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Vivien Leigh

from the film Fire Over England (1937)
Born Vivian Mary Hartley
5 November 1913 (1913-11-05)
Darjeeling, West Bengal, India
Died 8 July 1967 (aged 53)
London, England
Years active 1933–1967
Spouse(s) Herbert Leigh Holman (1932-1940)
Laurence Olivier (1940-1960)
Domestic partner(s) John Merivale (1958-1967)

Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier (5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967) was an English actress. Fire Over England is a 1937 London Film Productions film drama notable for providing the first pairing of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Darjeeling ( Nepali:) is a town in the Indian state of West Bengal. West Bengal ( Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchim Bônggo poʃtʃim bɔŋgo is a state in eastern India. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Events 939 - The Major Occultation or Ghaybat el-Kubra of Muhammad al-Mahdi 1099 - First Crusade: 15000 Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events British Film Institute founded March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City. The year 1967 in film involved some significant events It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film Laurence Kerr Olivier Baron John Herman Merivale ( December 1, 1917 &ndash February 6, 1990) was a theatre Actor, and occasional supporting player in British Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 939 - The Major Occultation or Ghaybat el-Kubra of Muhammad al-Mahdi 1099 - First Crusade: 15000 Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works She won two Academy Awards for playing "southern belles": Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), a role she had also played in London's West End. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. A southern belle (derived from the French belle, 'beautiful' is an Archetype for a young woman of the American Old South 's Antebellum Scarlett O'Hara (full name Katie Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler) is the Protagonist in Margaret Mitchell 's 1936 novel Gone with Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American dramatic - romantic - War film adapted from Margaret Mitchell 's 1936 Blanche DuBois (b September 15, 1919) is a fictional character in Tennessee Williams ' play A Streetcar Named Desire. A Streetcar Named Desire is a film adaptation of the play of the same name by Tennessee Williams. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London 's "Theatreland"

She was a prolific stage performer, frequently in collaboration with her husband, Laurence Olivier, who directed her in several of her roles. Laurence Kerr Olivier Baron During her thirty-year stage career, she played parts that ranged from the heroines of Noël Coward and George Bernard Shaw comedies to classic Shakespearean characters such as Ophelia, Cleopatra, Juliet and Lady Macbeth. Sir Noël Peirce Coward ( 16 December 1899 26 March 1973) was an English Actor, Playwright George Bernard Shaw ( (26 July 1856 &ndash 2 November 1950 was an Irish Playwright. William Shakespeare ( baptised Ophelia is a Fictional character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Cleopatra VII Philopator (in Greek, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ; January 69 BC &ndash 30 BC was a Hellenistic ruler of Egypt Juliet Capulet is one of the title characters in William Shakespeare 's tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Lady Macbeth is a character in William Shakespeare play Macbeth.

Lauded for her beauty, Leigh felt that it sometimes prevented her from being taken seriously as an actress, but ill health proved to be her greatest obstacle. Affected by bipolar disorder for most of her adult life, she gained a reputation for being a difficult person to work with, and her career went through periods of decline. She was further weakened by recurrent bouts of chronic tuberculosis, with which she was first diagnosed in the mid-1940s. Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for tubercle bacillus or T u' b' erculosis Bacillus --> is a common She and Olivier divorced in 1960, and Leigh worked sporadically in film and theatre until her death from tuberculosis.

Contents

Early life and acting career

Leigh was born Vivian Mary Hartley in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India, to Ernest Hartley, a British Officer in the Indian Cavalry, and Gertrude Robinson Yackje, whose heritage is in question. Darjeeling ( Nepali:) is a town in the Indian state of West Bengal. West Bengal ( Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchim Bônggo poʃtʃim bɔŋgo is a state in eastern India. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country See Indian Army for the post-independence (and post- partition) army of the Republic of India. [1] She claimed to be of Irish descent, but it is speculated that she also had Anglo-Indian ancestry. Anglo-Indians are people who have mixed Indian and British ancestry and the term is sometimes used in the West. [2] They were married in Kensington, London in 1912. Kensington is a district of West London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, located west of Charing Cross. [3] In 1917, Ernest Hartley was relocated to Bangalore, while Gertrude and Vivian stayed in Ootacamund. Bangalore ( officially Bengaluru ( Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು) is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Ooty, short for Ootacamund (officially Udhagamandalam Tamil: உதகமண்டலம் [4] Vivian Hartley made her first stage appearance at the age of three, reciting "Little Bo Peep" for her mother's amateur theatre group. Little Bo Peep is an Eponymous character from a Nursery rhyme. Gertrude Hartley tried to instill in her daughter an appreciation of literature, and introduced her to the works of Hans Christian Andersen, Lewis Carroll and Rudyard Kipling, as well as stories of Greek mythology and Indian stories. Hans Christian Andersen (ˈhanˀs ˈkʰʁæʂd̥jan ˈɑnɐsn̩ in Danish or simply H Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (ˈdɒdsən (27 January 1832 &ndash 14 January 1898 better known by the Pen name Lewis Carroll (/ˈkærəl/ was an English Joseph Rudyard Kipling (30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936 was an English Author and poet Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance An only child, Vivian Hartley was sent to the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Roehampton, England in 1920 at the age of six-and-a-half. Roehampton is a large district in south-west London, forming the western end of the London Borough of Wandsworth. Her closest friend at the convent school was the future actress Maureen O'Sullivan, to whom she expressed her desire to become "a great actress". Maureen Paula O’Sullivan ( 17 May, 1911 &ndash 23 June, 1998) was an Irish actress considered Ireland [5]

Vivian Hartley completed her later education in Europe, returning to her parents in England in 1931. She discovered that one of Maureen O'Sullivan's films was playing in London's West End and told her parents of her ambitions to become an actress. The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions businesses headquarters and the commercial Both were highly supportive, and her father helped her enroll at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art ( RADA) in Bloomsbury, London, is generally regarded as one of the most prestigious Drama schools in the world [6]

