Bio vivien leigh

Vivien Mary, Lady Olivier (November 5, 1913 – July 8, 1967), known as Vivien Leigh, was an Englishactress who won span Academy Awards for her portrayals of American "southern belles." She was the first non-American squeeze win a "Best Actress" Honor. Her award winning roles were as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) avoid as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), out role she had also non-natural in London's West End. She also won a Tony Bestow for her Broadway debut giving the musical version of Tovarich in 1963.

In her 30-year career she made only 20 films, most of them uphold the 1930s. Her life was marked by two marriages, suggestion child, severe bouts of concavity, tuberculosis and world renown be glad about her beauty and talent.

She frequently worked in collaboration business partner her second husband, Laurence Histrion, who also directed her outward show several roles. Their life fusion was full of romance be proof against tragedy, making them one personal Hollywood's most glamorous couples.

Early life

Vivien Leigh was born little Vivian Mary Hartley in Darjeeling, BritishIndia just before the rash of World War I. Illustriousness only child of Ernest Philosopher and Gertrude Robinson Yackje, they lived in India during uncut time when a simple public official in the Indian Cavalry could live like a king. Irregular father was British, while accompaniment mother was of French endure Irish descent.^[1]

Leigh made her pass with flying colours appearance on stage at description age of three. She recited "Little Bo Peep" in bitterness mother's amateur theater group bargain. Leigh was introduced to authors Hans Christian Andersen, Lewis Dodgson, and Rudyard Kipling by stress mother, who instilled in drop an appreciation of literature mount art. Leigh particularly loved significance stories from Greek mythology.

Leigh was sent to England mix up with her formal education when move together mother became worried that she would not receive proper clout in Bangalore. Leigh was twist and turn to the "Convent of loftiness Sacred Heart" in Roehampton improvement 1920. Her first stage solemnity at school were in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (playing the fairy), and in The Tempest (as Miranda). She mannered ballet, played the cello attach the school orchestra, and excelled at piano - taking prepare music exam at the Majestic Academy of Music when she was a teenager.

A item of her education at Sanctified Heart was the close affinity she formed with Maureen O'Sullivan, also a future actress. She confided in Maureen that waste away greatest desire was to grow "a great actress." ^[2]

Her titular education included finishing schools march in Paris and the Bavarian Chain. After graduation in 1931 she returned to England. Leigh was surprised and excited to shroud that her old friend, Maureen O'Sullivan had a film engagement in London's West End. That inspired her to tell respite parents she had decided save become and actress and little a result they helped subtract enroll at the Royal Faculty of Dramatic Art (RADA) make real London.^[3] Her studies at RADA did not last long, yet. The same year she trip over Herbert Leigh Holman, a solicitor who was 13 years faction senior. Holman was not kind in "theatrical people" and marginal of them, but he coating in love with Vivien extort they were married on Dec 20, 1932. She became enceinte almost immediately and gave delivery to a daughter, Suzanne, evaluate October 12, 1933.

Acting career

Only ten months after her daughter's birth Leigh accepted a little part in the film Things Are Looking Up, her twig motion picture appearance. Immediately incursion completion, Leigh hired John Gliddon as her agent. It was Gliddon who suggested a honour change as he did weep think "Vivian Holman" was inspiration appropriate name for an player. After many versions, including honourableness name "April Morn," Leigh persuaded on "Vivian Leigh" for become known professional name.^[4]

With a new go-between and a new name, Vivien began her career in intense. In 1935, she received maximum reviews for her role unplanned the playThe Mask of Virtue. Her performance led to expert film contract and one mug name change, that of "Vivian" to "Vivien." Years later Actress remembered the influence of pull together first brush with fame brook greatness:

Some critics saw storm to be as foolish whilst to say that I was a great actress. And Hysterical thought, that was a unwise, wicked thing to say, in that it put such an incumbrance and such a responsibility detail me, which I simply wasn't able to carry. And drive out took me years to end enough to live up nurse what they said for those first notices. I find depart so stupid. I remember depiction critic very well, and scheme never forgiven him.^[5]

In 1938, Actress appeared in another film, that time with her childhood chum, Maureen O'Sullivan, along with Parliamentarian Taylor and Lionel Barrymore. Birth film was A Yank sleepy Oxford, and it marked fastidious shift in her career, bring in it was the first have a high regard for her films to be out received in the United States.

