Laurence Olivier

Laurence Olivier

Biography: Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson, Peggy Ashcroft and John Gielgud, dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. Late in his career, he had considerable success in television roles. His family had no theatrical connections, but Olivier's father, a clergyman, decided that his son should become an actor. After attending a drama school in London, Olivier learned his craft in a succession of acting jobs during the late 1920s. In 1930 he had his first important West End success in Noël Coward's Private Lives, and he appeared in his first film. In 1935 he played in a celebrated production of Romeo and Juliet alongside Gielgud and Ashcroft, and by the end of the decade he was an established star. In the 1940s, together with Richardson and John Burrell, Olivier was the co-director of the Old Vic, building it into a highly respected company. There his most celebrated roles included Shakespeare's Richard III and Sophocles's Oedipus. In the 1950s Olivier was an independent actor-manager, but his stage career was in the doldrums until he joined the avant garde English Stage Company in 1957 to play the title role in The Entertainer, a part he later played on film. From 1963 to 1973 he was the founding director of Britain's National Theatre, running a resident company that fostered many future stars. His own parts there included the title role in Othello (1965) and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice (1970). Among Olivier's films are Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940), and a trilogy of Shakespeare films as actor-director: Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948), and Richard III (1955). His later films included The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Sleuth (1972), Marathon Man (1976), and The Boys from Brazil (1978). His television appearances included an adaptation of The Moon and Sixpence (1960), Long Day's Journey into Night (1973), Love Among the Ruins (1975), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976), Brideshead Revisited (1981) and King Lear (1983). Olivier's honours included a knighthood (1947), a life peerage (1970) and the Order of Merit (1981). For his on-screen work he received four Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. The National Theatre's largest auditorium is named in his honour, and he is commemorated in the Laurence Olivier Awards, given annually by the Society of London Theatre. He was married three times, to the actresses Jill Esmond from 1930 to 1940, Vivien Leigh from 1940 to 1960, and Joan Plowright from 1961 until his death. Description above from the Wikipedia article Laurence Olivier, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Place of Birth: Not available

Birthday: May 22, 1907

Deathday: July 11, 1989

Popularity:

15.812

Known For

Rebecca
Rebecca

1940-03-23

Spartacus
Spartacus

1960-10-13

Sleuth
Sleuth

1972-12-10

Marathon Man
Marathon Man

1976-10-08

Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights

1939-04-07

To Be Hamlet
To Be Hamlet

1985-01-19

Clash of the Titans
Clash of the Titans

1981-06-12

Bunny Lake Is Missing
Bunny Lake Is Missing

1965-10-03

The Bounty
The Bounty

1984-05-04

Sir John Mills' Moving Memories
Sir John Mills' Moving Memories

2000-08-01

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

2004-09-17

A Bridge Too Far
A Bridge Too Far

1977-06-15

Oh! What a Lovely War
Oh! What a Lovely War

1969-03-10

A Little Romance
A Little Romance

1979-04-27

Fire Over England
Fire Over England

1937-03-05

49th Parallel
49th Parallel

1941-11-24

The Prince and the Showgirl
The Prince and the Showgirl

1957-06-13

Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain

1969-09-15

Hamlet
Hamlet

1948-12-10

Henry V
Henry V

1944-11-24

Dracula
Dracula

1979-07-20

The Dance of Death
The Dance of Death

1969-01-01

The Jigsaw Man
The Jigsaw Man

1983-11-11

Khartoum
Khartoum

1966-06-09

War Requiem
War Requiem

1989-01-06

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

1976-10-24

Richard III
Richard III

1955-12-13

Carrie
Carrie

1952-07-17

The Jazz Singer
The Jazz Singer

1980-12-17

That Hamilton Woman
That Hamilton Woman

1941-04-03

Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice

1940-07-26

Q Planes
Q Planes

1939-02-21

The Divorce of Lady X
The Divorce of Lady X

1938-01-15

As You Like It
As You Like It

1936-09-02

Othello
Othello

1965-12-15

The Boys from Brazil
The Boys from Brazil

1978-10-05

Nicholas and Alexandra
Nicholas and Alexandra

1971-11-29

A Voyage Round My Father
A Voyage Round My Father

1984-04-19

21 Days Together
21 Days Together

1940-01-07

The Shoes of the Fisherman
The Shoes of the Fisherman

1968-11-14

King Lear
King Lear

1983-04-03

Wild Geese II
Wild Geese II

1985-10-18

The Entertainer
The Entertainer

1960-07-25

The Magic Box
The Magic Box

1952-01-01

Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story
Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story

