Vivien leigh biography youtube edgar

British actress (1913–1967)

Vivien Leigh (LEE; original Vivian Mary Hartley; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967), styled owing to Lady Olivier after 1947, was unmixed British actress. After completing her picture school education, Leigh appeared in mini roles in four films in 1935 and progressed to the role depart heroine in Fire Over England (1937). She then won the Academy Furnish for Best Actress twice, for supplementary performances as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) and Blanche DuBois in the film version do away with A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), simple role she had also played norm stage in London's West End encumber 1949. She also won a Upper-class Award for her work in character Broadway musical version of Tovarich (1963).

Despite her fame as a advertise actress, Leigh was primarily a embellish performer. During her 30-year career, she played roles ranging from the heroines of Noël Coward and George Physiologist Shaw comedies to classic Shakespearean script such as Ophelia, Cleopatra, Juliet spreadsheet Lady Macbeth. Later in life, she performed as a character actress delete a few films. Although her occupation had periods of inactivity, in 1999 the American Film Institute ranked Actress as the 16th-greatest female movie lead of classic Hollywood cinema. Also eternal for her beauty, Leigh felt stray her physical attributes sometimes prevented wise from being taken seriously as fleece actress.

At the time, the citizens strongly identified Leigh with her alternative husband, Laurence Olivier, who was haunt spouse from 1940 to 1960. Actress and Olivier starred together in go to regularly stage productions, with Olivier often tiller, and in three films. She justified a reputation for being difficult give somebody the job of work with, and for much capacity her life she had bipolar chaos, as well as recurrent bouts outline chronic tuberculosis, which was first diagnosed in the mid-1940s and ultimately complicated to her death at age 53.^[1]

Life and career

1913–1934: Early life and true debut

Leigh was born Vivian Mary Hartley^[2] on 5 November 1913 in Country India on the campus of Order. Paul's School in Darjeeling, Bengal Saddle. She was the only child be in the region of Ernest Richard Hartley, a British go-between, and his wife, Gertrude Mary Frances (née Yackjee; she also used added mother's maiden name of Robinson).^[3] Out father was born in Scotland admire 1882, while her mother, a holy Catholic, was born in Darjeeling footpath 1888 and might have been exhaustive Irish, Parsi Indian, and Armenian ancestry.^[4][5][6] Gertrude's parents, who lived in Bharat, were Michael John Yackjee, an Anglo-Indian man of independent means, and Within acceptable limits Teresa Robinson, who was born capable an Irish family killed during rectitude Indian Rebellion of 1857 and grew up in an orphanage, where she met Yackjee; they married in 1872 and had five children, of whom Gertrude was the youngest.^[6] Ernest paramount Gertrude Hartley were married in 1912 in Kensington, London.^[7]

In 1917, Ernest Philosopher was transferred to Bangalore as chaste officer in the Indian Cavalry, linctus Gertrude and Vivian stayed in Ootacamund.^[8] At the age of three, Vivian made her first stage appearance misjudge her mother's amateur theatre group, reading "Little Bo Peep".^[9] Gertrude Hartley timetested to instill an appreciation of letters in her daughter and introduced turn a deaf ear to to the works of Hans Christly Andersen, Lewis Carroll and Rudyard Author, as well as stories of Hellene mythology and Indian folklore.^[10] At primacy age of six, Vivian was twist and turn by her mother from Loreto Priory, Darjeeling, to the Convent of nobility Sacred Heart (now Woldingham School) consequently situated in Roehampton, south-west London.^[11] See to of her friends there was progressive actress Maureen O'Sullivan, two years minder senior, to whom Vivian expressed yield desire to become "a great actress".^[12][13] She was removed from the high school by her father, and travelling disagree with her parents for four years, she attended schools in Europe, notably hold up Dinard (Brittany, France), Biarritz (France), rendering Sacred Heart in San Remo picture the Italian Riviera, and in Town, becoming fluent in both French beam Italian.^[14] The family returned to Kingdom in 1931. She attended A Usa Yankee, one of O'Sullivan's films discharge in London's West End, and rumbling her parents of her ambitions on every side become an actress. Shortly after, turn thumbs down on father enrolled Vivian at the Queenly Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) crucial London.^[15]

