US actress Lauren Bacall dies at 89

Actress Lauren Bacall arrives at the 2010 Vanity Fair Oscar party in West Hollywood, California in this March 7, 2010 file photo. Bacall has died at the age of 89, the estate of the Bogart family said on August 12, 2014. Photo: Reuters

US film and stage actress Lauren Bacall has died at the age of 89.

Her Hollywood career spanned seven decades, with a memorable debut aged 19 opposite her future husband, Humphrey Bogart, in To Have and Have Not.

More than 50 years later, The Mirror Has Two Faces earned her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1924, she went on to become one of cinema's biggest stars, best known for her husky voice and smouldering looks.

A Twitter account of the Bogart estate, run by Bacall's son, tweeted: "With deep sorrow, yet with great gratitude for her amazing life, we confirm the passing of Lauren Bacall."

Actors Burt Reynolds and Lauren Bacall pose for photographers as Reynolds holds his Golden Globe that he won for best supporting actor in a motion picture for the film "Boogie Nights", at the 55th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, in this file picture taken January 18, 1999. Photo: Reuters

She reportedly died after suffering a major stroke at home in New York.

Bacall was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2009 in recognition of "her central place in the golden age of motion pictures".

Born Betty Joan Perske, Bacall took a variation of her mother's last name after her parents divorced.

Her first film performance, as the tough and tender dame in To Have and Have Not, became one of the most powerful debuts in film history.

The film featured her legendary lines: "You don't have to act with me, Steve. You don't have to say anything and you don't have to do anything. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and... blow.

She continued her on-screen partnership with Bogart in Key Largo, The Big Sleep and Dark Passage after the couple were married in 1945.

Actress Lauren Bacall (R), widow of actor Humphrey Bogart, talks with her children Leslie and Stephen at ceremonies honoring Humphrey Bogart with an honorary postage stamp at Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood,California in this file picture taken July 31, 1997. Photo: Reuters

They had two children and were married until his death in 1957. She had another child with her second husband, Jason Robards.

Bacall appeared in more than 30 movies, including How to Marry a Millionaire and Murder on the Orient Express.

She also acted on stage in New York, winning Tony Awards for best leading actress in a musical in 1970 for Applause and in 1981 for Woman of the Year.

A second wave of film acting earned her an Academy Award nomination in 1996 for her role opposite Barbra Streisand in The Mirror Has Two Faces.