2023-06-02

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

1983-02-25

Term of Trial
Term of Trial

1962-08-16

The Devil's Disciple
The Devil's Disciple

1959-08-20

The Betsy
The Betsy

1978-02-02

The Yellow Ticket
The Yellow Ticket

1931-10-30

The Kid Stays in the Picture
The Kid Stays in the Picture

2002-08-16

The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci
The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci

1953-01-01

Love Among the Ruins
Love Among the Ruins

1975-03-06

The Power and the Glory
The Power and the Glory

1963-05-31

Inchon
Inchon

1981-05-04

David Copperfield
David Copperfield

1969-12-01

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

2018-07-27

Words for Battle
Words for Battle

1941-01-24

The Gentleman Tramp
The Gentleman Tramp

1976-10-10

The Conquest of the Air
The Conquest of the Air

1936-12-01

The Collection
The Collection

1976-01-01

Moscow Nights
Moscow Nights

1935-11-05

Westward Passage
Westward Passage

1932-05-27

Friends and Lovers
Friends and Lovers

1931-10-03

Male of the Species
Male of the Species

1969-01-03

Perfect Understanding
Perfect Understanding

1933-01-15

Discovering Hamlet
Discovering Hamlet

2011-11-01

Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony

2021-03-26

Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend
Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend

1986-04-19

The Demi-Paradise
The Demi-Paradise

1943-11-18

Revisiting Brideshead
Revisiting Brideshead

2005-10-15

The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice

1973-10-07

Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love

2001-09-13

Long Day's Journey Into Night
Long Day's Journey Into Night

1973-03-10

Hollywood: The Selznick Years
Hollywood: The Selznick Years

1961-12-31

Three Sisters
Three Sisters

1970-04-01

Come Back, Little Sheba
Come Back, Little Sheba

1977-12-31

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

1976-12-06

The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera

1953-08-24

Malta G.C.
Malta G.C.

1942-01-01

Lady Caroline Lamb
Lady Caroline Lamb

1972-11-22

The Ebony Tower
The Ebony Tower

1984-04-01

The Rehearsal
The Rehearsal

1974-01-01

Gregory Peck: His Own Man
Gregory Peck: His Own Man

1988-03-08

This Happy Breed
This Happy Breed

1944-05-28

No Funny Business
No Funny Business

1933-03-30

The South Bank Show: Noël Coward
The South Bank Show: Noël Coward

1992-03-01

Night of 100 Stars II
Night of 100 Stars II

1985-03-10

A Talent for Murder
A Talent for Murder

1983-12-19

Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet

1968-04-02

A Queen Is Crowned
A Queen Is Crowned

1953-06-02

The Bannfoot Ferry
The Bannfoot Ferry

2024-06-22

Daphne Laureola
Daphne Laureola

1978-01-15

Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood
Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood

1999-01-23

The Volunteer
The Volunteer

1944-01-10

The Temporary Widow
The Temporary Widow

1930-07-13

Too Many Crooks
Too Many Crooks

1930-08-01

Potiphar's Wife
Potiphar's Wife

1931-03-28

Saturday, Sunday, Monday
Saturday, Sunday, Monday

1978-01-01

Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

1940-07-31

Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Hollywood: Style Center of the World

1940-05-29

The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

1988-10-01

Jornal Português (1938-1951)
Jornal Português (1938-1951)

2005-12-12

At the Haunted End of the Day
At the Haunted End of the Day

1981-01-01

Great Acting: Laurence Olivier
Great Acting: Laurence Olivier

1966-12-31

The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People
The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People

1976-10-06

The Filth and the Fury
The Filth and the Fury

2000-03-29

Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker

1991-10-28

And the Oscar Goes To...
And the Oscar Goes To...

2014-02-01

Directed by William Wyler
Directed by William Wyler

1986-05-01

Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya

1963-11-20

Olivier Talks About Othello
Olivier Talks About Othello

1965-01-01

Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson
Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson

1983-08-23

Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond
Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond

1990-10-22

Vivien Leigh, autant en emporte le vent
Vivien Leigh, autant en emporte le vent

2020-01-03

Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff

2010-05-05

Nothing Like a Dame
Nothing Like a Dame

2018-05-02

The Moon and Sixpence
The Moon and Sixpence

1959-10-30

Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus of Nazareth

1977-03-27

Tree of Life
Tree of Life

1971-01-01