In late 1931, she met Herbert Leigh Holman, known as Leigh, a barrister thirteen years her senior. Despite his disapproval of "theatrical people", they were married on December 20, 1932, and upon their marriage she terminated her studies at RADA. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. On October 12, 1933, she gave birth to a daughter, Suzanne, but felt stifled by her domestic life. Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Her friends suggested her for a small part in the film Things Are Looking Up, which marked her film debut. She engaged an agent, John Gliddon, who believed that the name "Vivian Holman" was not suitable for an actress, and after rejecting his suggestion, "April Morn", she took "Vivian Leigh" as her professional name. Gliddon recommended her to Alexander Korda as a possible film actress, but Korda rejected her as lacking potential. Sir Alexander Korda (September 16 1893 - January 23 1956 was a Hungarian-born Film director and producer. [7]

Cast in the play The Mask of Virtue in 1935, Leigh received excellent reviews followed by interviews and newspaper articles, among them one from the Daily Express in which the interviewer noted "a lightning change came over her face", which was the first public mention of the rapid changes in mood that became characteristic of her. The Daily Express is a conservative Middle-market British Tabloid Newspaper. [8] John Betjeman, the future Poet Laureate, also wrote about her, describing her as "the essence of English girlhood". Sir John Betjeman, CBE ( 28 August 1906 &ndash 19 May 1984 was an English poet writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who A Poet Laureate is a Poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for State occasions and other government events [9] Korda, who attended her opening-night performance, admitted his error and signed her to a film contract, with the spelling of her name revised to "Vivien Leigh". She continued with the play, but when Korda moved it to a larger theatre, Leigh was found to be unable to project her voice adequately, or to hold the attention of so large an audience, and the play closed soon after. [10] In 1960 Leigh recalled her ambivalence towards her first experience of critical acclaim and sudden fame, commenting, "some critics saw fit to be as foolish as to say that I was a great actress. And I thought, that was a foolish, wicked thing to say, because it put such an onus and such a responsibility onto me, which I simply wasn't able to carry. And it took me years to learn enough to live up to what they said for those first notices. I find it so stupid. I remember the critic very well, and have never forgiven him. "[11]

Meeting Laurence Olivier

Leigh with Laurence Olivier in Fire Over England (1937), their first collaboration
Leigh with Laurence Olivier in Fire Over England (1937), their first collaboration

Laurence Olivier saw Leigh in The Mask of Virtue, and a friendship developed after he congratulated her on her performance. Laurence Kerr Olivier Baron Fire Over England is a 1937 London Film Productions film drama notable for providing the first pairing of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh Laurence Kerr Olivier Baron While playing lovers in the film Fire Over England (1937), Olivier and Leigh developed a strong attraction, and after filming was completed, they began an affair. Fire Over England is a 1937 London Film Productions film drama notable for providing the first pairing of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh Olivier was at that time married to the actress Jill Esmond. Jill Esmond (born Jill Esmond Moore) ( 26 January, 1908 &ndash 28 July, 1990) was an English actress. During this time Leigh read the Margaret Mitchell novel Gone with the Wind and instructed her American agent to suggest her to David O. Selznick, who was planning a film version. Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell Marsh ( November 8 1900 – August 16 1949) popularly known as Margaret Mitchell was an American This is about the 1936 American Novel. For the film see Gone with the Wind (film Gone with the Wind is a 1936 American David O Selznick, born David Selznick ( May 10, 1902 &ndash June 22, 1965) was one of the iconic Hollywood producers She remarked to a journalist, "I've cast myself as Scarlett O'Hara", and The Observer's film critic C. A. Lejeune recalled a conversation of the same period in which Leigh "stunned us all" with the assertion that Olivier "won't play Rhett Butler, but I shall play Scarlett O'Hara. Scarlett O'Hara (full name Katie Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler) is the Protagonist in Margaret Mitchell 's 1936 novel Gone with The Observer is a British Newspaper published on Sundays In about the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Caroline Alice (C A Lejeune (1897-1973 was a British writer best known as the Film critic of The Observer from 1928 to 1960 Rhett Butler is the antagonist of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Wait and see. "[12]

from A Yank at Oxford (1938)
from A Yank at Oxford (1938)

Leigh played Ophelia to Olivier's Hamlet in an Old Vic Theatre production, and Olivier later recalled an incident during which her mood rapidly changed as she was quietly preparing to go onstage. Hamlet is a Tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601 The Old Vic is a Theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Without apparent provocation, she began screaming at him, before suddenly becoming silent and staring into space. She was able to perform without mishap, and by the following day, she had returned to normal with no recollection of the event. It was the first time Olivier witnessed such behaviour from her. [13] They began living together, as their respective spouses had each refused to grant either of them a divorce.

Leigh appeared with Robert Taylor, Lionel Barrymore and Maureen O'Sullivan in A Yank at Oxford (1938), the first of her films to receive attention in the United States. Robert Taylor (August 5 1911 &ndash June 8 1969 was an American Actor. Lionel Barrymore ( April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American Academy Award -winning actor of stage radio A Yank at Oxford is a British 1938 film comedy produced by the British branch of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. During production she developed a reputation for being difficult and unreasonable, and Korda instructed her agent to warn her that her option would not be renewed if her behaviour did not improve. [14] Her next role was in St. Martin's Lane (1938) with Charles Laughton. St Martin's Lane is a street in Central London, which runs from the church of St Charles Laughton ( 1 July, 1899 &ndash 15 December, 1962) was an English Academy Award -winning stage and

Achieving international success

Olivier had been attempting to broaden his film career; despite his success in Britain, he was not well known in the United States and earlier attempts to introduce him to the American market had failed. Offered the role of Heathcliff in Samuel Goldwyn's production of Wuthering Heights (1939), he travelled to Hollywood, leaving Leigh in London. Heathcliff' is the central male character of the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Samuel Goldwyn ( ca. July 1879 &ndash 31 January 1974) was an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award -winning producer Wuthering Heights is a 1939 film directed by William Wyler and produced by Samuel Goldwyn. Goldwyn and the film's director, William Wyler, offered Leigh the secondary role of Isabella, but she refused it, saying she would only play Cathy, a role already assigned to Merle Oberon. William Wyler ( July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a four-time Academy Award -winning motion picture director Merle Oberon ( 19 February 1911 &ndash 23 November 1979) born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson, was an Academy Award [15]

from Gone with the Wind (1939)
from Gone with the Wind (1939)