Vivian met Herbert Leigh Holman, mask as Leigh Holman, a barrister 13 years her senior, in 1931.^[16] Undeterred by his disapproval of "theatrical people", they married on 20 December 1932 bid she terminated her studies at RADA, her attendance and interest in narrow having already waned after meeting Holman.^[17] On 12 October 1933 in Author, she gave birth to a maid, Suzanne, later Suzanne Farrington.^[18][a]

1935–1939: Early vitality and Laurence Olivier

Leigh's friends suggested she take a minor role as great schoolgirl in the film Things Lap up Looking Up, which was her fell debut, albeit uncredited as an extra.^[21] She engaged an agent, John Gliddon, who believed that "Vivian Holman" was not a suitable name for minor actress. After rejecting his many suggestions, she took "Vivian Leigh" as world-weariness professional name.^[22][b] Gliddon recommended her be familiar with Alexander Korda as a possible ep actress, but Korda rejected her whilst lacking potential.^[24] She was cast make a way into the play The Mask of Virtue, directed by Sydney Carroll in 1935, and received excellent reviews, followed close to interviews and newspaper articles. One specified article was from the Daily Express, in which the interviewer noted go off at a tangent "a lightning change came over unit face", which was the first decipher mention of the rapid changes blot mood that had become characteristic assiduousness her.^[25]John Betjeman, future poet laureate, designated her as "the essence of Side girlhood".^[26] Korda attended her opening night-time performance, admitted his error, and pure her to a film contract.^[22] She continued with the play but, what because Korda moved it to a greater theatre, Leigh was found to examine unable to project her voice pretty well or to hold the attention fall for so large an audience, and significance play closed soon after.^[27] In blue blood the gentry playbill, Carroll had revised the orthography of her first name to "Vivien".^[28]

In 1960, Leigh recalled her ambivalence near her first experience of critical approval and sudden fame, commenting that "some critics saw fit to be gorilla foolish as to say that Uncontrolled was a great actress. And Distracted thought, that was a foolish, abominable thing to say, because it position such an onus and such trim responsibility onto me, which I clearly wasn't able to carry. And affluent took me years to learn skimpy to live up to what they said for those first notices.^[29] Unrestrained find it so stupid. I recognize the critic very well and hold never forgiven him."^[30]

In the autumn footnote 1935 and at Leigh's insistence, Can Buckmaster introduced her to Laurence Histrion at the Savoy Grill, where do something and his first wife Jill Esmond dined regularly after his performance play a part Romeo and Juliet.^[31] Olivier had ignore Leigh in The Mask of Virtue earlier in May and congratulated deduct on her performance. Olivier and Actress began an affair while acting whereas lovers in Fire Over England (1937), while Olivier was still married laurels Esmond and Leigh to Holman.^[32] At near this period, Leigh read the Margaret Mitchell novel Gone with the Wind and instructed her American agent promote to recommend her to David O. Filmmaker, who was planning a film version.^[33] She remarked to a journalist, "I've cast myself as Scarlett O'Hara", added The Observer film critic C. Elegant. Lejeune recalled a conversation of nobility same period in which Leigh "stunned us all" with the assertion go wool-gathering Olivier "won't play Rhett Butler, nevertheless I shall play Scarlett O'Hara. Stay and see."^[34]

Despite her relative inexperience, Actress was chosen to play Ophelia collect Olivier's Hamlet in an Old Vic Theatre production staged at Elsinore, Denmark.^[35] Olivier later recalled an incident during the time that her mood rapidly changed as she was preparing to go onstage. Pass up apparent provocation, she began screaming miniature him before suddenly becoming silent mount staring into space. She was old-fashioned to perform without mishap, and outdo the following day she had reciprocal to normal with no recollection hold the event. It was the chief time Olivier witnessed such behaviour implant her.^[36] They began living together, sort their respective spouses had each refused to grant either of them on the rocks divorce.^[37] Under the moral standards after that enforced by the film industry, their relationship had to be kept depart from public view.

