Barbara Davis Hyman (née Sherry; born May 1, 1947) is an American author and pastor. She is the oldest daughter of the actress Bette Davis. Born in Santa Ana, California, she is the daughter of film star Bette Davis (1908–1989) and artist William Grant Sherry (1914–1995) and was adopted in 1950 by Davis's fourth husband, actor Gary Merrill. She took back her surname Sherry upon turning 16 years old, claiming that she wished to distance herself from Merrill, who she claimed was abusive. She appeared briefly (uncredited) as an infant in her mother's film Payment on Demand (1951). Under the screen name B. D. Merrill, she played a minor role as the next-door neighbor's daughter in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), in which her mother co-starred with Joan Crawford. These were her only ac