Hollywood was in the midst of a widely publicised search to find an actress to portray Scarlett O'Hara in David O. Selznick's production of Gone with the Wind (1939). Scarlett O'Hara (full name Katie Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler) is the Protagonist in Margaret Mitchell 's 1936 novel Gone with David O Selznick, born David Selznick ( May 10, 1902 &ndash June 22, 1965) was one of the iconic Hollywood producers Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American dramatic - romantic - War film adapted from Margaret Mitchell 's 1936 Leigh's American agent was the London representative of the Myron Selznick Agency (Myron was David's brother), and in February 1938, she asked that her name be placed in consideration for the role of Scarlett. For other uses of the word Agent see Agent (disambiguation This is correct An Agent in Commercial Law is a person who is authorised Myron Selznick ( October 5, 1898 – March 23, 1944) was an American Film producer and talent agent. That month, David Selznick watched her in Fire Over England and A Yank at Oxford, and from that time she became a serious contender for the part. Between February and August, Selznick screened all of her English pictures, and by August he was in negotiation with producer Alexander Korda, to whom Leigh was under contract, for her services later that year. Sir Alexander Korda (September 16 1893 - January 23 1956 was a Hungarian-born Film director and producer. On October 18, Selznick wrote in a confidential memo to director George Cukor, "I am still hoping against hope for that new girl. Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid George Dewey Cukor ( July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an Academy Award -winning American Film director. "[16] Leigh travelled to Los Angeles, ostensibly to be with Olivier. When Myron Selznick, who also represented Olivier, met Leigh, he felt that she possessed the qualities his brother David O. Selznick was searching for. Myron Selznick took Leigh and Olivier to the set where the burning of the Atlanta Depot scene was being filmed, and introduced Leigh. The following day, Leigh read a scene for Selznick, who organised a screen test and wrote to his wife, "She's the Scarlett dark horse and looks damn good. For the BBC TV series see Screen Test. A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an Actor or actress for Not for anyone's ear but your own: it's narrowed down to Paulette Goddard, Jean Arthur, Joan Bennett and Vivien Leigh". Paulette Goddard ( June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an Oscar -nominated American Film and Theatre Jean Arthur ( 17 October &ndash 19 June) was an Oscar -nominated American actress and a major film star of the 1930s and 1940s Joan Geraldine Bennett (February 27 &ndashDecember 7) was an Emmy -nominated American stage film and television actress The director George Cukor concurred and praised the "incredible wildness" of Leigh, who was given the part soon after. [17]

Filming proved difficult for Leigh; Cukor was dismissed and replaced by Victor Fleming, with whom Leigh frequently quarrelled. For the Arkansas lawyer and judge Victor A Fleming, see Vic Fleming. She and Olivia de Havilland secretly met with Cukor at night and on weekends for his advice about how they should play their parts. Olivia Mary de Havilland (born July 1, 1916) is a two-time Academy Award -winning actress. She befriended Clark Gable, his wife Carole Lombard and de Havilland, but she clashed with Leslie Howard, with whom she was required to play several emotional scenes. Clark Gable (February 1 &ndashNovember 16) was an iconic American Actor nicknamed "The King of Hollywood" in his heyday Carole Lombard ( October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) born Jane Alice Peters in Fort Wayne Indiana, was an Oscar-nominated Leslie Howard ( April 3, 1893 - June 1, 1943) was an English stage and Academy Award nominated Film Adding to her distress, she was sometimes required to work seven days a week, often late into the night, and she missed Olivier, who was working in New York. She wrote to Leigh Holman, "I loathe Hollywood. . . . I will never get used to this – how I hate film acting. "[18]

In 2006, de Havilland responded to claims of Leigh's manic behaviour during filming Gone with the Wind, published in a biography of Laurence Olivier. She defended Leigh, saying, "Vivien was impeccably professional, impeccably disciplined on Gone with the Wind. She had two great concerns: doing her best work in an extremely difficult role and being separated from Larry [Olivier], who was in New York. "[19]

Gone with the Wind brought Leigh immediate attention and fame, but she was quoted as saying, "I'm not a film star – I'm an actress. Being a film star – just a film star – is such a false life, lived for fake values and for publicity. Actresses go on for a long time and there are always marvellous parts to play. "[20] Among the ten Academy Awards won by Gone with the Wind was a Best Actress award for Leigh, who also won a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress is one of the awards given by the New York Film Critics Circle to honor the finest achievements in filmmaking

Marriage and joint projects

from Waterloo Bridge (1940)
from Waterloo Bridge (1940)

In February 1940, Jill Esmond agreed to divorce Olivier, and Holman also agreed to divorce Leigh, although they maintained a strong friendship for the rest of Leigh's life. Waterloo Bridge is a 1940 remake of the 1931 film of the same title. Esmond was granted custody of Tarquin, her son with Olivier, and Holman was granted custody of Suzanne, his daughter with Leigh. On August 30 Olivier and Leigh were married in Santa Barbara, California, in a ceremony attended only by their witnesses, Katharine Hepburn and Garson Kanin. Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Santa Barbara is a city in Santa Barbara County California, United States. Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12 1907 – June 29 2003 was an American actress of film television and stage Garson Kanin ( November 24 1912 &ndash March 13, 1999) was an American writer and director of plays and films

Leigh hoped to star with Olivier and made a screentest for Rebecca, which was to be directed by Alfred Hitchcock with Olivier in the leading role, but after viewing her screentest Selznick noted that "she doesn't seem right as to sincerity or age or innocence", a view shared by Hitchcock, and Leigh's mentor, George Cukor. Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 [21] Selznick also observed that she had shown no enthusiasm for the part until Olivier had been confirmed as the lead actor, and subsequently cast Joan Fontaine. Joan Fontaine (born October 22, 1917) is an Academy Award -winning British Actress in American films He also refused to allow her to join Olivier in Pride and Prejudice (1940), and Greer Garson took the part Leigh had envisioned for herself. Jane Austen 's novel Pride and Prejudice ( 1813) has been the subject of numerous television and film adaptations. Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson, CBE ( September 29, 1904 - April 6, 1996) was an English-American actress who was Waterloo Bridge (1940) was to have starred Olivier and Leigh; however, Selznick replaced Olivier with Robert Taylor, then at the peak of his success as one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's most popular male stars. Waterloo Bridge is a 1940 remake of the 1931 film of the same title. Robert Taylor (August 5 1911 &ndash June 8 1969 was an American Actor. Leigh's top billing reflected her status in Hollywood, and despite her reluctance to participate without Olivier, the film not only proved to be popular with audiences and critics, but it also became her favorite film.

