B. D. Hyman Biography: Age, Husband, Update, Children, Bette Davis, Net Worth, Book

B. D. Hyman, born Barbara Davis Hyman (née Sherry) on May 1, 1947, is an American author, pastor, and former actress best known as the daughter of legendary Hollywood icon Bette Davis. Growing up in the shadow of her mother’s towering career, B. D. experienced both the glamour and challenges of being the child of one of the most famous actresses of the 20th century.

She made early appearances in films as a child, including a brief role in her mother’s movie Payment on Demand (1951) and a small part in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). After a brief acting career, she turned her attention to writing, producing two highly controversial and bestselling books about her relationship with her mother: My Mother’s Keeper (1985) and Narrow Is the Way (1987). These memoirs portrayed Bette Davis as a difficult, overbearing, and sometimes abusive parent, sparking widespread media attention and public debate.

Later in life, B. D. became a born-again Christian, founding her own ministry and serving as a pastor in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she has written additional religious books. As of early 2026, at age 78, she continues to maintain a low public profile, focusing on her faith-based work and private life following the death of her husband Jeremy Hyman in 2017. Her story remains a subject of fascination, especially in discussions about family dynamics, celebrity culture, and the complex legacy of Bette Davis.

Here is a quick overview of key details about B. D. Hyman:

B. D. Hyman Biography

B. D. Hyman was born Barbara Davis Sherry on May 1, 1947, in Santa Ana, California, the first child of Hollywood legend Bette Davis and her third husband, artist William Grant Sherry. Their turbulent marriage ended in divorce in 1950. Afterward, B. D. was adopted by Bette’s fourth husband, actor Gary Merrill, and, for a time, was credited as B. D. Merrill. During her childhood, she appeared briefly in her mother’s film Payment on Demand (1951) and, more than a decade later, had a small role as the neighbor’s daughter in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962).

Growing up in her mother’s spotlight brought both privilege and public scrutiny, shaping a complex relationship that later became the focus of her controversial books. After a short acting career, B. D. became a writer. In 1985, she published My Mother’s Keeper, a memoir depicting Bette Davis as an overbearing, alcoholic, and emotionally difficult parent. The book sparked controversy, especially as it was published during Bette’s declining health.

A second memoir, Narrow Is the Way (1987), was similarly critical but less prominent. Estrangement and disinheritance followed; Bette’s estate went to her adopted son, Michael Merrill, and her assistant, Kathryn Sermak. In later years, B. D. became a born-again Christian, founding a ministry and serving as a pastor in Charlottesville, Virginia. Over the next decade, she wrote religious books, including Oppressive Parents: How to Leave Them and Love Them (1992), The Church is Not the Bride (2000), and The Rapture, the Tribulation, and Beyond (2002). Her life, marked by fame, family conflict, and faith, remains of interest to those studying celebrity families and personal redemption.

Update

As of early 2026, B. D. Hyman, now 78, lives a private life centered on ministry and faith-based work in Charlottesville, Virginia. Since the death of her husband, Jeremy Hyman, in November 2017, she has largely stayed out of the public eye. In the years following his passing, no major new books, interviews, or public appearances have been announced. Her past controversies, notably the books about her mother, Bette Davis, are sometimes referenced in retrospectives on classic Hollywood and family memoirs, though B. D. has not publicly engaged with these topics in decades. She is remembered for her early acting roles and her later work as a pastor and Christian author.

B. D. Hyman Age

B. D. Hyman, born May 1, 1947, is 78 as of January 2026. She has witnessed Hollywood’s transformation from her mother’s golden age to today’s digital era. In later years, she has focused on faith and ministry.

B. D. Hyman Children

B. D. Hyman and her late husband, Jeremy Hyman, had two sons: Ashley and Justin. Both have remained private, and little is known publicly about their current lives as of early 2026. She has at times referenced her sons in her books and ministry, stressing family and faith.

B. D. Hyman Husband

B. D. Hyman married Jeremy Hyman in 1963 and remained with him for over 50 years, until his death in November 2017. Jeremy, born in 1933 in London, was the nephew of the owner of Seven Arts Productions, Eliot Hyman. The couple met on a blind date at the Cannes Film Festival at a screening of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? When B. D. was 16, and Jeremy was 29. With Bette Davis’s public endorsement, they married soon after. Their marriage endured controversies surrounding B. D.’s books about her mother. Jeremy remained reclusive, and the couple raised two sons. Following Jeremy’s death, B. D. has not remarried and continues to live quietly.

B. D. Hyman Movies and TV Shows

B. D. Hyman’s acting career was brief, with just a few roles in her youth. Her most notable roles include:

After these early roles, B. D. did not pursue acting further. She shifted to writing and ministry.

Net Worth

B. D. Hyman’s net worth is estimated at $1–3 million as of early 2026. This modest sum stems from book sales (notably her bestseller, My Mother’s Keeper), pastoral and ministry work, and residuals from her short-lived acting career. Unlike her mother, Bette Davis, who left a substantial estate, B. D. was disinherited after their estrangement. Her financial gains have been independent and relatively discreet.

Bette Davis

B. D. Hyman, the eldest daughter of Bette Davis, was born during Davis’s third marriage to artist William Grant Sherry. Their contentious relationship became widely known through Hyman’s controversial memoirs, My Mother’s Keeper (1985) and Narrow Is the Way (1987), which depicted Davis as controlling and sometimes abusive. Publication of the first memoir while Davis was ill sparked intense upheaval.

Bette Davis ultimately disinherited B. D. and her grandchildren, leaving her estate to her adopted son, Michael Merrill, and her longtime assistant, Kathryn Sermak. The estrangement was permanent. B. D.’s relationship with her mother remained a source of public fascination and debate. Despite the rift, B. D. has occasionally spoken about her mother in later years. However, she has largely focused on her own faith and ministry work.

B. D. Hyman Books

B. D. Hyman is best known for her two controversial books about her mother, Bette Davis: My Mother’s Keeper (1985) and Narrow Is the Way (1987). My Mother’s Keeper became a bestseller and detailed what B. D. described as a difficult and often painful mother-daughter relationship, portraying Bette as an overbearing, alcoholic, and emotionally challenging parent. The book received widespread media attention and condemnation, especially given Bette’s declining health at the time of publication.

Narrow Is the Way continued in a similar critical tone but did not achieve the same level of interest. After these memoirs, B. D. shifted to religious writing, publishing books through her ministry, including Oppressive Parents: How to Leave Them and Love Them (1992), The Church is Not the Bride (2000), and The Rapture, the Tribulation, and Beyond (2002). These later works focus on Christian themes, forgiveness, and spiritual guidance. Her early books remain her most widely recognized and debated literary contributions.