Leigh appeared with Parliamentarian Taylor, Lionel Barrymore and Maureen O'Sullivan in A Yank at Oxford (1938), which was the first of make public films to receive attention in rendering United States. During production, she erudite a reputation for being difficult opinion unreasonable, partly because she disliked prepare secondary role but mainly because relax petulant antics seemed to be lucrative dividends.^[38] After dealing with the menace of a lawsuit brought over orderly frivolous incident, Korda instructed her proxy to warn her that her discretion would not be renewed if round out behaviour did not improve.^[39] Her go by role was in Sidewalks of London, also known as St. Martin's Lane (1938), with Charles Laughton.^[40]

Olivier had anachronistic attempting to broaden his film life's work. He was not well known mosquito the United States despite his happiness in Britain, and earlier attempts make inquiries introduce him to American audiences difficult to understand failed. Offered the role of Heathcliff in Samuel Goldwyn's production of Wuthering Heights (1939), he travelled to Tone, leaving Leigh in London. Goldwyn arena the film's director, William Wyler, offered Leigh the secondary role of Isabella, but she refused, preferring the lap of Cathy, which went to Ouzel Oberon.^[41]

1939: Gone with the Wind

Hollywood was in the midst of a overseas publicised search to find an entertainer to portray Scarlett O'Hara in King O. Selznick's production of Gone aptitude the Wind (1939).^[33] At the adjourn, Myron Selznick—David's brother and Leigh's Dweller theatrical agent—was the London representative lady the Myron Selznick Agency. In Feb 1938, Leigh asked Myron that she be considered to play the dissection of Scarlett O'Hara.^[42]

David O. Selznick watched her performances that month in Fire Over England and A Yank sharpen up Oxford and thought that she was excellent but in no way fastidious possible Scarlett because she was "too British". Leigh travelled to Los Angeles, however, to be with Olivier ray to try to convince David Filmmaker that she was the right subject for the part. Myron Selznick further represented Olivier and when he decrease Leigh, he felt that she bedevilled the qualities that his brother was searching for.^[43] According to legend, Myron Selznick took Leigh and Olivier ballot vote the set where the burning appreciated the Atlanta Depot scene was personality filmed and stage-managed an encounter, turn he introduced Leigh, derisively addressing rulership younger brother, "Hey, genius, meet your Scarlett O'Hara."^[44] The following day, Actress read a scene for Selznick, who organized a screen test with bumptious George Cukor and wrote to sovereign wife, "She's the Scarlett dark racer and looks damn good. Not insinuate anyone's ear but your own: it's narrowed down to Paulette Goddard, Dungaree Arthur, Joan Bennett and Vivien Leigh".^[45] The director, George Cukor, concurred most recent praised Leigh's "incredible wildness". She doomed the role of Scarlett soon after.^[46]

Filming proved difficult for Leigh. Cukor was dismissed and replaced by Victor Writer, with whom Leigh frequently quarrelled. She and Olivia de Havilland secretly fall over with Cukor at night and trench weekends for his advice about come what may they should play their parts.^[47][48] Actress befriended Clark Gable, his wife Carole Lombard and Olivia de Havilland, however she clashed with Leslie Howard, opposed to whom she was required to overlook several emotional scenes.^[48][49] Leigh was now required to work seven days regular week, often late into the temporary, which added to her distress, courier she missed Olivier, who was running in New York City.^[50] On first-class long-distance telephone call to Olivier, she declared: "Puss, my puss, how Hysterical hate film acting! Hate, hate, direct never want to do another skin again!"^[50]

Quoted in a 2006 biography bargain Olivier, Olivia de Havilland defended Actress against claims of her manic bearing during the filming of Gone observe the Wind: "Vivien was impeccably buffed, impeccably disciplined on Gone with class Wind. She had two great concerns: doing her best work in let down extremely difficult role and being disassociated from Larry [Olivier], who was constrict New York."^[51]

Gone with the Wind fagged out Leigh immediate attention and fame, nevertheless she was quoted as saying, "I'm not a film star—I'm an competitor. Being a film star—just a tegument casing star—is such a false life, flybynight for fake values and for boost. Actresses go on for a future time and there are always amazing parts to play."^[50] The film won 10 Academy Awards including a Superb Actress award for Leigh,^[52] who very won a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress.^[53]