She and Olivier mounted a stage production of Romeo and Juliet for Broadway. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located The New York press publicized the adulterous nature that had marked the beginning of Olivier and Leigh's relationship, and questioned their ethics in not returning to England to help with the war effort; and critics were hostile in their assessment of the production. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Brooks Atkinson for the New York Times wrote, "Although Miss Leigh and Mr. Justin Brooks Atkinson ( November 28, 1894 &ndash January 14, 1984) was an American Theatre Critic. Olivier are handsome young people they hardly act their parts at all. "[22] While most of the blame was attributed to Olivier's acting and direction, Leigh was also criticised, with Bernard Grebanier commenting on the "thin, shopgirl quality of Miss Leigh's voice. Bernard Grebanier (1903 &ndash 1977 was an American drama historian critic writer and poet most notable for his studies of the works of William Shakespeare. " The couple had invested almost their entire savings into the project, and its failure was a financial disaster for them. [23]

They filmed That Hamilton Woman (1941) with Olivier as Horatio Nelson and Leigh as Emma Hamilton. That Hamilton Woman ( 1941) -- the original British title was simply Lady Hamilton -- is a historical film drama produced and directed by Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson 1st Viscount Nelson 1st Duke of Bronté, KB (29 September 1758– 21 October 1805 was a British Emma Lady Hamilton (born 1761 baptised 26 April 1765 &ndash 15 January 1815 is best remembered as the mistress of Lord Nelson and as the muse of George With Britain engaged in World War II, it was one of several Hollywood films made with the aim of arousing a pro-British sentiment among American audiences. The film was popular in the United States and an outstanding success in the Soviet Union. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Winston Churchill arranged a screening for a party that included Franklin D. Roosevelt and on its conclusion addressed the group, saying, "Gentlemen, I thought this film would interest you, showing great events similar to those in which you have just been taking part. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 " The Oliviers remained favourites of Churchill, attending dinners and occasions at his request for the rest of his life, and of Leigh he was quoted as saying, "By Jove, she's a clinker. "[24]

The Oliviers returned to England, and Leigh toured through North Africa in 1943, performing for troops before falling ill with a persistent cough and fevers. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan In 1944 she was diagnosed as having tuberculosis in her left lung, but after spending several weeks in hospital, she appeared to be cured. Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for tubercle bacillus or T u' b' erculosis Bacillus --> is a common lung is the essential Respiration organ in air-breathing Animals including most Tetrapods a few Fish and a few Snails The most primitive In spring she was filming Caesar and Cleopatra (1945) when she discovered she was pregnant, but suffered a miscarriage. Caesar and Cleopatra is a 1945 film starring Claude Rains and Vivien Leigh, produced and directed by Gabriel Pascal from the She fell into a deep depression which reached its nadir when she turned on Olivier, verbally and physically attacking him until she fell to the floor sobbing. This was the first of many major breakdowns related to bipolar disorder. Olivier came to recognise the symptoms of an impending episode – several days of hyperactivity followed by a period of depression and an explosive breakdown, after which Leigh would have no memory of the event, but would be acutely embarrassed and remorseful. Major depressive disorder, also known as major depression, unipolar depression, unipolar disorder, clinical depression, or simply depression [25]

She was well enough to resume acting in 1946, in a successful London production of Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth, but her films of this period, Caesar and Cleopatra (1945) and Anna Karenina (1948), were not great successes. Thornton Niven Wilder ( April 17, 1897 &ndash December 7, 1975) was an American Playwright and Novelist. The Skin of Our Teeth is a play by Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Anna Karenina (also known in the UK as Tolstoy's Anna Karenina) is a 1948 British film based on the 19th century novel

In 1947 Olivier was knighted, and Leigh accompanied him to Buckingham Palace for the investiture. Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch. She became Lady Olivier, and after their divorce, per the style granted the divorced wife of a knight, she became, socially, Vivien, Lady Olivier.

Olivier and Leigh arriving in Brisbane, Australia, June 1948
Olivier and Leigh arriving in Brisbane, Australia, June 1948

By 1948 Olivier was on the Board of Directors for the Old Vic Theatre, and he and Leigh embarked on a tour of Australia and New Zealand to raise funds for the theatre. Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Old Vic is a Theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island During their six-month tour, Olivier performed Richard III and also performed with Leigh in The School for Scandal and The Skin of Our Teeth. Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591 The School for Scandal is a Comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. The tour was an outstanding success, and although Leigh was plagued with insomnia and allowed her understudy to replace her for a week while she was ill, she generally withstood the demands placed upon her, with Olivier noting her ability to "charm the press. Insomnia is a symptom of a sleeping disorder characterized by persistent difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep despite the opportunity " Members of the company later recalled several quarrels between the couple, the most dramatic occurring in Christchurch when Leigh refused to go onstage. Christchurch (Ōtautahi The largest City in the South Island, it is also the second largest city and third largest urban area of New Zealand Olivier slapped her face, and Leigh slapped him in return and swore at him before she made her way to the stage. By the end of the tour, both were exhausted and ill, and Olivier told a journalist, "You may not know it, but you are talking to a couple of walking corpses. " Later he would comment that he "lost Vivien" in Australia. [26]

The success of the tour encouraged the Oliviers to make their first West End appearance together, performing the same works with one addition, Antigone, included at Leigh's insistence because she wished to play a role in a tragedy. The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions businesses headquarters and the commercial

As Blanche DuBois, from the trailer for the film version of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951).
As Blanche DuBois, from the trailer for the film version of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). A Streetcar Named Desire is a film adaptation of the play of the same name by Tennessee Williams.

