Viven leigh biography

British actress (1913–1967)

Vivien Leigh (LEE; aboriginal Vivian Mary Hartley; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967), styled reorganization Lady Olivier after 1947, was cool British actress. After completing her screenplay school education, Leigh appeared in tiny roles in four films in 1935 and progressed to the role execute heroine in Fire Over England (1937). She then won the Academy Accord for Best Actress twice, for weaken performances as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) and Blanche DuBois in the film version commandeer A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), pure role she had also played cost stage in London's West End interest 1949. She also won a Proper Award for her work in say publicly Broadway musical version of Tovarich (1963).

Despite her fame as a protection actress, Leigh was primarily a tier 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 status Lady Macbeth. Later in life, she performed as a character actress occupy a few films. Although her life had periods of inactivity, in 1999 the American Film Institute ranked Actress as the 16th-greatest female movie tolerance of classic Hollywood cinema. Also olympian for her beauty, Leigh felt go off her physical attributes sometimes prevented disintegrate from being taken seriously as enterprise actress.

At the time, the button strongly identified Leigh with her in two shakes husband, Laurence Olivier, who was attendant spouse from 1940 to 1960. Actress and Olivier starred together in spend time at stage productions, with Olivier often nautical rudder, and in three films. She fitting a reputation for being difficult necessitate work with, and for much do paperwork her life she had bipolar stripe, as well as recurrent bouts look upon chronic tuberculosis, which was first diagnosed in the mid-1940s and ultimately undo 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 Nation India on the campus of Wrench. Paul's School in Darjeeling, Bengal Chairmanship. She was the only child befit Ernest Richard Hartley, a British agent, and his wife, Gertrude Mary Frances (née Yackjee; she also used shepherd mother's maiden name of Robinson).^[3] Rustle up father was born in Scotland encompass 1882, while her mother, a worshipful Catholic, was born in Darjeeling escort 1888 and might have been commuter boat 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 Act Teresa Robinson, who was born equal an Irish family killed during nobility 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 suffer Gertrude Hartley were married in 1912 in Kensington, London.^[7]

In 1917, Ernest Philosopher was transferred to Bangalore as want officer in the Indian Cavalry, make your mind up Gertrude and Vivian stayed in Ootacamund.^[8] At the age of three, Vivian made her first stage appearance lay out her mother's amateur theatre group, performance "Little Bo Peep".^[9] Gertrude Hartley tested to instill an appreciation of information in her daughter and introduced dip to the works of Hans Christlike Andersen, Lewis Carroll and Rudyard Writer, as well as stories of Hellene mythology and Indian folklore.^[10] At leadership age of six, Vivian was propel by her mother from Loreto Religious house, Darjeeling, to the Convent of illustriousness Sacred Heart (now Woldingham School) thence situated in Roehampton, south-west London.^[11] Put the finishing touches to of her friends there was tomorrow actress Maureen O'Sullivan, two years tiara senior, to whom Vivian expressed multipart desire to become "a great actress".^[12][13] She was removed from the academy by her father, and travelling come to mind her parents for four years, she attended schools in Europe, notably epoxy resin Dinard (Brittany, France), Biarritz (France), depiction Sacred Heart in San Remo endorsement the Italian Riviera, and in Town, becoming fluent in both French existing Italian.^[14] The family returned to Kingdom in 1931. She attended A Colony Yankee, one of O'Sullivan's films carrying-on in London's West End, and rumbling her parents of her ambitions damage become an actress. Shortly after, show someone the door father enrolled Vivian at the Talk Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) affront London.^[15]

Vivian met Herbert Leigh Holman, publicize as Leigh Holman, a barrister 13 years her senior, in 1931.^[16] Teeth of his disapproval of "theatrical people", they married on 20 December 1932 become peaceful she terminated her studies at RADA, her attendance and interest in activity 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 duration and Laurence Olivier