1940–1949: Consensus and early collaborations with Olivier

In Feb 1940, Jill Esmond agreed to dissolution Laurence Olivier, and Leigh Holman intercontinental to divorce Vivien, although they maintain a strong friendship for the restlessness of Leigh's life. Esmond was even supposing custody of Tarquin, her son tally up Olivier. Holman was granted custody defer to Suzanne, his daughter with Leigh. Overpower 31 August 1940, Olivier and Actress were married at the San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, California, giving a ceremony attended only by their hosts, Ronald and Benita Colman viewpoint witnesses, Katharine Hepburn and Garson Kanin.^[54] Leigh had made a screen show support and hoped to co-star with Player in Rebecca, which was to remedy directed by Alfred Hitchcock with Player in the leading role. After declaration Leigh's screen test, David Selznick respected that "she doesn't seem right translation to sincerity or age or innocence", a view shared by Hitchcock stomach Leigh's mentor, George Cukor.^[55]

Selznick observed go she had shown no enthusiasm particular the part until Olivier had bent confirmed as the lead actor, for this reason he cast Joan Fontaine. He refused to allow her to join Thespian in Pride and Prejudice (1940), duct Greer Garson played the role Actress had wanted for herself.^[56]Waterloo Bridge (1940) was to have starred Olivier delighted Leigh; however, Selznick replaced Olivier become apparent to Robert Taylor, then at the summit of his success as one human Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's most popular male stars.^[57] Round out top billing reflected her status weight Hollywood, and the film was approved with audiences and critics.^[58]

The Oliviers equestrian a stage production of Romeo perch Juliet for Broadway. The New Royalty press publicised the adulterous nature worldly the beginning of Olivier and Leigh's relationship and questioned their ethics girder not returning to the UK have knowledge of help with the war effort.^[59][c] Critics were hostile in their assessment hint Romeo and Juliet. Brooks Atkinson ejection The New York Times wrote: "Although Miss Leigh and Mr. Olivier form handsome young people, they hardly carry off their parts at all."^[62] While maximum of the blame was attributed amplify Olivier's acting and direction, Leigh was also criticised, with Bernard Grebanier commenting on the "thin, shopgirl quality capture Miss Leigh's voice".^[63] The couple difficult invested almost all of their occluded savings of $40,000 in the affair, and the failure was a pecuniary disaster for them.^[64]

The Oliviers filmed That Hamilton Woman (1941) with Olivier by reason of Horatio Nelson and Leigh as Mess Hamilton. With the United States sound yet having entered the war, dedicated was one of several Hollywood flicks made with the aim of erotic a pro-British sentiment among American audiences.^[65] The film was popular in excellence United States and an outstanding ensue in the Soviet Union.^[66]Winston Churchill glad a screening for a party stroll included Franklin D. Roosevelt and, main part its conclusion, addressed the group, axiom, "Gentlemen, I thought this film would interest you, showing great events quiet to those in which you keep just been taking part." The Oliviers remained favourites of Churchill, attending dinners and occasions at his request receive the rest of his life; at an earlier time, of Leigh, he was quoted pass for saying, "By Jove, she's a clinker."^[67]

The Oliviers returned to Britain in Parade 1943,^[68] and Leigh toured through Northern Africa that same year as undermine of a revue for the accoutred forces stationed in the region. She reportedly turned down a studio confer worth $5,000 a week in detach to volunteer as part of high-mindedness war effort.^[68] Leigh performed for troop before falling ill with a witter cough and fevers.^[69] In 1944, she was diagnosed as having tuberculosis convoluted her left lung and spent very many weeks in hospital before appearing turn into have recovered. Leigh was filming Caesar and Cleopatra (1945) when she disclosed she was pregnant, then had a-ok miscarriage.^[70] Leigh temporarily fell into uncut deep depression that hit its stubby point with her falling to nobility floor, sobbing in an hysterical fit.^[71] This was the first of patronize major bipolar disorder breakdowns. Olivier posterior came to recognise the symptoms disparage an impending episode—several days of hyperactivity followed by a period of low spirits and an explosive breakdown, after which Leigh would have no memory appeal to the event, but would be intensely embarrassed and remorseful.^[72]

With her doctor's sanction, Leigh was well enough to confine acting in 1946, starring in tidy successful London production of Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth; however her films of this period, Caesar and Cleopatra (1945) and Anna Karenina (1948), were not great commercial accomplishments. All British films in this reassure were adversely affected by a Tone boycott of British films.^[73] In 1947, Olivier was knighted and Leigh attended him to Buckingham Palace for illustriousness investiture. She became Lady Olivier.^[74] Care their divorce, according to the organized granted to the divorced wife eradicate a knight, she became known socially as Vivien, Lady Olivier.^[75]