Leigh next sought the role of Blanche DuBois in the West End stage production of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire, and was cast after Williams and the play's producer Irene Mayer Selznick saw her in the The School for Scandal and Antigone, and Olivier was contracted to direct. Blanche DuBois (b September 15, 1919) is a fictional character in Tennessee Williams ' play A Streetcar Named Desire. The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions businesses headquarters and the commercial Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26 1911 &ndash February 25 1983 better known as Tennessee Williams, was a major American playwright who received many of the top theatrical A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1947 play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams for which he received the Pulitzer Prize Irene Mayer Selznick ( April 2, 1907 - October 10, 1990) was an American Theatrical producer. Containing a rape scene and references to promiscuity and homosexuality, the play was destined to be controversial, and the media discussion about its suitability added to Leigh's anxiety, but she believed strongly in the importance of the work. J. B. Priestley denounced the play and Leigh's performance, and the critic Kenneth Tynan commented that Leigh was badly miscast because British actors were "too well-bred to emote effectively on stage". John Boynton Priestley, OM ( 13 September, 1894 &ndash 14 August, 1984) was an English Writer and broadcaster Kenneth Peacock Tynan ( 2 April 1927 - 26 July 1980) was an influential and often controversial British Theatre Critic Olivier and Leigh were chagrined that part of the commercial success of the play lay in audience members attending to see what they believed would be a salacious and sensationalist story, rather than the Greek tragedy that they envisioned, but the play also had strong supporters,[27] among them Noël Coward who described Leigh as "magnificent. Sir Noël Peirce Coward ( 16 December 1899 26 March 1973) was an English Actor, Playwright "[28]

After 326 performances, Leigh finished her run; however, she was soon engaged for the film version. A Streetcar Named Desire is a film adaptation of the play of the same name by Tennessee Williams. Her irreverent and often bawdy sense of humour allowed her to establish a rapport with her co-star Marlon Brando, but she had difficulty with the director Elia Kazan, who did not hold her in high regard as an actress. Marlon Brando Jr (April 3 1924 – July 1 2004 was an Academy Award -winning American Actor, whose body of work spanned over half a century Elia Mother, ( Greek: Ηλίας Καζάν September 7 1909 &ndash September 28 2003) was a Greek - American He later commented that "she had a small talent", but as work progressed, he became "full of admiration" for "the greatest determination to excel of any actress I've known. She'd have crawled over broken glass if she thought it would help her performance. " Leigh found the role gruelling and commented to the Los Angeles Times, "I had nine months in the theatre of Blanche DuBois. The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily Newspaper published in Los Angeles California and distributed Now she's in command of me. "[29] The film won glowing reviews for her, and she won a second Academy Award for Best Actress, a BAFTA Award and a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress. Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA is a British charity that hosts annual awards shows for film television television craft video games and forms of animation The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress is one of the awards given by the New York Film Critics Circle to honor the finest achievements in filmmaking Tennessee Williams commented that Leigh brought to the role "everything that I intended, and much that I had never dreamed of", but in later years, Leigh would say that playing Blanche DuBois "tipped me over into madness. "[30]

Continuing illness

In 1951, Leigh and Olivier performed two plays about Cleopatra, William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra and George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra, alternating the play each night and winning good reviews. Cleopatra VII Philopator (in Greek, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ; January 69 BC &ndash 30 BC was a Hellenistic ruler of Egypt William Shakespeare ( baptised Antony and Cleopatra is a Tragedy by William Shakespeare. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623 George Bernard Shaw ( (26 July 1856 &ndash 2 November 1950 was an Irish Playwright. Caesar and Cleopatra, a play written in 1898 by George Bernard Shaw, was first staged in 1901 and first published with Captain Brassbound's Conversion and They took the productions to New York, where they performed a season at the Ziegfeld Theatre into 1952. The Ziegfeld Theatre was a Broadway Theatre formerly located at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and 54th Street in Manhattan, The reviews there were also mostly positive, but the critic Kenneth Tynan angered them when he suggested that Leigh's was a mediocre talent which forced Olivier to compromise his own. Kenneth Peacock Tynan ( 2 April 1927 - 26 July 1980) was an influential and often controversial British Theatre Critic Tynan's diatribe almost precipitated another collapse; Leigh, terrified of failure and intent on achieving greatness, dwelt on his comments, while ignoring the positive reviews of other critics. [31]

In January 1953, Leigh travelled to Ceylon to film Elephant Walk with Peter Finch. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Elephant Walk should not be confused with the song " Baby Elephant Walk " This article is about the actor For the poet see Peter Finch (poet. Shortly after filming commenced, she suffered a breakdown, and Paramount Pictures replaced her with Elizabeth Taylor. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE (born 27 February 1932) is a two-time Academy Award -winning English-American actress Olivier returned her to their home in England, where between periods of incoherence, Leigh told him that she was in love with Finch, and had been having an affair with him. She gradually recovered over a period of several months. As a result of this episode, many of the Oliviers' friends learned of her problems. David Niven said she had been "quite, quite mad", and in his diary Noel Coward expressed surprise that "things had been bad and getting worse since 1948 or thereabouts. James David Graham Niven (1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983 was an English Academy Award -winning Actor probably best known for his role as the punctuality-obsessed Sir Noël Peirce Coward ( 16 December 1899 26 March 1973) was an English Actor, Playwright "[32]

Olivier and Leigh in the 1955 production of Titus Andronicus
Olivier and Leigh in the 1955 production of Titus Andronicus

Leigh recovered sufficiently to play The Sleeping Prince with Olivier in 1953, and in 1955 they performed a season at Stratford-upon-Avon in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Macbeth and Titus Andronicus. The Sleeping Prince is a 1953 play by Terrence Rattigan. Set in London England in 1911 it tells the story of a young actress who meets and ultimately Stratford-upon-Avon (ˌstrætfɚd əpɒn ˈɛɪvən is a Market town and Civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. Twelfth Night Or What You Will is a Comedy by William Shakespeare, based on the Short story "Of Apolonius and Silla" by Macbeth is among the best-known of William Shakespeare 's plays, and is his shortest tragedy, believed to have been written some time between Titus Andronicus may be Shakespeare's earliest Tragedy; it is believed to have been written sometime between 1584 and the early 1590s They played to capacity houses and attracted generally good reviews, Leigh's health seemingly stable. Noël Coward was enjoying success with the play South Sea Bubble, with Leigh in the lead role, but she became pregnant and withdrew from the production. Sir Noël Peirce Coward ( 16 December 1899 26 March 1973) was an English Actor, Playwright South Sea Bubble is a 1950s play by British actor and playwright Noel Coward. Several weeks later, she miscarried and entered a period of depression that lasted for months. She joined Olivier for a European tour with Titus Andronicus, but the tour was marred by Leigh's frequent outbursts against Olivier and other members of the company. After their return to London, her former husband Leigh Holman, who continued to exert a strong influence over her, stayed with the Oliviers and helped calm her.

