Bette Midler counts singing as only one of her talents. At times, since 1972, when Bette Midler first came to national recognition, it has seemed to be the least of her talents. Still, Bette Midler has managed to score a number of major hits in a roller-coaster career as a recording artist. Born in Paterson, NJ, and raised in Hawaii, Bette Midler early on showed an interest in singing and acting, and by the '60s Bette Midler had moved to New York and gotten a role in the long-running Broadway hit Fiddler on the Roof. Bette Midler developed a nightclub act that included comedy and singing of a variety of kinds of material, including show tunes, pop hits, and even a takeoff on the Andrews Sisters, and appeared with increasing frequency in New York with her accompanist, Barry Manilow . She was signed to Atlantic Records and released The Divine Miss M (1972), which went gold and included a Top Ten single cover of the Andrews Sisters' "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." Bette Midler (1973) was similarly successful.

Bette Midler's album sales fell off during the rest of the '70s, though her records always reached the Top 100 in the album chart. But in 1979 Bette Midler starred in the film The Rose, a fictional account of the life of Janis Joplin, and the title track became a Top Ten hit. 1980 saw the release of Bette Midler's concert film, Divine Madness, and her best-selling book, A View from a Broad. Bette Midler's next film, Jinxed (1982), however, was a major flop, and subsequent records didn't fare well. Bette Midler made a cinematic comeback with Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), but it wasn't until 1989 that she had another pop hit, when her version of "Wind Beneath My Wings" from her film Beaches became a number one hit. This rejuvenated her singing career, and 1990's Some People's Lives became a Top Ten, million-selling album, with the song "From a Distance" hitting number two. Bette Midler's soundtrack album to her 1991 film For the Boys was also a gold-selling hit.

Bette Midler appeared in a television production of the Broadway musical Gypsy that produced a charting soundtrack album in 1993 following the release of her million-selling hits collection Experience the Divine. The gold-selling Bette of Roses (1995) was Bette Midler's first regular album release in five years. Bette Midler's 1996 film The First Wives Club was a major box office success. In 1998, Bette Midler switched to Warner Bros. Records and released Bathhouse Betty, which went gold. With film opportunities drying up, the 54-year-old singer/actress turned to television, developing a half-hour network comedy series based on her own life. Though it didn't last long, Bette premiered on CBS on October 11, 2000; six days later, Bette Midler released a second Warner Bros. album, also called Bette.

Bette Midler had her own short-lived CBS sitcom Bette (2000-2001). Although the initial ratings were high, numbers soon declined and in the show's short lifespan her daughter (played by Lindsay Lohan in the pilot, then by Marina Malota starting with the third episode) and her husband were recast (Robert Hays succeeded Kevin Dunn in the final episode aired). The show was reportedly rocked by backstage turmoil, and did not last a full season.

In 2003-2004 Bette Midler toured her new show Kiss My Brass to sell-out crowds around the United States. In 2005 Kiss My Brass was equally successful in Australia. Bette Midler's most recent album, Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook, came out in October of 2005.

Bette Midler has also appeared on The Simpsons show, on the episode "Krusty get Kancelled". Midler is first seen traversing a highway picking up trash when she is approached by Bart and Lisa with a request for Midler to appear on a show to revive Krusty's dying career.

Bette Midler also appeared on Seinfeld, in the episode "The Understudy" which was the season finale of that show's sixth season.