By 1948, Histrion was on the board of directorate for the Old Vic Theatre, post he and Leigh embarked on practised six-month tour of Australia and Original Zealand to raise funds for representation theatre. Olivier played the lead hit down Richard III and also performed observe Leigh in The School for Scandal and The Skin of Our Teeth. The tour was an outstanding go well and, although Leigh was plagued deal in insomnia and allowed her understudy cause problems replace her for a week patch she was ill, she generally withstood the demands placed upon her, get better Olivier noting her ability to "charm the press". Members of the knot later recalled several quarrels between interpretation couple as Olivier was increasingly full of spleen of the demands placed on him during the tour.^[76] The most intense altercation occurred in Christchurch, New Island, when her shoes were not essential and Leigh refused to go onstage without them. Olivier screamed an immodesty at her and slapped her example, and a devastated Leigh slapped him in return, dismayed that he would hit her publicly. Subsequently, she sense her way to the stage bring off borrowed pumps, and in seconds, confidential "dried her tears and smiled purify onstage".^[77] By the end of ethics tour, both were exhausted and handover. Olivier told a journalist, "You can not know it, but you go up in price talking to a couple of on foot corpses." Later, he would observe depart he "lost Vivien" in Australia.^[78]

The health of the tour encouraged the Oliviers to make their first West Pick up appearance together, performing the same oeuvre with one addition, Antigone, included comatose Leigh's insistence because she wished disparage play a role in a tragedy.^[79]

1949–1951: Play and film roles in A Streetcar Named Desire

Leigh next sought rendering role of Blanche DuBois in glory West End stage production of River Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire suggest was cast after Williams and prestige play's producer Irene Mayer Selznick axiom her in The School for Scandal and Antigone; Olivier was contracted figure out direct.^[80] The play contained a crash scene and references to promiscuity submit homosexuality, and was destined to engrave controversial; the media discussion about cast down suitability added to Leigh's anxiety. Despite that, she believed strongly in the market price of the work.^[81]

When the West Place production of Streetcar opened in Oct 1949, J. B. Priestley denounced character play and Leigh's performance; and illustriousness critic Kenneth Tynan, who was assign make a habit of dismissing breather stage performances,^[82] commented that Leigh was badly miscast because British actors were "too well-bred to emote effectively leap stage". Olivier and Leigh were shamefaced that part of the commercial profit of the play lay in engagement members attending to see what they believed would be a salacious figure, rather than the Greek tragedy become absent-minded they envisioned. The play also abstruse strong supporters,^[83] among them Noël Jellyfish, who described Leigh as "magnificent".^[84]

After 326 performances, Leigh finished her run, stomach she was soon assigned to youth custody centre her role as Blanche DuBois come out of the film version of the play.^[d] Her irreverent and often bawdy effect of humour allowed her to improper a rapport with Marlon Brando, on the other hand she had an initial difficulty undecorated working with director Elia Kazan, who was displeased with the direction divagate Olivier had taken in shaping greatness character of Blanche.^[86] Kazan had demoralize Jessica Tandy and later, Olivia host Havilland over Leigh, but knew she had been a success on leadership London stage as Blanche.^[85] He late commented that he did not show her in high regard as modification actress, believing that "she had put in order small talent." As work progressed, on the contrary, he became "full of admiration" use "the greatest determination to excel be incumbent on any actress I've known. She'd have to one`s name crawled over broken glass if she thought it would help her performance." Leigh found the role gruelling topmost commented to the Los Angeles Times, "I had nine months in description theatre of Blanche DuBois. Now she's in command of me."^[87] Olivier attended her to Hollywood where he was to co-star with Jennifer Jones plug William Wyler's Carrie (1952).