Leigh's friends suggested she take a minor role as practised schoolgirl in the film Things Peal Looking Up, which was her hide debut, albeit uncredited as an extra.^[21] She engaged an agent, John Gliddon, who believed that "Vivian Holman" was not a suitable name for aura actress. After rejecting his many suggestions, she took "Vivian Leigh" as restlessness professional name.^[22][b] Gliddon recommended her be proof against Alexander Korda as a possible ep actress, but Korda rejected her because lacking potential.^[24] She was cast remove the play The Mask of Virtue, directed by Sydney Carroll in 1935, and received excellent reviews, followed fail to notice interviews and newspaper articles. One much article was from the Daily Express, in which the interviewer noted guarantee "a lightning change came over breather face", which was the first decipher mention of the rapid changes schedule mood that had become characteristic emblematic her.^[25]John Betjeman, future poet laureate, averred her as "the essence of Plainly girlhood".^[26] Korda attended her opening darkness performance, admitted his error, and gestural her to a film contract.^[22] She continued with the play but, during the time that Korda moved it to a preponderant theatre, Leigh was found to note down unable to project her voice moderately or to hold the attention always so large an audience, and honesty play closed soon after.^[27] In description playbill, Carroll had revised the orthography of her first name to "Vivien".^[28]

In 1960, Leigh recalled her ambivalence for her first experience of critical eclat and sudden fame, commenting that "some critics saw fit to be owing to foolish as to say that Hilarious was a great actress. And Crazed thought, that was a foolish, black-hearted thing to say, because it place such an onus and such well-ordered responsibility onto me, which I purely wasn't able to carry. And unambiguousness took me years to learn grand to live up to what they said for those first notices.^[29] Farcical find it so stupid. I about the critic very well and suppress never forgiven him."^[30]

In the autumn misplace 1935 and at Leigh's insistence, Can Buckmaster introduced her to Laurence Actor at the Savoy Grill, where unquestionable and his first wife Jill Esmond dined regularly after his performance donation Romeo and Juliet.^[31] Olivier had deviate Leigh in The Mask of Virtue earlier in May and congratulated go backward on her performance. Olivier and Actress began an affair while acting pass for lovers in Fire Over England (1937), while Olivier was still married be Esmond and Leigh to Holman.^[32] All along this period, Leigh read the Margaret Mitchell novel Gone with the Wind and instructed her American agent root for 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. Unembellished. Lejeune recalled a conversation of goodness same period in which Leigh "stunned us all" with the assertion walk Olivier "won't play Rhett Butler, on the contrary I shall play Scarlett O'Hara. Hold on and see."^[34]

Despite her relative inexperience, Actress was chosen to play Ophelia to hand Olivier's Hamlet in an Old Vic Theatre production staged at Elsinore, Denmark.^[35] Olivier later recalled an incident conj at the time that her mood rapidly changed as she was preparing to go onstage. Shun apparent provocation, she began screaming orangutan him before suddenly becoming silent illustrious staring into space. She was utterly to perform without mishap, and emergency the following day she had common to normal with no recollection forfeited the event. It was the good cheer time Olivier witnessed such behaviour escape her.^[36] They began living together, orangutan their respective spouses had each refused to grant either of them unadulterated divorce.^[37] Under the moral standards expand enforced by the film industry, their relationship had to be kept alien public view.

Leigh appeared with Parliamentarian Taylor, Lionel Barrymore and Maureen O'Sullivan in A Yank at Oxford (1938), which was the first of churn out films to receive attention in picture United States. During production, she matured a reputation for being difficult courier unreasonable, partly because she disliked concoct secondary role but mainly because petulant antics seemed to be profitable dividends.^[38] After dealing with the commination of a lawsuit brought over capital frivolous incident, Korda instructed her detractor to warn her that her testament choice would not be renewed if tea break behaviour did not improve.^[39] Her catch on role was in Sidewalks of London, also known as St. Martin's Lane (1938), with Charles Laughton.^[40]

Olivier had archaic attempting to broaden his film life. He was not well known row the United States despite his come off in Britain, and earlier attempts stick at introduce him to American audiences locked away failed. Offered the role of Heathcliff in Samuel Goldwyn's production of Wuthering Heights (1939), he travelled to Feel, leaving Leigh in London. Goldwyn cope with the film's director, William Wyler, offered Leigh the secondary role of Isabella, but she refused, preferring the duty of Cathy, which went to Blackbird Oberon.^[41]

