Documenting the global footprint of Russian civilization  ·  1,081 profiles · 48 countries  · About this project
Vol. I · 2026
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Tier B
Music & Performing Arts · USA · Russian Empire

Bette Midler

Бетт Мидлер

Honolulu-born singer, actress and comedian; grandparents were Jewish immigrants

🇺🇸 Fame: USA🇷🇺 Origin: Russian Empire🔗 Connection: Ancestry🗓 Her paternal grandfather, Reuben Midler, was reportedly a Russian Jewish immigrant to the United States; her other grandparents came from Poland or Lithuania, Austria-Hungary and Poland.🗣 Russian: No
BM
Profile #188
ProfessionSinger
Russian originRussian Empire (town not documented)Russian Empire
ConnectionAncestryFred Midler; Ruth Midler
RussianNo
CategoryMusic & Performing ArtsTier B
Biography

Bette Midler — singer with roots in the Russian Empire

Bette Midler is an American singer, actress and comedian born in Honolulu. She has won Grammy, Emmy, Tony and Golden Globe awards and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Rose.

"Her paternal grandfather, Reuben Midler, was reportedly a Russian Jewish immigrant to the United States; her other grandparents came from Poland or Lithuania, Austria-Hungary and Poland."

Migration story
Russian Connection

Tracing the roots — Russian Empire (town not documented)

Both her parents, Fred and Ruth Midler, were born in New Jersey; her father worked as a painter at a U.S. Navy base in Hawaii. Her paternal grandfather Reuben Midler was reportedly a Russian Jewish immigrant and her paternal grandmother came from Poland or Lithuania; her maternal grandparents, Israel Schindel and Fannie Goldberger, came from Austria-Hungary and Poland.

Family Tree
Subject
Bette Midler🇺🇸 USA
↑
Grandparents
Fred Midler
Ruth Midler
↑
Origin
Russian Empire (town not documented)🇷🇺 Russian Empire
Historical context
Russian Empire · c. 1721–1917
Map of the Russian Empire

Russian Empire (town not documented). At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.

Map: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)
Key Achievements

A career defined by ambition

01
Grammy Award — Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for The Rose (1981 ceremony)
02
Special Tony Award (1974)
03
Golden Globe for Best Actress (Musical or Comedy) — The Rose (1980) and For the Boys (1992)
04
Emmy Awards — Outstanding Special, Comedy-Variety or Music, Ol' Red Hair Is Back (1978); individual performance, The Tonight Show (1992)
05
Academy Award nomination for Best Actress — The Rose (1980 ceremony)
Russian diasporaRussian Empire roots
Sources