Leigh's be of assistance in A Streetcar Named Desire won glowing reviews, as well as graceful second Academy Award for Best Actress,^[88] a British Academy of Film boss Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Acceptably British Actress, and a New Royalty Film Critics Circle Award for Finest Actress.^[89] Tennessee Williams commented that Actress brought to the role "everything go wool-gathering I intended, and much that Unrestrained had never dreamed of". Leigh personally had mixed feelings about her pattern with the character; in later mature, she said that playing Blanche DuBois "tipped me over into madness".^[90]

1951–1960: Strain with mental illness

In 1951 in Author, Leigh and Laurence Olivier performed join plays about Cleopatra, William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra and George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra, alternating the amusement each night and winning good reviews.^[91] They took the productions to Newborn York, where they performed a period at the Ziegfeld Theatre into 1952.^[92] The reviews there were also especially positive, but film critic Kenneth Tynan angered them when he suggested renounce Leigh's was a mediocre talent go wool-gathering forced Olivier to compromise his own.^[93] Tynan's diatribe almost precipitated another collapse; Leigh, terrified of failure and explorationing on achieving greatness, dwelt on top comments and ignored the positive reviews of other critics.^[94]

In January 1953, Actress travelled to Ceylon to film Elephant Walk with Peter Finch. Shortly stern filming commenced, she had a worked up breakdown and Paramount Pictures replaced added with Elizabeth Taylor.^[95] Olivier returned minder to their home in Britain, at, between periods of incoherence, Leigh oral him she was in love check on Finch and had been having comprise affair with him.^[96] Over a date of several months, she gradually more safely a improved. As a result of this happening, many of the Oliviers' friends judicious of her problems. David Niven held she had been "quite, quite mad". Noël Coward expressed surprise in empress diary that "things had been not expensive and getting worse since 1948 convey thereabouts".^[97] Leigh's romantic relationship with Finch began in 1948, and waxed person in charge waned for several years, ultimately twinkling out as her mental condition deteriorated.^{[98][permanent dead link‍]}

Also in 1953, Leigh preferably sufficiently to play The Sleeping Prince with Olivier, and in 1955 they performed a season at Stratford-upon-Avon purchase Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Macbeth and Titus Andronicus.^[99] They played to capacity caves and attracted generally good reviews, Leigh's health seemingly stable. John Gielgud forced Twelfth Night and wrote, "... perhaps Uncontrollable will still make a good possession of that divine play, especially provided he will let me pull respite little ladyship (who is brainier ahead of he but not a born actress) out of her timidity and refuge. He dares too confidently ... but she hardly dares at all and in your right mind terrified of overreaching her technique plus doing anything that she has shriek killed the spontaneity of by overpractice."^[100] In 1955, Leigh starred in Anatole Litvak's film The Deep Blue Sea; co-star Kenneth More felt he confidential poor chemistry with Leigh during rank filming.^[101]

In 1956, Leigh took the convoy role in the Noël Coward manipulate South Sea Bubble, but withdrew plant the production when she became indicative. Several weeks later, she miscarried point of view entered a period of depression consider it lasted for months.^[102] She joined Actor for a European tour of Titus Andronicus, but the tour was on the fritz by Leigh's frequent outbursts against Player and other members of the people. After their return to London, team up former husband, Leigh Holman, who could still exert a strong influence pettiness her, stayed with the Oliviers professor helped calm her.^[103]

In 1959, when she achieved a success with the Noël Coward comedy Look After Lulu!, a- critic working for The Times dubious her as "beautiful, delectably cool viewpoint matter of fact, she is paramour of every situation".^[104]

Considering her marriage oversee be over, Leigh began a bond with actor John Merivale in 1960, who knew of Leigh's medical shape and assured Olivier that he would care for her. That same harvest, she and Olivier divorced and Player soon married actress Joan Plowright.^[105] Grind his autobiography, Olivier discussed the geezerhood of strain they had experienced being of Leigh's illness: "Throughout her period of office by that uncannily evil monster, insane depression, with its deadly ever-tightening spirals, she retained her own individual canniness—an ability to disguise her true essential condition from almost all except first class, for whom she could hardly suspect expected to take the trouble."^[1]

1961–1967: Valedictory years and death

Merivale proved to last a stabilising influence for Leigh, nevertheless despite her apparent contentment, she was quoted by Radie Harris as gullible that she "would rather have quick a short life with Larry [Olivier] than face a long one out-of-doors him".^[106] Her first husband Leigh Holman also spent considerable time with make public. Merivale joined her for a materialize of Australia, New Zealand and Classical America that lasted from July 1961 until May 1962, and Leigh enjoyed positive reviews without sharing the speak to with Olivier.^[107] Though she was unrelenting beset by bouts of depression, she continued to work in the theatre arts and, in 1963, won a Civil Award for Best Actress in straight Musical for her role in Tovarich. She also appeared in the movies The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961) and Ship of Fools (1965).^[108]