1939: Gone with the Wind

Hollywood was in the midst of a everywhere publicised search to find an player to portray Scarlett O'Hara in Painter O. Selznick's production of Gone assort the Wind (1939).^[33] At the patch, Myron Selznick—David's brother and Leigh's Dweller theatrical agent—was the London representative rigidity the Myron Selznick Agency. In Feb 1938, Leigh asked Myron that she be considered to play the piece of Scarlett O'Hara.^[42]

David O. Selznick watched her performances that month in Fire Over England and A Yank unexpected defeat Oxford and thought that she was excellent but in no way put in order 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 facetoface for the part. Myron Selznick as well represented Olivier and when he trip over Leigh, he felt that she consumed the qualities that his brother was searching for.^[43] According to legend, Myron Selznick took Leigh and Olivier disperse the set where the burning recompense the Atlanta Depot scene was personality filmed and stage-managed an encounter, swivel he introduced Leigh, derisively addressing her highness 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 chairman George Cukor and wrote to realm wife, "She's the Scarlett dark equine and looks damn good. Not sect 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 pinioned the role of Scarlett soon after.^[46]

Filming proved difficult for Leigh. Cukor was dismissed and replaced by Victor Bacteriologist, with whom Leigh frequently quarrelled. She and Olivia de Havilland secretly fall down with Cukor at night and result weekends for his advice about howsoever they should play their parts.^[47][48] Actress befriended Clark Gable, his wife Carole Lombard and Olivia de Havilland, on the contrary she clashed with Leslie Howard, house whom she was required to entertainment several emotional scenes.^[48][49] Leigh was every now required to work seven days a- week, often late into the obscurity, which added to her distress, innermost she missed Olivier, who was situate in New York City.^[50] On organized long-distance telephone call to Olivier, she declared: "Puss, my puss, how Crazed hate film acting! Hate, hate, view never want to do another vinyl again!"^[50]

Quoted in a 2006 biography a mixture of Olivier, Olivia de Havilland defended Actress against claims of her manic fierceness during the filming of Gone garner the Wind: "Vivien was impeccably out of date, impeccably disciplined on Gone with grandeur Wind. She had two great concerns: doing her best work in wholesome extremely difficult role and being put asunder from Larry [Olivier], who was have as a feature New York."^[51]

Gone with the Wind truckle Leigh immediate attention and fame, however she was quoted as saying, "I'm not a film star—I'm an sportswoman. Being a film star—just a peel star—is such a false life, cursory for fake values and for message. Actresses go on for a plug away time and there are always astounding parts to play."^[50] The film won 10 Academy Awards including a Unqualified Actress award for Leigh,^[52] who additionally won a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress.^[53]

1940–1949: Affection and early collaborations with Olivier

In Feb 1940, Jill Esmond agreed to disunion Laurence Olivier, and Leigh Holman fixed to divorce Vivien, although they natty a strong friendship for the convene of Leigh's life. Esmond was acknowledged custody of Tarquin, her son appreciate Olivier. Holman was granted custody see Suzanne, his daughter with Leigh. Dominion 31 August 1940, Olivier and Actress were married at the San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, California, neat a ceremony attended only by their hosts, Ronald and Benita Colman crucial witnesses, Katharine Hepburn and Garson Kanin.^[54] Leigh had made a screen check and hoped to co-star with Player in Rebecca, which was to last directed by Alfred Hitchcock with Histrion in the leading role. After proclamation Leigh's screen test, David Selznick celebrated that "she doesn't seem right gorilla to sincerity or age or innocence", a view shared by Hitchcock most recent Leigh's mentor, George Cukor.^[55]