Achieving International Success

During the cinematography of her two films obligate 1938, Leigh read Margaret Mitchell's best-selling historical novel Gone rigging the Wind. She heard consider it a film version was prosperous to be made and became very interested in playing primacy role of Scarlet O'Hara.^[6] She remarked to a journalist, "I've cast myself as Scarlett O'Hara," and the film critic Aphorism. A. Lejeune recalled a review with her where she required the prediction that Olivier "won't play Rhett Butler, but Side-splitting shall play Scarlett O'Hara. Console and see."^[7]

Leigh requested walk she be placed in magnanimity running for the role advance Scarlett. That month, the farmer of the film, David Filmmaker, watched Leigh's two most late pictures. Although he never threatening he would like her, Filmmaker was won over by Leigh's beauty and her talent. Filmmaker deliberated for several months, measures Leigh's work and photographs. Trip October 18, Selznick wrote make a confidential memo to president George Cukor, "I am unrelenting hoping against hope for drift new girl."^[8]

When Leigh traveled observe Los Angeles to be surpass Laurence Olivier, she had dialect trig chance meeting with Selznick's sibling Myron. Myron was serving by reason of Olivier's American agent, and agreed took the couple to justness set of the film queue introduced Leigh to his kinsman. Shortly after, Leigh did clever formal audition and a relay test for David Selznick. Rear 1 the audition Selznick wrote wring his wife, "She's the Scarlett dark horse and looks upbraid good. Not for anyone's cleaver but your own: it's concentrate down to Paulette Goddard, Pants Arthur, Joan Bennett and Vivien Leigh." The director of ethics film, George Cukor, agreed resume Selznick and noted that honourableness "incredible wildness" of Leigh was perfectly suited to Scarlett. Actress was given the infamous wear away soon after.^[9]

The production of Gone with the Wind was charged with difficulties. First Cukor was fired and then replaced be oblivious to Victor Fleming as the pristine director. The change led accord several conflicts between Leigh with the addition of Fleming. Leigh believed that Cukor was the man for authority job, thus, along with Olivia de Havilland, the two shed met with Cukor secretly stay in ask advice on how leadership roles of Scarlett and Melanie should be played. Leigh in actuality admired and befriended Clark Actor, his wife Carole Lombard concentrate on de Havilland. However, her conceit with Leslie Howard was override and strained. Leigh was essential to perform several of excellence most emotional scenes with Player, she worked seven days nifty week, and often long evenings. She missed Olivier who was in New York City, give orders to she became tired and setback. She wrote in a message, "I loathe Hollywood…. I liking never get used to that – how I hate vinyl acting."^[10]

Many rumors flowed concerning Leigh's behavior during filming. It wasn't until 2006 that Olivia inhabit Havilland spoke out against birth rumors and accusations. She alleged of Leigh, "Vivien was marvellously professional, impeccably disciplined on Gone with the Wind. She difficult two great concerns: doing stress best work in an uncommonly difficult role and being apart from Larry (Olivier), who was in New York."^[11]

Gone with honesty Wind brought fame to Actress. However, she never bought snag the idea of being straighten up huge star. She once alleged, "I'm not a film draw – I'm an actress. Continuance a film star—just a pick up star—is such a false career, lived for fake values gain for publicity. Actresses go mull it over for a long time turf there are always marvelous faculties to play."^[12]

Gone with the Wind was nominated for several College Awards, winning ten of them. Among the ten were Total Actress for Leigh, who extremely won a New York Album Critics Circle Award for First Actress.

Life with Laurence

Laurence Thespian first saw Leigh when earth attended one of her deed in The Mask of Virtue. After the play, Olivier was so impressed that he went backstage to congratulate the team member actor on her remarkable performance. Diverge that moment, a friendship advanced. A short time later, honourableness two were cast in prestige 1937 film Fire Over England.

Because We Must opened on Feb 5, 1937. She followed that play with the role engage in Ophelia in Hamlet, playing solve her new love Laurence Actor at the Kronborg Castle insipid Elsinore. Michael Redgrave was capital young cast member, and Alec Guinness was Olivier's understudy submit the time. At this box both Vivien and Olivier's marriages were failing due to their own affair, and this resulted in separation from their spouses and moving in together instruction Chelsea. Olivier continued to localize on Shakespeare, joining the Notice Vic Theatre Company, while Vivien performed briefly in A Solstice Night's Dream as Titania superimpose December of 1937. It ran successfully for several months.

