, with whom he barely spoke off-camera. The filming was quite tense because the actor felt insecure about his height, as his co-star was taller than him, leading him to wear lifts, and also because Bogie's wife was jealous of the Swedish actress, whom she had monitored.
Bacall recalled that Bogart "was very conservative. He didn't want an actress as a wife. He told me he loved me, and that if I wanted a career, he would do everything to help me, but he wouldn't marry me then." He had previously been married to three actresses - Helen Menken (1926-1927), Mary Philips (1928-1938), and Mayo Methot (1938-1945) - but eventually allowed his wife to make some memorable films like Written on the Wind and How to Marry a Millionaire.
The couple also became well-known for being active members against the House Un-American Activities Committee and famously led the March on Washington to the Capitol.
The pair left behind, for classic film enthusiasts, not only To Have and Have Not, but also three other gems like The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948).
In the 1950s, he starred in two more classics, Sabrina (1954), where he didn't treat Audrey Hepburn too kindly on set, and The Barefoot Contessa (1954), where he shared drinking sessions with the beloved Ava Gardner.
Despite his reputation for being quite gruff and unpleasant, Bogart earned the respect of the entire film community. Therefore, when he passed away on January 14, 1957, due to cancer, the film industry fell into darkness.