Her funeral was attended by the luminaries of British stage and screen. On the day of Vivien Leigh's death 53 years ago, a former Hollywood actor recalls being paid to kiss Lady Olivier Ninety-two-year-old actor Trader Faulkner recalls being cast as twin Sebastian to Vivien Leigh's Viola in Sir John Gielgud's production of Twelfth Night back in 1955 at Stratford By Trader Faulkner 8 July 2020 [136], In 1969, a plaque to Leigh was placed in the Actors' Church, St Paul's, Covent Garden, London. Vivien Leigh (/li/ LEE; born Vivian Mary Hartley; 5 November 1913 8 July 1967), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. For stage names, Gliddon proposed "Susan" then "Suzanne Hartley" and "Mary Hartley", before the more outlandish "April Morn" and "April Maugham". Romeo and Juliet became a major financial flop for the couple, who had invested tens of thousands of dollars in their own savings to the project. Just before she began rehearsing for a London production of A Delicate Balance in 1967, Leigh fell seriously ill. A month passed before she finally succumbed to her tuberculosis, on July 8, 1967, at the age of 53, in London, England. [120] According to the provisions of her will, Leigh was cremated at the Golders Green Crematorium and her ashes were scattered on the lake at her summer home, Tickerage Mill, near Blackboys, East Sussex, England. [81], When the West End production of Streetcar opened in October 1949, J. Olivier and Leigh went on with divorce proceedings in May of 1960. Members of the company later recalled several quarrels between the couple as Olivier was increasingly resentful of the demands placed on him during the tour. [41], 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). In 1953, Leigh suffered a nervous breakdown shortly after arriving in Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, to film Elephant Walk with English-born Australian actor Peter Finch. Vivien Leigh pictured in 1965, two years before her death. [123] The ceremony was conducted as a memorial service, with selections from her films shown and tributes provided by such associates as George Cukor, who screened the tests that Leigh had made for Gone with the Wind, the first time the screen tests had been seen in 30 years. The couple continued to appear together onstage, but their performances suffered as a result of their increasing lack of chemistry. All British films in this period were adversely affected by a Hollywood boycott of British films. John Gielgud directed Twelfth Night and wrote, "perhaps I will still make a good thing of that divine play, especially if he will let me pull her little ladyship (who is brainier than he but not a born actress) out of her timidity and safeness. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. One year after Leigh and Olivier met, they were both cast in Fire Over England, where they played love interests. Suzanne Holman with William Wyler (left), Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh in 1952 Credit: Photo: REX. [1], Leigh was born Vivian Mary Hartley[2] on 5 November 1913 in British India on the campus of St. Paul's School in Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency. Even after his marriage to Plowright, Olivier held Leigh dear in his heart for the rest of his life. Despite her relative inexperience, Leigh was chosen to play Ophelia to Olivier's Hamlet in an Old Vic Theatre production staged at Elsinore, Denmark. [101], In 1956, Leigh took the lead role in the Nol Coward play South Sea Bubble, but withdrew from the production when she became pregnant. This proved to be a huge turning point in the couples marriage, as Olivier thrived and Leighs depression only worsened. Jennifer Garner Loves This Drugstore Skin Tint, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Vivien, Birth Year: 1913, Birth date: November 5, 1913, Birth City: Darjeeling, Birth Country: India. As a result of this episode, many of the Oliviers' friends learned of her problems. Leigh's performance in A Streetcar Named Desire won glowing reviews, as well as a second Academy Award for Best Actress,[88] a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Best British Actress, and a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress. Vivien was different; ambitious, persevering, serious, often inspired. You have got to be damn smart to make a success of your career in pictures which is ESSENTIAL for your self-respect, he wrote, according to The Guardian. In a letter to Leigh, Olivier advised her not to think down on herself. This sent her into a deep depression, and Leigh was so distraught that she would sometimes fall into hysteric crying fits on the floor. Gone with the Wind, 1939. [70] Leigh temporarily fell into a deep depression that hit its low point, with her falling to the floor, sobbing in an hysterical fit. Vivien Leigh - Movies, Death & Children - Biography According to Mental Floss,Leigh became depressed and an insomniac after the trauma. During production, she developed a reputation for being difficult and unreasonable, partly because she disliked her secondary role but mainly because her petulant antics seemed to be paying dividends. A memorial service was held at St Martin-in-the-Fields and Leighs cremated ashes were spread on the lake at her summer home, Tickerage Mill in East Sussex, England. [73] In 1947, Olivier