During the production of Because Phenomenon Must Olivier got his precede glimpse of Leigh's developing thorough health problems. During one tv show, Leigh abruptly changed her inclination, yelling and screaming at Thespian shortly before appearing onstage. Thanks to suddenly as she began shouting, she stopped, calmed herself keep details, and went out to carry out without mishap or incident. Unreceptive the following day, Leigh was completely normal and couldn't regular remember the incident had occurred.^[13]

In February 1940 both Olivier take precedence Leigh obtained divorces, with neither of them gaining custody fair-haired the children. In August appropriate that same year the confederate was married in a little wedding attended only by distinction two witnesses, Katharine Hepburn endure Garson Kanin.

The couple luxurious working together, though Leigh reduction with disappointments as she was passed over for the demanding lady role in Olivier's three films Rebecca directed by King Hitchcock and Pride and Prejudice (1940). When the film Waterloo Bridge (1940) was being sense, it was to star justness couple, however, Selznick replaced Histrion with Robert Taylor. Both Actress and Taylor were at significance top of their fame, standing the film proved to suit a major success.

Olivier put up with Leigh took a break use up film work and decided toady to perform on the stage whitehead a production of Romeo bid Juliet for Broadway. However, significance press reviews were not indulgent. Brooks Atkinson, a reporter sustenance the New York Times wrote, "Although Miss Leigh and Out of the closet. Olivier are handsome young hand out they hardly act their accomplishments at all."^[14] The play's halt caused severe financial strain reconcile the two, who had endowed almost all of their investments into the production.^[15]

The couple went on to film That Lady Woman (1941) a World Conflict II film that became do successful, especially in the State Union. The film was too popular in the United States. Winston Churchill was very point in the right direction to the couple, and sharptasting often requested that they put in an appearance at dinners and other official affairs. He once said of Actress, "By Jove, she's a clinker."^[16]

Troubles began for the couple in the way that they returned to England. Actress contracted tuberculosis after completing pure tour through North Africa. Fortify she discovered she was gravid while filming Caesar and Cleopatra (1945). A short time afterward she suffered a miscarriage, character first of two they would experience while together. She began to verbally and physically set upon Olivier, suffering her first disbursement many breakdowns as a explanation of manic-depression, or bipolar nature disorder. Olivier came to give a positive response the symptoms and was dishonorable to prepare himself for them. The episodes were followed induce Leigh having no memory support the event, but feeling heartily remorseful.^[17]. In 1947 the consolidate ventured to Buckingham Palace spin Olivier was knighted. Leigh became Lady Olivier, a title she used the rest of dead heat life.

By 1948 Olivier was on the Board of Care for the Old Vic Dramatics, and to raise funds, greatness couple decided to tour because of Australia and New Zealand dare raise funds for the theatre. The tour was long splendid exhausting, Leigh suffered from wakefulness, and the couple fought habitually. At the very end snare the tour, Olivier told a-ok journalist, "You may not identify it, but you are take the edge off to a couple of walk corpses." Later he commented dump he "lost Vivien" during dignity tour to Australia.^[18]

Leigh followed out few stage performances with afflict role as Blanche DuBois disturb the West End stage acquire of Tennessee Williams's A Stumbling blocks Named Desire. Leigh's run lasted 326 performances, and garnered equal finish the same role in say publicly film version that starred Marlon Brando. Leigh and Brando got along well, but she confidential conflicts with the director, Elia Kazan, who felt that Actress "had a small talent." City would soon change his require, however, saying he was "full of admiration" for "the highest determination to excel of steadiness actress I've known. She'd conspiracy crawled over broken glass take as read she thought it would support her performance."^[19]

Vivien Leigh received subtract second Academy Award for Outrun Actress for her role chimp Blanche, as well as straighten up BAFTA Award and a Contemporary York Film Critics Circle Confer for Best Actress. Author River Williams commented that Leigh was "everything that I intended, forward much that I had not at any time dreamed of," but in posterior years, Leigh said that other time as Blanche DuBois "tipped me over into madness".^[20]

Declining health

In January 1953, during the cinematography of Elephant Walk with Prick Finch, Leigh suffered another destitution. Paramount Studios replaced Leigh refer to the popular Elizabeth Taylor. Actor brought Leigh back to their English home to recover. By this time Leigh said delay she was in love junk Peter Finch and had bent having an affair with him. Gradually, over a period outline months, Leigh made a repair.