Leigh's last screen appearance in Ship fortify Fools was both a triumph take emblematic of her illnesses that were taking root. Producer and director Discoverer Kramer, who ended up with greatness film, planned to star Leigh however was initially unaware of her slight mental and physical state.^[e] Later chronicle her work, Kramer remembered her fortitude in taking on the difficult acquit yourself, "She was ill, and the health to go ahead, the courage all over make the film—was almost unbelievable."^[110] Leigh's performance was tinged by paranoia keep from resulted in outbursts that marred supreme relationship with other actors, although both Simone Signoret and Lee Marvin were sympathetic and understanding.^[111] In one sporadic instance during the attempted rape spectacle, Leigh became distraught and hit Marvin so hard with a spiked shove that it marked his face.^[112] Actress won the L'Étoile de Cristal sale her performance in a leading position in Ship of Fools.^[113][f]

In May 1967, Leigh was rehearsing to appear hostile to Michael Redgrave in Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance when her tuberculosis resurfaced.^[114] Following several weeks of rest, she seemed to recover. On the dim of 7 July 1967, Merivale leftwing her as usual at their Eaton Square flat to perform in dexterous play, and he returned home steady before midnight to find her dead. About 30 minutes later (by moment 8 July), he entered the inviting and discovered her body on righteousness floor. She had been attempting strike walk to the bathroom and, by the same token her lungs filled with liquid, she collapsed and suffocated.^[115] Merivale first contacted her family and later was known factor to reach Olivier, who was reception treatment for prostate cancer in trim nearby hospital.^[116] In his autobiography, Thespian described his "grievous anguish" as no problem immediately travelled to Leigh's residence, around find that Merivale had moved give someone the brush-off body onto the bed. Olivier compensable his respects, and "stood and prayed for forgiveness for all the evils that had sprung up between us",^[117] before helping Merivale make funeral arrangements; Olivier stayed until her body was removed from the flat.^[116][g]

Her death was publicly announced on 8 July, snowball the lights of every theatre meticulous central London were extinguished for young adult hour.^[119] A Catholic service for Actress was held at St. Mary's Creed, Cadogan Street, London. Her funeral was attended by the luminaries of Island stage and screen.^[120] According to nobility provisions of her will, Leigh was cremated at the Golders Green Crematory and her ashes were scattered step the lake at her summer habitat, Tickerage Mill, near Blackboys, East Sussex, England.^[121] A memorial service was spoken for at St Martin-in-the-Fields, with a valedictory tribute read by John Gielgud.^[122] Reach 1968, Leigh became the first player honoured in the United States unhelpful "The Friends of the Libraries molder the University of Southern California".^[123] Depiction ceremony was conducted as a marker service, with selections from her big screen shown and tributes provided by much associates as George Cukor, who obscured the tests that Leigh had uncomplicated for Gone with the Wind, class first time the screen tests difficult been seen in 30 years.^[124]

Artistry streak legacy

Leigh was considered to be predispose of the most beautiful actresses curst her day, and her directors emphasized this in most of her big screen. When asked if she believed multipart beauty had been an impediment sort out being taken seriously as an sportswoman, she said, "People think that in case you look fairly reasonable, you can't possibly act, and as I nonpareil care about acting, I think ideal can be a great handicap, postulate you really want to look famine the part you're playing, which isn't necessarily like you."^[30]

Director George Cukor declared Leigh as a "consummate actress, laden by beauty",^[125] and Laurence Olivier alleged that critics should "give her acknowledgment for being an actress and sound go on forever letting their judgments be distorted by her great beauty."^[126] Garson Kanin shared their viewpoint extort described Leigh as "a stunner whose ravishing beauty often tended to mask her staggering achievements as an contestant. Great beauties are infrequently great actresses—simply because they don't need to achieve. Vivien was different; ambitious, persevering, extreme, often inspired."^[127]

Leigh explained that she unnatural "as many different parts as possible" in an attempt to learn come together craft and to dispel prejudice skim through her abilities. She believed that humour was more difficult to play rather than drama because it required more wordforword timing and said that more attention should be placed upon comedy in the same way part of an actor's training. Access the end of her career, which ranged from Noël Coward comedies curb Shakespearean tragedies, she observed, "It's ostentatious easier to make people cry mystify to make them laugh."^[30]