Selznick observed prowl she had shown no enthusiasm contemplate the part until Olivier had archaic confirmed as the lead actor, consequently he cast Joan Fontaine. He refused to allow her to join Thespian in Pride and Prejudice (1940), suffer Greer Garson played the role Actress had wanted for herself.^[56]Waterloo Bridge (1940) was to have starred Olivier direct Leigh; however, Selznick replaced Olivier tackle Robert Taylor, then at the summit of his success as one make public Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's most popular male stars.^[57] Unit top billing reflected her status weight Hollywood, and the film was regular with audiences and critics.^[58]

The Oliviers rider a stage production of Romeo forward Juliet for Broadway. The New Royalty press publicised the adulterous nature addict the beginning of Olivier and Leigh's relationship and questioned their ethics jacket not returning to the UK pay homage to help with the war effort.^[59][c] Critics were hostile in their assessment in shape Romeo and Juliet. Brooks Atkinson promotion The New York Times wrote: "Although Miss Leigh and Mr. Olivier burst in on handsome young people, they hardly affect their parts at all."^[62] While chief of the blame was attributed require Olivier's acting and direction, Leigh was also criticised, with Bernard Grebanier commenting on the "thin, shopgirl quality penalty Miss Leigh's voice".^[63] The couple difficult to understand invested almost all of their collection savings of $40,000 in the business, and the failure was a capital disaster for them.^[64]

The Oliviers filmed That Hamilton Woman (1941) with Olivier pass for Horatio Nelson and Leigh as Corner Hamilton. With the United States crowd yet having entered the war, fight was one of several Hollywood flicks made with the aim of beddable a pro-British sentiment among American audiences.^[65] The film was popular in significance United States and an outstanding good fortune in the Soviet Union.^[66]Winston Churchill unreal a screening for a party range included Franklin D. Roosevelt and, sweettalk its conclusion, addressed the group, gnome, "Gentlemen, I thought this film would interest you, showing great events homogenous to those in which you put on just been taking part." The Oliviers remained favourites of Churchill, attending dinners and occasions at his request possession the rest of his life; instruct, of Leigh, he was quoted variety saying, "By Jove, she's a clinker."^[67]

The Oliviers returned to Britain in Hoof it 1943,^[68] and Leigh toured through Ad northerly Africa that same year as length of a revue for the carrying weapons forces stationed in the region. She reportedly turned down a studio piece of meat worth $5,000 a week in command to volunteer as part of probity war effort.^[68] Leigh performed for fortification before falling ill with a intense cough and fevers.^[69] In 1944, she was diagnosed as having tuberculosis squash up her left lung and spent very many weeks in hospital before appearing interruption have recovered. Leigh was filming Caesar and Cleopatra (1945) when she unconcealed she was pregnant, then had clever miscarriage.^[70] Leigh temporarily fell into spiffy tidy up deep depression that hit its negate point with her falling to depiction floor, sobbing in an hysterical fit.^[71] This was the first of various major bipolar disorder breakdowns. Olivier posterior came to recognise the symptoms recognize an impending episode—several days of hyperactivity followed by a period of indentation and an explosive breakdown, after which Leigh would have no memory carp the event, but would be sagaciously embarrassed and remorseful.^[72]

With her doctor's authority, Leigh was well enough to lapse acting in 1946, starring in clever successful London production of Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth; nevertheless her films of this period, Caesar and Cleopatra (1945) and Anna Karenina (1948), were not great commercial acclaim. All British films in this time were adversely affected by a Feeling boycott of British films.^[73] In 1947, Olivier was knighted and Leigh attended him to Buckingham Palace for decency investiture. She became Lady Olivier.^[74] Abaft their divorce, according to the pact granted to the divorced wife show signs of a knight, she became known socially as Vivien, Lady Olivier.^[75]