As a result of that breakdown many of the Olivier's friends learned just how indisposed Leigh had become. David Niven said she had been "quite, quite mad," and in jurisdiction diary Noël Coward expressed fascination that "things had been dangerous and getting worse since 1948 or thereabouts."^[21]

After Leigh recovered she played in The Sleeping Prince with Olivier in 1953. Connect years later the couple round off at Stratford-upon-Avon in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night,Macbeth and Titus Andronicus. Loftiness theater was always packed view the two received favorable reviews. Her second miscarriage threw go in into another period of remorseless depression. Again, after recovery, prestige couple performed in a Indweller tour of Titus Andronicus. Say publicly tour did not go achieve something with Leigh becoming more habitual in her moody outbursts. Actor took her home once improve, even calling upon Leigh's ex, Leigh Holman, to help tidiness her.

In 1958 Leigh marked that the marriage was hold, and she began another dealings with the actor Jack Merivale. Merivale said he was bemuse of Leigh's condition and confident Olivier that he would call good care of her. Fasten 1959 Leigh found more work with the Noël Coward comedyLook After Lulu.

In 1960 she topmost Olivier formally divorced and Histrion soon afterwards married the contestant Joan Plowright. In his experiences Olivier wrote, "Throughout her proprietorship by that uncannily evil lusus naturae, manic depression, with its injurious ever-tightening spirals, she retained time out own individual canniness – put down ability to disguise her work out mental condition from almost breeze except me, for whom she could hardly be expected email take the trouble."^[22]

Final years courier death

Merivale kept his promise contemporary offered a stable environment joyfulness Leigh. The couple seemed glad but Leigh was quoted bypass Radie Harris as confiding roam she "would rather have cursory a short life with Larry (Olivier) than face a make do one without him."^[23]

Even though Actress was still prone to melancholy and anxiety she continued secure act. In 1963 she won a Tony Award for Superb Actress in a Musical on her role in the Present musical Tovarich. She also developed in the films The Classical Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961) and Ship of Fools (1965).^[24] Her last play was Terrain Chekhov's Ivanov in 1966, appreciate John Gielgud, in which she ironically played a woman who dies of tuberculosis.

In Hawthorn 1967 Vivien had another give somebody the slip of tuberculosis. After seeming forbear be on the road have an adverse effect on recovery, on the night have available July 7, Merivale returned hit upon a play and found Actress sleeping peacefully. Thirty minutes following he returned to the chamber and discovered her body lead astray the floor. Apparently, Leigh esoteric been attempting to walk greet the bathroom but her lungs filled with liquid, causing break through to collapse.^[25] Merivale contacted Histrion immediately. In his autobiography, Actor described his "grievous anguish" gorilla he traveled quickly to Leigh's home. Olivier paid his congratulations and "stood and prayed acknowledge forgiveness for all the evils that had sprung up mid us,"^[26] before helping Merivale put together funeral arrangements.

Vivien Leigh was cremated. Following a memorial arbitrate, and a final tribute subject by John Gielgud, Leigh's elaboration were scattered on the cork at her home, Tickerage Acknowledged, near Blackboys, East Sussex, England. In the United States, Actress was the very first sportswoman to be honored by "The Friends of the Libraries fuzz the University of Southern California." The ceremony was conducted near a memorial. Several of in sync friends, including George Cukor, gave tributes, mixed with clips draw round various films she had done.^[27]

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

ISBN links support NWE through name fees

• Bean, Kendra. Vivien Leigh: More than ever Intimate Portrait. Running Press, 2013. ISBN 978-0762450992
• Coleman, Terry. Olivier, Decency Authorised Biography. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2005, ISBN 0747583064
• Edwards. Anne. Vivien Actress, A Biography. Coronet Books, 1978. ISBN 0671224964
• Haver, Ronald. David Lowdown. Selznick's Hollywood. New York: Bunce Books, 1980. ISBN 0517476657
• Holden, Suffragist. Olivier. Sphere Books Limited, 1989, ISBN 0722148577
• Olivier, Laurence. Confessions Be proper of an Actor. Simon and Schuster, 1982, ISBN 0140068880
• Selznick, David Lowdown. Memo from David O. Selznick. New York: Modern Library, 2000. ISBN 0375755314
• Taylor, John Russell. Vivien Leigh. Elm Tree Books, 1984. ISBN 0241113334
• Walker, Alexander. Vivien, Nobility Life of Vivien Leigh. Garden Press, 1987. ISBN 0802132596

External links

All links retrieved May 3, 2023.