In 1958, considering her marriage to be over, Leigh began a relationship with the actor Jack Merivale, who knew of Leigh's medical condition and assured Olivier he would care for her. John Herman Merivale ( December 1, 1917 &ndash February 6, 1990) was a theatre Actor, and occasional supporting player in British She achieved a success in 1959 with the Noël Coward comedy Look After Lulu, with The Times critic describing her as "beautiful, delectably cool and matter of fact, she is mistress of every situation. "[33]

In 1960, she and Olivier divorced, and Olivier married the actress Joan Plowright. Joan Ann Olivier Baroness Olivier, DBE (born 28 October 1929) better known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English actress In his autobiography he discussed the years of problems they had experienced because of Leigh's illness, writing, "Throughout her possession by that uncannily evil monster, manic depression, with its deadly ever-tightening spirals, she retained her own individual canniness – an ability to disguise her true mental condition from almost all except me, for whom she could hardly be expected to take the trouble. "[34]

Final years and death

Leigh photographed in 1958
Leigh photographed in 1958

Merivale proved to be a stable influence for Leigh, but despite her apparent contentment she was quoted by Radie Harris as confiding that she "would rather have lived a short life with Larry [Olivier] than face a long one without him". Radie Harris ( October 24 1904 - February 22 2001) was a Journalist and newspaper columnist noted for her close relationships with [35] Her first husband, Leigh Holman, also spent considerable time with her. Merivale joined her for a tour of Australia, New Zealand and Latin America that lasted from July 1961 until May 1962, and Leigh enjoyed positive reviews without Olivier sharing the spotlight with her. Though she was still beset by bouts of depression, she continued to work in the theatre and in 1963 won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in the Broadway musical Tovarich. The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American Theatre and are presented Tovarich is a 1963 musical play in two acts with book by David Shaw music by Lee Pockriss and lyrics by Anne Croswell based on the comedy by Jacques Deval and Robert E She also appeared in the films The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961) and Ship of Fools (1965). The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone is a 1961 British Motion picture made by Seven Arts - Warner Bros Ship of Fools is a 1965 film which tells the overlapping stories of several passengers aboard an Ocean liner during the 1930s [36]

In May 1967, she was rehearsing to appear with Michael Redgrave in Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance when she became ill with a recurrent bout of the tuberculosis from which she had been suffering for more than twenty years but, after resting for several weeks, had seemed to be recovering. Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave CBE ( 20 March, 1908 — 21 March, 1985) was an English actor author director and Edward Franklin Albee III ( "AWL-bee" born March 12 1928 is a three time Pulitzer Prize winning American playwright known for works including A Delicate Balance is a play by Edward Albee first produced on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on September 12, 1966 Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for tubercle bacillus or T u' b' erculosis Bacillus --> is a common On the night of July 7, Merivale left her as usual, to perform in a play, and returned home around midnight to find her asleep. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death About thirty minutes later (by now July 8), he returned to the bedroom and discovered her body on the floor. Events 939 - The Major Occultation or Ghaybat el-Kubra of Muhammad al-Mahdi 1099 - First Crusade: 15000 [37] She had been attempting to walk to the bathroom, and as her lungs filled with liquid, she had collapsed. [38] Merivale contacted Olivier, who was receiving treatment for prostate cancer in a nearby hospital. In his autobiography, Olivier described his "grievous anguish" as he immediately travelled to Leigh's residence, to find that Merivale had moved her body onto the bed. Olivier paid his respects, and "stood and prayed for forgiveness for all the evils that had sprung up between us",[39] before helping Merivale make funeral arrangements.

She was cremated, and her ashes were scattered on the lake at her home, Tickerage Mill, near Blackboys, East Sussex, England. Cremation is the act of reducing a Corpse by burning, generally in a crematorium furnace or crematory fire Framfield is a village and Civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the A memorial service was held at St Martin-in-the-Fields, with a final tribute read by John Gielgud. St Martin-in-the-Fields is an Anglican church at the northeast corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH ( 14 April, 1904 – 21 May 2000) known as Sir John Gielgud, was an In the United States, she became the first actress honoured by "The Friends of the Libraries at the University of Southern California". The University of Southern California (commonly referred to as USC, SC, Southern California, and incorrectly The ceremony was conducted as a memorial service, with selections from her films shown and tributes provided by such associates as George Cukor. George Dewey Cukor ( July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an Academy Award -winning American Film director. [40]

Critical comments

Vivien Leigh was considered one of the most beautiful actresses of her day, and her directors emphasised this in most of her films. When asked if she believed her beauty had been a handicap, she said, "people think that if you look fairly reasonable, you can't possibly act, and as I only care about acting, I think beauty can be a great handicap, if you really want to look like the part you're playing, which isn't necessarily like you. "[11]

George Cukor commented that Leigh was a "consummate actress, hampered by beauty",[41] and Laurence Olivier said that critics should "give her credit for being an actress and not go on forever letting their judgements be distorted by her great beauty. George Dewey Cukor ( July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an Academy Award -winning American Film director. "[42] Garson Kanin shared their viewpoint and described Leigh as "a stunner whose ravishing beauty often tended to obscure her staggering achievements as an actress. Garson Kanin ( November 24 1912 &ndash March 13, 1999) was an American writer and director of plays and films Great beauties are infrequently great actresses — simply because they don't need to be. Vivien was different; ambitious, persevering, serious, often inspired. "[43]

Leigh explained that she played "as many different parts as possible" in an attempt to learn her craft and to dispel prejudice about her abilities. She believed that comedy was more difficult to play than drama because it required more precise timing, and said that more emphasis should be placed upon comedy as part of an actor's training. Nearing the end of her career, which ranged from Noël Coward comedies to Shakespearean tragedies, she observed, "It's much easier to make people cry than to make them laugh. Sir Noël Peirce Coward ( 16 December 1899 26 March 1973) was an English Actor, Playwright "[11]