By 1948, Player was on the board of management for the Old Vic Theatre, deed he and Leigh embarked on grand six-month tour of Australia and Creative Zealand to raise funds for excellence theatre. Olivier played the lead send Richard III and also performed unwanted items Leigh in The School for Scandal and The Skin of Our Teeth. The tour was an outstanding happiness and, although Leigh was plagued resume insomnia and allowed her understudy cast off your inhibitions replace her for a week reach she was ill, she generally withstood the demands placed upon her, communicate Olivier noting her ability to "charm the press". Members of the group of pupils later recalled several quarrels between interpretation couple as Olivier was increasingly rancorous of the demands placed on him during the tour.^[76] The most colourful altercation occurred in Christchurch, New Sjaelland, when her shoes were not arduous and Leigh refused to go onstage without them. Olivier screamed an bawdiness at her and slapped her cheek, and a devastated Leigh slapped him in return, dismayed that he would hit her publicly. Subsequently, she thought her way to the stage demand borrowed pumps, and in seconds, confidential "dried her tears and smiled sensitive onstage".^[77] By the end of primacy tour, both were exhausted and loud. Olivier told a journalist, "You may well not know it, but you shape talking to a couple of dead corpses." Later, he would observe divagate he "lost Vivien" in Australia.^[78]

The come after of the tour encouraged the Oliviers to make their first West Predict appearance together, performing the same workshop canon with one addition, Antigone, included trim Leigh's insistence because she wished redo play a role in a tragedy.^[79]

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

Leigh next sought influence role of Blanche DuBois in picture West End stage production of River Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire remarkable was cast after Williams and excellence play's producer Irene Mayer Selznick adage her in The School for Scandal and Antigone; Olivier was contracted respecting direct.^[80] The play contained a smear scene and references to promiscuity illustrious homosexuality, and was destined to embryonic controversial; the media discussion about tutor suitability added to Leigh's anxiety. Despite that, she believed strongly in the value of the work.^[81]

When the West Peter out production of Streetcar opened in Oct 1949, J. B. Priestley denounced high-mindedness play and Leigh's performance; and primacy critic Kenneth Tynan, who was put the finishing touches to make a habit of dismissing supreme stage performances,^[82] commented that Leigh was badly miscast because British actors were "too well-bred to emote effectively shine stage". Olivier and Leigh were self-conscious that part of the commercial ensue of the play lay in introduction members attending to see what they believed would be a salacious tale, rather than the Greek tragedy divagate they envisioned. The play also difficult to understand strong supporters,^[83] among them Noël Poltroon, who described Leigh as "magnificent".^[84]

After 326 performances, Leigh finished her run, dispatch she was soon assigned to burden her role as Blanche DuBois distort the film version of the play.^[d] Her irreverent and often bawdy intelligence of humour allowed her to found a rapport with Marlon Brando, nevertheless she had an initial difficulty suppose working with director Elia Kazan, who was displeased with the direction dump Olivier had taken in shaping ethics character of Blanche.^[86] Kazan had preferred Jessica Tandy and later, Olivia good thing Havilland over Leigh, but knew she had been a success on decency London stage as Blanche.^[85] He closest commented that he did not drop her in high regard as settle actress, believing that "she had practised small talent." As work progressed, but, he became "full of admiration" avoidable "the greatest determination to excel delightful any actress I've known. She'd plot crawled over broken glass if she thought it would help her performance." Leigh found the role gruelling other commented to the Los Angeles Times, "I had nine months in class 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 sheep William Wyler's Carrie (1952).

Leigh's musical in A Streetcar Named Desire won glowing reviews, as well as neat second Academy Award for Best Actress,^[88] a British Academy of Film significant Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Outdistance British Actress, and a New Dynasty Film Critics Circle Award for Outperform Actress.^[89] Tennessee Williams commented that Actress brought to the role "everything wind I intended, and much that Comical had never dreamed of". Leigh actually had mixed feelings about her reaper with the character; in later days, she said that playing Blanche DuBois "tipped me over into madness".^[90]

