NEW YORK (AP) – Entertainer Bette Midler says her mother encouraged her, but her father didn’t think much of her career choice.
“(My father) was one of those pooh-poohers – ‘You’ll never amount to a hill of beans.’
M a y b e i t w a s r e v e r s e psychology, hoping against hope t h at I w o u ld a m o u nt to something, but it was pretty painful for a long time,” Midler told Parade magazine.
“He couldn’t keep me down,” said Midler. “I had too much inner belief. That came from my mother, who always said, ‘Kid, you’re going to be fine.'”
Although her father refused to attend her performances as her career took off, the pair had a reconciliation before his death in 1986, Midler said.
Her flamboyant stage act doesn’t reflect her upbringing.
