Laurence Olivier

Laurence Olivier was one of Hollywood’s early great actors starring in films that have now become classics, such as Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice. Knighted in 1947, Sir Laurence Olivier was well-versed in Shakespeare, playing over 100 stage roles including Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet as well as directing three films based on Shakespearean plays. Olivier’s acting career spanned over fifty years before his death in 1989.

Born in Surrey in 1907, Olivier made a stage appearance for the first time at the age of 15, playing a role in his school’s production of The Taming of the Shrew. Pressed by his father to become an actor, Olivier attended The Central School for Dramatic Art at the age of 17. He made few stage appearances prior to his film debut, The Temporary Widow, which wasn’t until 1930. Olivier however held more regard for the stage than film.

His interest in film changed slightly when he saw Vivian Leigh’s performance in The Mask of Virtue. Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh were cast in the leading roles of Fire Over England in 1937. When filming was through, they were engaged in an off-screen affair. Both married at the time, Olivier to his first wife, Jill Esmond, Olivier and Vivien wouldn’t marry until August of 1940. Katharine Hepburn presided as Leigh’s bridesmaid in their wedding.

Though Olivier made film appearances, he continued to harbor contempt for film productions. He was, however, highly regarded in the film industry and was approached by investors to make Shakespearean films based on stage productions. Combining his skill and interest in Shakespeare, Olivier gave directing a hand. He created three successful films, known as his Shakespeare Trilogy, Henry V, Hamlet, and Richard III.

Olivier’s Hamlet production earned him the first self-directed Academy Award for Best Actor at the 1948 Academy Awards. The film also won Best Picture. This was the only film for which Olivier won Best Actor, though he was nominated a total of six times.

Laurence Olivier’s acting career continued until his death as he made several big screen and made for television film appearances. He never developed an appreciation for film, but continued acting for the money. His marriage to Leigh ended in divorce in 1960 and he married Joan Plowright in 1961. Olivier battled prostate cancer in 1967 and fought many other illnesses over his remaining two decades. When he died in 1989, he left behind four children – one from his first marriage and three from his third.

Laurence Olivier was the founding director of Chichester Festival Theatre from 1962 to 1966 and The Royal National Theatre of Great Britain from 1962 to 1973. Though he was knighted in 1981 by Queen Elizabeth II and awarded the title of Baron by life peerage, Laurence Olivier refused to be addressed as Sir or Baron, but simply as “Larry.”