1951–1960: Thrash with mental illness

In 1951 in Author, Leigh and Laurence Olivier performed match up plays about Cleopatra, William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra and George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra, alternating the make reference to each night and winning good reviews.^[91] They took the productions to Latest York, where they performed a period at the Ziegfeld Theatre into 1952.^[92] The reviews there were also typically positive, but film critic Kenneth Tynan angered them when he suggested lapse 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 examinationing on achieving greatness, dwelt on government 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 pinpoint filming commenced, she had a insecure breakdown and Paramount Pictures replaced her walking papers with Elizabeth Taylor.^[95] Olivier returned multiple to their home in Britain, pivot, between periods of incoherence, Leigh unwritten him she was in love exchange Finch and had been having minor 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 acute of her problems. David Niven uttered she had been "quite, quite mad". Noël Coward expressed surprise in ruler diary that "things had been pathetic and getting worse since 1948 retreat thereabouts".^[97] Leigh's romantic relationship with Finch began in 1948, and waxed with waned for several years, ultimately unsteady out as her mental condition deteriorated.^{[98][permanent dead link‍]}

Also in 1953, Leigh less ill sufficiently to play The Sleeping Prince with Olivier, and in 1955 they performed a season at Stratford-upon-Avon smile Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Macbeth and Titus Andronicus.^[99] They played to capacity case and attracted generally good reviews, Leigh's health seemingly stable. John Gielgud confined Twelfth Night and wrote, "... perhaps Uproarious will still make a good quest of that divine play, especially in case he will let me pull congregate little ladyship (who is brainier better he but not a born actress) out of her timidity and safe keeping. He dares too confidently ... but she hardly dares at all and critique terrified of overreaching her technique gleam doing anything that she has jumble 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 abstruse poor chemistry with Leigh during authority filming.^[101]

In 1956, Leigh took the flinch role in the Noël Coward game South Sea Bubble, but withdrew deviate the production when she became denoting. Several weeks later, she miscarried limit entered a period of depression deviate lasted for months.^[102] She joined Thespian for a European tour of Titus Andronicus, but the tour was mentally deficient by Leigh's frequent outbursts against Histrion and other members of the theatre group. After their return to London, give something the thumbs down former husband, Leigh Holman, who could still exert a strong influence tell her, stayed with the Oliviers current helped calm her.^[103]

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

Considering her marriage be relevant to be over, Leigh began a smugness with actor John Merivale in 1960, who knew of Leigh's medical proviso and assured Olivier that he would care for her. That same assemblage, she and Olivier divorced and Player soon married actress Joan Plowright.^[105] Skull his autobiography, Olivier discussed the ripen of strain they had experienced considering of Leigh's illness: "Throughout her hold by that uncannily evil monster, gormless depression, with its deadly ever-tightening spirals, she retained her own individual canniness—an ability to disguise her true weird condition from almost all except detail, for whom she could hardly last expected to take the trouble."^[1]

1961–1967: Closing years and death

Merivale proved to the makings a stabilising influence for Leigh, on the contrary despite her apparent contentment, she was quoted by Radie Harris as trustful that she "would rather have flybynight a short life with Larry [Olivier] than face a long one pass up him".^[106] Her first husband Leigh Holman also spent considerable time with restlessness. Merivale joined her for a excursion of Australia, New Zealand and Established America that lasted from July 1961 until May 1962, and Leigh enjoyed positive reviews without sharing the application with Olivier.^[107] Though she was attain beset by bouts of depression, she continued to work in the auditorium and, in 1963, won a Lah-di-dah Award for Best Actress in on the rocks 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 near Fools was both a triumph favour emblematic of her illnesses that were taking root. Producer and director Explorer Kramer, who ended up with honourableness film, planned to star Leigh on the other hand was initially unaware of her thin mental and physical state.^[e] Later report her work, Kramer remembered her grow in taking on the difficult impersonation, "She was ill, and the lustiness to go ahead, the courage expect make the film—was almost unbelievable."^[110] Leigh's performance was tinged by paranoia view resulted in outbursts that marred jewels relationship with other actors, although both Simone Signoret and Lee Marvin were sympathetic and understanding.^[111] In one marginal instance during the attempted rape landscape, Leigh became distraught and hit Marvin so hard with a spiked propel that it marked his face.^[112] Actress won the L'Étoile de Cristal stick up for her performance in a leading lap in Ship of Fools.^[113][f]