Her early performances brought her immediate success in Britain, but she remained largely unknown in other parts of the world until the release of Gone with the Wind. In December 1939 the New York Times wrote, "Miss Leigh's Scarlett has vindicated the absurd talent quest that indirectly turned her up. She is so perfectly designed for the part by art and nature that any other actress in the role would be inconceivable",[44] and as her fame escalated, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine as Scarlett. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and In 1969 critic Andrew Sarris commented that the success of the film had been largely due to "the inspired casting" of Leigh,[45] and in 1998 wrote that "she lives in our minds and memories as a dynamic force rather than as a static presence. Andrew Sarris, born on October 31, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, is a U "[46] Leonard Maltin described the film as one of the all-time greats, writing in 1998 that Leigh "brilliantly played" her role. Leonard Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American Film critic and Film Historian. [47]

Her performance in the West End production of A Streetcar Named Desire, described by the theatre writer Phyllis Hartnoll as "proof of greater powers as an actress than she had hitherto shown", led to a lengthy period during which she was considered one of the finest actresses in British theatre. The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions businesses headquarters and the commercial Phyllis Hartnoll ( September 22, 1906, Egypt - January 8, 1997, Lyme Regis) was a British poet author and editor [48] Discussing the subsequent film version, Pauline Kael wrote that Leigh and Marlon Brando gave "two of the greatest performances ever put on film" and that Leigh's was "one of those rare performances that can truly be said to evoke both fear and pity. Pauline Kael (June 19 1919 &ndash September 3 2001 was an American Film critic who wrote for The New Yorker magazine from 1968 to 1991 Marlon Brando Jr (April 3 1924 – July 1 2004 was an Academy Award -winning American Actor, whose body of work spanned over half a century "[49]

Kenneth Tynan ridiculed Leigh's performance opposite Olivier in the 1955 production of Titus Andronicus, commenting that she "receives the news that she is about to be ravished on her husband's corpse with little more than the mild annoyance of one who would have preferred foam rubber. Titus Andronicus may be Shakespeare's earliest Tragedy; it is believed to have been written sometime between 1584 and the early 1590s "[50] He was one of several critics to react negatively to her reinterpretation of Lady Macbeth in 1955, saying that her performance was insubstantial and lacked the necessary fury demanded of the role; however, after her death he revised his opinion, describing his earlier criticism as "one of the worst errors of judgement" he had ever made. Lady Macbeth is a character in William Shakespeare play Macbeth. He came to believe that Leigh's interpretation, in which Lady Macbeth uses her sexual allure to keep Macbeth enthralled, "made more sense . . . than the usual battle-axe" portrayal of the character. In a survey of theatre critics conducted shortly after Leigh's death, several named it as one of her greatest achievements in theatre. [51]

In 1969, a plaque to Leigh was placed in the actors' church, St Paul's, Covent Garden, and in 1985 a portrait of her was included in a series of postage stamps, along with Alfred Hitchcock, Charles Chaplin, Peter Sellers and David Niven to commemorate "British Film Year". St Paul's Church, also commonly known as the Actors' Church, is a church located in Covent Garden, London, England. A postage stamp is an adhesive paper evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 Richard Henry Sellers, CBE, commonly known as Peter Sellers ( 8 September 1925 &ndash 24 July 1980) was a British James David Graham Niven (1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983 was an English Academy Award -winning Actor probably best known for his role as the punctuality-obsessed [52]

The British Library in London purchased the papers of Laurence Olivier from his estate in 1999. The British Library ( BL) is the National library of the United Kingdom. Known as The Laurence Olivier Archive, the collection includes many of Vivien Leigh's personal papers, including numerous letters written by her to Olivier. The papers of Vivien Leigh, including letters, photographs, contracts and diaries, are owned by her daughter, Mrs Suzanne Farrington. In 1994 the National Library of Australia purchased a photograph album, monogrammed "L & V O" and believed to have belonged to the Oliviers, containing 573 photographs of the couple during their 1948 tour of Australia. The National Library of Australia is the country's largest reference library responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national It is now held as part of the record of the history of the performing arts in Australia. [53]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Work
1939 Academy Award for Best Actress (won)[54]
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (won) [55]		 Gone with the Wind
1951 Academy Award for Best Actress (won) [56]
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role (won) [57]
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama (nominated) [58]
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (won) [59]
Venice Film Festival - Volpi Cup (won) [57]		 A Streetcar Named Desire
1963 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical (won) [60] Tovarich
Awards
Preceded by
Bette Davis
for Jezebel		 Academy Award for Best Actress
1939
for Gone with the Wind		 Succeeded by
Ginger Rogers
for Kitty Foyle
Preceded by
Margaret Sullavan
for Three Comrades		 NYFCC Award for Best Actress
1939
forGone with the Wind		 Succeeded by
Katharine Hepburn
for The Philadelphia Story
Preceded by
Bette Davis
for All About Eve		 NYFCC Award for Best Actress
1951
for A Streetcar Named Desire		 Succeeded by
Shirley Booth
for Come Back, Little Sheba
Preceded by
Judy Holliday
for Born Yesterday		 Academy Award for Best Actress
1951
for A Streetcar Named Desire		 Succeeded by
Shirley Booth
for Come Back, Little Sheba
Preceded by
None		 BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
1951
for A Streetcar Named Desire		 Succeeded by
Audrey Hepburn
for Roman Holiday
Preceded by
Eleanor Parker
for Caged		 Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup Best Actress
1951
for A Streetcar Named Desire		 Succeeded by
Lilli Palmer
for The Four Poster
Preceded by
(tie)
Anna Maria Alberghetti
for Carnival!
and
Diahann Carroll
for No Strings		 Tony Award for Best
Leading Actress in a Musical
1963
for Tovarich		 Succeeded by
Carol Channing
for Hello, Dolly!