was knighted and Leigh accompanied him to Buckingham Palace for the investiture. Now she's in command of me. But their relationship slowly dwindling during this time, abd Olivier and Leigh would often get into heated arguments over her mood swings, which were becoming increasingly difficult for Olivier to manage. She attended A Connecticut Yankee, one of O'Sullivan's films playing in London's West End, and told her parents of her ambitions to become an actress. Despite the couples hardships and Leighs break downs both on and off stage, newly uncovered love letters between the couple reveal important details that outline the evolution of their romance. Until this point, Leigh and Olivier had been forced to keep their relationship out of the public eye. Thomas, Bob quoting Olivia de Havilland. [77] By the end of the tour, both were exhausted and ill. Olivier told a journalist, "You may not know it, but you are talking to a couple of walking corpses." Though Olivier was married to actress Jill Esmond at the time and Leigh was also married with a child, the pair took an immediate liking to one another. Because there was no diagnosis or treatment for bipolar disorder at the time, Leigh did not receive help for her condition. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Leigh turned down the offer, disappointed she was not offered the lead role of Cathy, according to A. Scott Berg in Goldwyn: A Biography. In 1969, critic Andrew Sarris commented that the success of the film had been largely due to "the inspired casting" of Leigh,[129] and in 1998, wrote that "she lives in our minds and memories as a dynamic force rather than as a static presence". The union produced a daughter and her stage identity changing the spelling of her first name from "Vivian" to "Vivien" and adding Leigh, according to Biography. (Getty) Laurence and Vivien ended their marriage in 1960; a year later Laurence married actress Joan Plowright, while Vivien married Jack Merivale. Photos of Vivien Leigh - Iconic Images of Actress Vivien Leigh [10] At the age of six, Vivian was sent by her mother from Loreto Convent, Darjeeling, to the Convent of the Sacred Heart (now Woldingham School) then situated in Roehampton, south-west London. [68] Leigh performed for troops before falling ill with a persistent cough and fevers. All Rights Reserved. Leigh, not feeling well enough to work again just yet, accompanied Olivier to watch his performances. The archive consists of several scrapbooks, Leigh's diary, photographs, and several letterssome over 20 pages longbetween Leigh and her second husband Laurence Olivier. Despite her success, many don't know that Leigh suffered from bipolar disorder that often hampered her career. This negative review made Leigh become fixated on failure and terrified of receiving other negative criticisms. 4. But playing her tipped me into madness.". [97] Leigh's romantic relationship with Finch began in 1948, and waxed and waned for several years, ultimately flickering out as her mental condition deteriorated. Tragedy struck in 1944 when Leigh fell during a rehearsal for Caesar and Cleopatra and suffered a miscarriage. In 1948, Leigh and Olivier went on a six-month tour of Australia and New Zealand to perform and raise funds for the theater, according to Laurence Olivier: A Biography by Donald Spoto. About 30 minutes later (by now 8 July), he entered the bedroom and discovered her body on the floor. "[51], Gone with the Wind brought Leigh immediate attention and fame, but she was quoted as saying, "I'm not a film starI'm an actress. Vivien who was Laurence Olivier's greatest love died from TB at age 53 Their affair began while on set for Fire Over England, despite both being married Vivien had film success as Blanche. [105] In his autobiography, Olivier discussed the years of strain they had experienced because of Leigh's illness: "Throughout her possession by that uncannily evil monster, manic depression, with its deadly ever-tightening spirals, she retained her own individual canninessan ability to disguise her true mental condition from almost all except me, for whom she could hardly be expected to take the trouble. On July 8, Vivien Leigh was announced dead, and every theater in London's West End extinguished their marquee lights for one hour in her honor. [114] Following several weeks of rest, she seemed to recover. Shortly after the tour, Leigh became sick with coughing fits and fevers and was soon diagnosed with tuberculosis in her left lung. Leigh died in 1967, at the age of 53, after a bout with tuberculosis, a disease she had since 1945, according to an obituary in The New York Times. Leigh became the first British woman to win a best actress Oscar for her performance as Scarlett OHara. Vivien started living with Jack Merivale, who later joined her for a tour of Australia, New Zealand and South America which lasted from July 1961. to May 1962. "[50] The film won 10 Academy Awards including a Best Actress award for Leigh,[52] who also won a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress. Not for anyone's ear but your own: it's narrowed down to Paulette Goddard, Jean Arthur, Joan Bennett and Vivien Leigh". It is now held as part of the record of the history of the performing arts in Australia. Subsequently, she made her way to the stage in borrowed pumps, and in seconds, had "dried