Humphrey Bogart Was ‘Afraid’ to Fall in Love with Lauren Bacall: ‘I Never Was Happy Until I Met’ Her

Humphrey Bogart took a leap of faith in starting a relationship with co-star Lauren Bacall.

The late legendary actors are at the center of the documentary “Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes,” which premieres in theaters November 15. The couple’s son, Stephen Humphrey Bogart, worked closely with Humphrey Bogart Estate CEO Robbert de Klerk and “Life Comes in Flashes” director Kathryn Ferguson, who previously helmed the Sinéad O’Connor doc “Nothing Compares,” to create the ode to Bogart’s marriage to Bacall.

“Life Comes in Flashes” uses Bogart’s own words from archival footage and interviews to narrate the film. It’s the first official feature documentary about Bogart’s life, and is organized through his relationships with five formidable women in his life — his mother and his four wives.

“I never believed that I could love again, for so many things have happened in my life that I was afraid to,” Bogart said of Bacall in a sneak peek at the film, an IndieWire exclusive below. “I never was happy until I met [Lauren].”

Bogart reflected on the beginning of Bacall’s own screen career, crediting director Howard Hawks for creating her celebrity persona.

“Howard Hawks, he didn’t like the name Betty, so he gave her the name Lauren,” Bogart said of how Bacall’s screen name came to be. “Everybody who knew her called her Betty.”

The duo had two children together, Leslie Howard Bogart and Stephen Humphrey Bogart, after getting married in 1945. They were together until Bogart’s death in 1957 at age 57 after a battle with esophageal cancer.

During their relationship, Bogart and Bacall starred in “The Big Sleep,” “To Have and Have Not,” “Dark Passage,” and “Key Largo” together, among numerous other films.

They first met on the set of “To Have and Have Not” and began an infamous affair while Bogart was still married to his previous wife, Mayo Methot. The then-45-year-old Bogart had also previously been married to Mary Philips and Helen Menken before meeting the then-20-year-old Bacall during the 1944 production.

“Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes” premieres November 15 in theaters from Freestyle Digital Media. Check out the clip below.