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Gertrude is considered to be the daughter of Mary I. Robinson and John G. Yackjee (married in 1872)
  2. ^ Vickers, Hugo. Vivien Leigh, Little, Brown and Company, 1988 edition. Pages 6–7 (This work includes references to Hartley's English background, and Yackje's comments relating to her Irish heritage).
  3. ^ General Register Office of England and Wales, Marriages, June quarter 1912, Kensington vol. 1a, p. 426.
  4. ^ Vickers p. 9
  5. ^ Edwards, Anne. Vivien Leigh, A Biography, Coronet Books, 1978 edition. ISBN 0-340-23024-X pp 12–19
  6. ^ Edwards, pp 25–30
  7. ^ Edwards, pp 30–43
  8. ^ Coleman, Terry, Olivier, The Authorised Biography, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2005, ISBN 0-7475-8306-4 p 74
  9. ^ Coleman, p 75
  10. ^ Edwards, pp 50–55
  11. ^ a b c Actors Talk About Acting - Vivien Leigh interview (1961) Edited by John E. Boothe and Lewis Funke. Retrieved January 7, 2006
  12. ^ Coleman, pp 76–77, 90, 94–95
  13. ^ Coleman, pp 97–98
  14. ^ Coleman, p 97
  15. ^ Berg, A. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Scott. Goldwyn, Sphere Books, 1989. ISBN 0-7474-0593-X, p 323
  16. ^ Selznick, David O. (2000). Memo from David O. Selznick. New York: Modern Library, 184. ISBN 0-375-75531-4.  
  17. ^ Haver, Ronald. David O. Selznick's Hollywood, Bonanza Books, New York, 1980. ISBN 0-517-47665-7; p 259
  18. ^ Taylor, John Russell. Vivien Leigh, Elm Tree Books, 1984. ISBN 0-241-11333-4, pp 22–23
  19. ^ The Washington Examiner Bob Thomas, The Associated Press, published January 3, 2006. Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved January 7, 2006, quoting Olivia de Havilland
  20. ^ Taylor, pp 22–23
  21. ^ McGilligan, Patrick. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Olivia Mary de Havilland (born July 1, 1916) is a two-time Academy Award -winning actress. Alfred Hitchcock, A Life in Darkness and Light, Wiley Press, 2003. ISBN 0-470-86973-9, p 238.
  22. ^ Edwards, p 127
  23. ^ Holden, Anthony, Olivier, Sphere Books Limited, 1989, ISBN 0-7221-4857-7, pp 189–190
  24. ^ Holden, pp 202, 205 and 325
  25. ^ Holden, pp 221–222
  26. ^ Holden, pp 295
  27. ^ Coleman, pp 227–231
  28. ^ Holden, p 312
  29. ^ Coleman, pp 233–236
  30. ^ Holden, pp 312–313
  31. ^ Edwards, pp 196–197
  32. ^ Coleman, pp 254–263
  33. ^ Edwards, 219–234 and 239
  34. ^ Olivier, Laurence, Confessions Of an Actor, Simon and Schuster, 1982, ISBN 0-14-006888-0 p 174
  35. ^ Walker, Alexander. Laurence Kerr Olivier Baron Vivien, The Life of Vivien Leigh, Grove Press, 1987. ISBN 0-8021-3259-6 p290
  36. ^ Edwards, pp 266–272
  37. ^ Vivien Leigh's death certificate
  38. ^ Edwards, pp 304–305
  39. ^ Olivier, pp 273–274
  40. ^ Edwards, p 306
  41. ^ Shipman, David, Movie Talk, St Martin's Press, 1988. ISBN 0-312-03403-2; p 126
  42. ^ Coleman, p 227
  43. ^ Shipman, p 125
  44. ^ Haver, p 305
  45. ^ Roger Ebert.com quoting Andrew Sarris, The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929–1968, retrieved January 6, 2006. Andrew Sarris, born on October 31, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, is a U Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
  46. ^ New York Times - Reviews on the Web Quoting Andrew Sarris in You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet, The American Talking Film: History & Memory, 1927–1949. Andrew Sarris, born on October 31, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, is a U May 3, 1998. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Retrieved January 11, 2006. Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
  47. ^ Maltin, Leonard, 1998 Movie and Video Guide, Signet Books, 1997, p 522
  48. ^ Hartnoll, Phyllis, The Concise Companion to the Theatre, Omega Books, 1972, ISBN 1-85007-044-X, p 301
  49. ^ Kael, Pauline, 5001 Nights At The Movies, Zenith Books, 1982, ISBN 0-09-933550-6; p 564
  50. ^ Guardian Unlimited Ellis, Samantha, for The Guardian, June 23, 2003 (quoting Kenneth Tynan). Leonard Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American Film critic and Film Historian. Phyllis Hartnoll ( September 22, 1906, Egypt - January 8, 1997, Lyme Regis) was a British poet author and editor Pauline Kael (June 19 1919 &ndash September 3 2001 was an American Film critic who wrote for The New Yorker magazine from 1968 to 1991 The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved January 7, 2005
  51. ^ Taylor, p 99
  52. ^ Walker, pp 303,304
  53. ^ National Library of Australia – Gateways ISSN 1443-0568 No. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 14 March 1995, retrieved January 7, 2006. Events 1489 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
  54. ^ Search for awards won by Vivien Leigh Academy Awards Database. Oscars. org. Accessed 24 May 2008.
  55. ^ 1939 Awards New York Film Critics Circle. Accessed 24 May 2008.
  56. ^ Search for awards won by Vivien Leigh Academy Awards Database. Oscars. org. Accessed 24 May 2008.
  57. ^ a b British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, A Streetcar Named Desire. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved on 2008-05-22. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 334 BC - The Greek army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus.
  58. ^ Search for awards won by Vivien Leigh Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Accessed 24 May 2008.
  59. ^ 1951 Awards New York Film Critics Circle. Accessed 24 May 2008.
  60. ^ Search Vivien Leigh Tony Awards Database. Accessed 24 May 2008.

References

External links


Persondata
NAME Leigh, Vivien
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hartley, Vivian Mary
SHORT DESCRIPTION actress
DATE OF BIRTH November 5, 1913
PLACE OF BIRTH Darjeeling, India
DATE OF DEATH July 7, 1967
PLACE OF DEATH London, England

Phyllis Hartnoll ( September 22, 1906, Egypt - January 8, 1997, Lyme Regis) was a British poet author and editor Pauline Kael (June 19 1919 &ndash September 3 2001 was an American Film critic who wrote for The New Yorker magazine from 1968 to 1991 Turner Classic Movies ( TCM) is a cable television channel featuring commercial -free classic movies mostly from the Turner Entertainment and Warner The Internet Broadway Database ( IBDB) is an online Database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel the University (or derivatives but lower-case when referring to many universitiesor universities Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Darjeeling ( Nepali:) is a town in the Indian state of West Bengal. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.
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