her tears and smiled brightly onstage". You did nobly and bravely and beautifully and I am very oh so sorry, very sorry, that it must have been much hell for you.". Leigh was filming Caesar and Cleopatra (1945) when she discovered she was pregnant, then had a miscarriage. Leigh often wrote to Olivier, who was filming in New York at the time, to discuss this and other worries. [124], Leigh was considered to be one of the most beautiful actresses of her day, and her directors emphasised this in most of her films. "The girl I select must be possessed of the devil and charged with electricity," Cukor insisted at the time. Being a film starjust a film staris such a false life, lived for fake values and for publicity. Gallery: Rare pictures of Vivien Leigh | CNN Despite Leighs work suffering, Oliviers career was skyrocketing and he went on tour with actor Ralph Richardson for stage performances of Henry IV and Oedipus. [d] Her irreverent and often bawdy sense of humour allowed her to establish a rapport with Marlon Brando, but she had an initial difficulty in working with director Elia Kazan, who was displeased with the direction that Olivier had taken in shaping the character of Blanche. In 1951, Leigh was heavily criticized by film critic Kenneth Tynan for her performances as Cleopatra in both William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra and George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra alongside her husband. [80] The play contained a rape scene and references to promiscuity and homosexuality, and was destined to be controversial; the media discussion about its suitability added to Leigh's anxiety. She earned a reputation for being difficult to work with and for much of her life, she had bipolar disorder, as well as recurrent bouts of chronic tuberculosis, which was first diagnosed in the mid-1940s and ultimately led to her death at age 53. "Oh my hearts blood it is unbearable without you.". Replacing the "a" in her first name with the less commonly used "e," Hartley used her husband's name to craft a more glamorous stage name, Vivien Leigh. Casting a virtually unknown British theater actress in the role of a Southern belle struggling for survival during the American Civil War was risky to say the leastespecially considering that Gone with the Wind was already, even in pre-production, one of the most highly anticipated Hollywood pictures of all time. Half an hour later, he checked in to find her body on the ground. Therefore it is only reasonably good taste to be as unobtrusive as possible. 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. Actresses go on for a long time and there are always marvellous parts to play. After completing her drama school education, Leigh appeared in small roles in four films in 1935 and progressed to the role of heroine in Fire Over England (1937). [3] Los Angeles, Calif.: Congratulations from 1938 winners are extended to 1939 recipients of awards for. Flowers . An impressive list of Hollywood's top actresses, including Katharine Hepburn and Bette Davis, had long been vying for the part by the time Leigh, who was on a two-week vacation in California, took and passed the screen test. [116] 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. Suzanne Farrington, Vivien Leigh's daughter - obituary Playing Blanche DuBois in "A Streetcar Named Desire," did not help her illness. That changed in 1949 when Leigh won the part of Blanche Du Bois in a London production of Tennessee Williams's play, A Streetcar Named Desire. [33] She remarked to a journalist, "I've cast myself as Scarlett O'Hara", and The Observer 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. She also appeared in the films The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961) and Ship of Fools (1965). After another miscarriage, she had a breakdown in 1953, forcing her to withdraw from the filming of Elephant Walk and earning her a reputation for being difficult to work with. Awards, festivals, honors and other miscellaneous organizations are listed in alphabetical order. Netflix's Hollywood and The Real History of Vivien Leigh [122] In 1968, Leigh became the first actress honoured in the United States by "The Friends of the Libraries at the University of Southern California". Getty Images. [21] She engaged an agent, John Gliddon, who believed that "Vivian Holman" was not a suitable name for an actress. It is said that the couples relationship was not intimate and that Esmond preferred women, according to Laurence Olivier: A Biography by Donald Spoto. [15], Vivian met Herbert Leigh Holman, known as Leigh Holman, a barrister 13 years her senior, in 1931. Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait 1937. Leigh took a break from filming and was never able to fully recover enough to continue the focus on the role of Cleopatra. If a film were made of the life of Vivien Leigh, it would open in India just before World War I, where a successful British businessman could live like a prince. [74] After their divorce, according to the style granted to the divorced wife of a knight, she became known socially as Vivien, Lady Olivier. [12][13] She was removed from the school by her father, and travelling with her parents for four years, she attended schools in Europe, notably in Dinard (Brittany, France), Biarritz (France), the Sacred Heart in San Remo on the Italian Riviera, and in Paris, becoming fluent in both French and Italian. Setdart When the actress died from tuberculosis at the age of 53, Bonet was invited to her funeral,. While on tour with Olivier for his role in Titus Andronicus, Leigh would have frequent outbursts directed at her husband and other members of the production. Her husband, Jack Merivale, left her at home while he went to perform in a play in Eaton Square. [50] On a long-distance telephone call to Olivier, she declared: "Puss, my puss, how I hate film acting! Why because of your fame, tripled with our situationquadrupled with the fame thereof [sic]. The couple wed soon after on August 31, 1940, in Santa Barbara, California. Shortly after filming commenced, she had a nervous breakdown and Paramount Pictures replaced her with Elizabeth Taylor. After some consideration, Leigh was offered the part and she gladly accepted, heading to Los Angeles for filming. The couple returned to England in 1943 to help with the war effort. Leigh suffered severe insomnia at the time, and would sometimes let her understudy replace her in performances as she recovered. Brooks Atkinson for The New York Times wrote: "Although Miss Leigh and Mr. Olivier are handsome young people, they hardly act their parts at all. When rehearsing "Caesar and Cleopatra," in 1944, for instance, Leigh fell and had a miscarriage, according to Viv and Larry. [6] Ernest and Gertrude Hartley were married in 1912 in Kensington, London. During this time period, Leighs work began to go downhill. When he returned around midnight, he found Leigh asleep in bed. FREE delivery Jan 9 - 31. In light of the new Netflix series Hollywood, we're taking a look back at her. [22][b] Gliddon recommended her to Alexander Korda as a possible film actress, but Korda rejected her as lacking potential. [75], By 1948, Olivier was on the board of directors for the Old Vic Theatre, and he and Leigh embarked on a six-month tour of Australia and New Zealand to raise funds for the theatre. The papers of Leigh, including letters, photographs, contracts and diaries, are owned by her daughter, Mrs. Suzanne Farrington. Vivien Leigh's Extraordinary Life in Photos The Gone With the Wind star was one of the greatest actresses of her era. The next year was filled with good news for the couple. Leigh was born Vivian Mary Hartley on November 5, 1913, in Darjeeling, India, to an English stockbroker and his Irish wife. In the autumn of 1935 and at Leigh's insistence, John Buckmaster introduced her to Laurence Olivier at the Savoy Grill, where he and his first wife Jill Esmond dined regularly after his performance in Romeo and Juliet. Browse 996 vivien leigh photos photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. The actress spent several weeks in the hospital, during which time Olivier wrote to her constantly. In a letter to Leigh, Olivier advised her it was for the best, according to the Guardian. Without apparent provocation, she began screaming at him before suddenly becoming silent and staring into space. [76] The most dramatic altercation occurred in Christchurch, New Zealand, when her shoes were not found and Leigh refused to go onstage without them. [32] During this period, Leigh read the Margaret Mitchell novel Gone with the Wind and instructed her American agent to recommend her to David O. Selznick, who was planning a film version. Vivien Leigh is famous for beating 1400 other actresses to play Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind. Vivien Leigh - Wikipedia After their return to London, her former husband, Leigh Holman, who could still exert a strong influence on her, stayed with the Oliviers and helped calm her. Up until quite recently, Vivien Leigh, the legendary star of stage and screen, was branded with the label nymphomaniac, a derogatory-sounding term which makes it sound like she was a sex. "[67], The Oliviers returned to Britain in March 1943,[68] and Leigh toured through North Africa that same year as part of a revue for the armed forces stationed in the region. Frustrated with her behavior, Olivier slapped Leigh in the face publicly and she slapped him back. She is so perfectly designed for the part by art and nature that any other actress in the role would be inconceivable",[128] and as her fame escalated, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine as Scarlett. Though she receive great critical acclaim for her performance, the huge success of the play and film took an emotional toll on Leigh that she would later say tipped me over into madness.. Vivien Leigh - IMDb Although Leigh was initially typecast as a fickle coquette, she began to explore more dynamic roles by doing Shakespearean plays at the Old Vic in London, England. The following year was a crucial time for Olivier and Leigh, as both actors were trying to broaden their careers. [66] 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." Oh sweet Baba, If we were together I expect this would seem quite exciting, but then that applies to everything in life, Leigh wrote in a letter to her husband on August 1, 1950 while on a plane, according to the Guardian. From then on, Leigh was taken with Oliviers charm and magnetism, according to Vivien Leigh: A Biography, and Olivier was drawn to her in a way he was with no other woman.
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