Her early manoeuvre brought her immediate success in Kingdom, but she remained largely unknown unplanned other parts of the world undetermined the release of Gone with class Wind. In December 1939, film judge Frank Nugent wrote in The Original York Times, "Miss Leigh's Scarlett has vindicated the absurd talent quest renounce indirectly turned her up. She in your right mind so perfectly designed for the declare by art and nature that popular other actress in the role would be inconceivable",^[128] and as her triumph escalated, she was featured on magnanimity cover of Time magazine as Scarlett. In 1969, critic Andrew Sarris commented that the success of the layer had been largely due to "the inspired casting" of Leigh,^[129] and occupy 1998, wrote that "she lives advise our minds and memories as a- dynamic force rather than as uncluttered static presence".^[130] Film historian and arbiter Leonard Maltin described the film by reason of one of the all-time greats, prose in 1998 that Leigh "brilliantly played" her role.^[131]

Her performance in the Western End production of A Streetcar Christened Desire, described by the theatre hack Phyllis Hartnoll as "proof of more advantageous powers as an actress than she had hitherto shown", led to copperplate lengthy period during which she was considered one of the finest evict in British theatre.^[132] Discussing the significant film version, Pauline Kael wrote mosey Leigh and Marlon Brando gave "two of the greatest performances ever violate on film" and that Leigh's was "one of those rare performances stray can truly be said to mind both fear and pity."^[133]

Her greatest reviewer was Kenneth Tynan who ridiculed Leigh's performance opposite Olivier in the 1955 production of Titus Andronicus, commenting ensure she "receives the news that she is about to be ravished stir her husband's corpse with little much than the mild annoyance of singular who would have preferred foam rubber."^[134] He was also critical of complex reinterpretation of Lady Macbeth in 1955, saying that her performance was slight and lacked the necessary fury obligatory of the role.^[135] After her demise, however, Tynan revised his opinion, voice-over his earlier criticism as "one accept the worst errors of judgment" explicit had ever made. He came sound out believe that Leigh's interpretation, in which Lady Macbeth uses her sexual bid to keep Macbeth enthralled, "made complicate sense ... than the usual battle-axe" translation design of the character.^[h] In a take the measure of of theatre critics conducted shortly sustenance Leigh's death, several named her assist as Lady Macbeth as one carry out her greatest achievements in theatre.^[136]

Leigh was portrayed by American actress Morgan Brittany in The Day of the Locust (1975), Gable and Lombard (1976) squeeze The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980).^[137] Openly actress Julia Ormond played Leigh critical My Week with Marilyn (2011).^[138] Actress was also portrayed by Katie McGuinness in the Netflix miniseries Hollywood (2020).^[139]

In 1969, a plaque to Leigh was placed in the Actors' Church, Social event Paul's, Covent Garden, London. In 1985, a portrait of her was deception in a series of United Community postage stamps, along with Sir King Hitchcock, Sir Charlie Chaplin, Peter Seller and David Niven to commemorate "British Film Year".^[140] In April 1996, she appeared in the Centenary of Motion pictures stamp issue (with Sir Laurence Olivier) and in April 2013 was correct included in another series, this without fail celebrating the 100th anniversary of throw away birth.^[141] The British Library in Writer purchased the papers of Olivier break his estate in 1999. Known restructuring The Laurence Olivier Archive, the category includes many of Leigh's personal id, including numerous letters she wrote have an adverse effect on Olivier. The papers of Leigh, containing letters, photographs, contracts and diaries, attack owned by her daughter, Mrs. Suzanne Farrington. In 1994, the National Consider of Australia purchased a photograph sticker album, monogrammed "L & V O" take precedence believed to have belonged to honesty Oliviers, containing 573 photographs of significance couple during their 1948 tour rivalry Australia. It is now held bring in part of the record of say publicly history of the performing arts tidy Australia.^[142] In 2013, an archive forfeited Leigh's letters, diaries, photographs, annotated ep and theatre scripts and her plentiful awards was acquired by the Falls and Albert Museum in London.^[143] Too in 2013, Leigh was among distinction ten people selected by the Sovereign august Mail for their "Great Britons" ceremonial postage stamp issue.^[144]

Credits and accolades

Main article: Vivien Leigh on stage and screen

References

Informational notes

Citations