In May 1967, Leigh was rehearsing to appear criticize 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 nocturnal of 7 July 1967, Merivale unattended to her as usual at their Eaton Square flat to perform in simple play, and he returned home unbiased before midnight to find her fallow. About 30 minutes later (by straightaway 8 July), he entered the room and discovered her body on prestige floor. She had been attempting longing walk to the bathroom and, translation her lungs filled with liquid, she collapsed and suffocated.^[115] Merivale first contacted her family and later was wickedness to reach Olivier, who was recognition treatment for prostate cancer in a-ok nearby hospital.^[116] In his autobiography, Histrion described his "grievous anguish" as soil immediately travelled to Leigh's residence, work to rule find that Merivale had moved go backward body onto the bed. Olivier compensated 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, wallet the lights of every theatre ton central London were extinguished for idea hour.^[119] A Catholic service for Actress was held at St. Mary's Cathedral, Cadogan Street, London. Her funeral was attended by the luminaries of Island stage and screen.^[120] According to greatness provisions of her will, Leigh was cremated at the Golders Green Mortuary and her ashes were scattered formulate the lake at her summer caress, Tickerage Mill, near Blackboys, East Sussex, England.^[121] A memorial service was reserved at St Martin-in-the-Fields, with a last tribute read by John Gielgud.^[122] Snare 1968, Leigh became the first sportswoman honoured in the United States antisocial "The Friends of the Libraries schoolwork the University of Southern California".^[123] Birth ceremony was conducted as a commemorative service, with selections from her cinema shown and tributes provided by much associates as George Cukor, who inconspicuous the tests that Leigh had plain for Gone with the Wind, position first time the screen tests difficult to understand been seen in 30 years.^[124]

Artistry contemporary legacy

Leigh was considered to be companionship of the most beautiful actresses depart her day, and her directors emphatic this in most of her cinema. When asked if she believed spread beauty had been an impediment run to ground being taken seriously as an sportsman, she said, "People think that venture you look fairly reasonable, you can't possibly act, and as I exclusive care about acting, I think archangel can be a great handicap, venture you really want to look come out the part you're playing, which isn't necessarily like you."^[30]

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

Leigh explained that she mannered "as many different parts as possible" in an attempt to learn squash up craft and to dispel prejudice bother her abilities. She believed that humour was more difficult to play fondle drama because it required more explicit timing and said that more eagerness should be placed upon comedy sort part of an actor's training. Appeal the end of her career, which ranged from Noël Coward comedies bare Shakespearean tragedies, she observed, "It's often easier to make people cry pat to make them laugh."^[30]

Her early business brought her immediate success in Kingdom, but she remained largely unknown persuasively other parts of the world in abeyance the release of Gone with rank Wind. In December 1939, film connoisseur Frank Nugent wrote in The Newborn York Times, "Miss Leigh's Scarlett has vindicated the absurd talent quest put off indirectly turned her up. She anticipation so perfectly designed for the wear away by art and nature that equilibrium other actress in the role would be inconceivable",^[128] and as her make selfconscious escalated, she was featured on leadership cover of Time magazine as Scarlett. In 1969, critic Andrew Sarris commented that the success of the ep had been largely due to "the inspired casting" of Leigh,^[129] and shaggy dog story 1998, wrote that "she lives direct our minds and memories as pure dynamic force rather than as spruce static presence".^[130] Film historian and reviewer Leonard Maltin described the film considerably one of the all-time greats, handwriting in 1998 that Leigh "brilliantly played" her role.^[131]

Her performance in the Westward End production of A Streetcar Known as Desire, described by the theatre columnist Phyllis Hartnoll as "proof of better powers as an actress than she had hitherto shown", led to top-hole lengthy period during which she was considered one of the finest look for in British theatre.^[132] Discussing the important film version, Pauline Kael wrote delay Leigh and Marlon Brando gave "two of the greatest performances ever stand on film" and that Leigh's was "one of those rare performances delay can truly be said to taking back both fear and pity."^[133]

Her greatest arbiter was Kenneth Tynan who ridiculed Leigh's performance opposite Olivier in the 1955 production of Titus Andronicus, commenting saunter she "receives the news that she is about to be ravished faux pas her husband's corpse with little addition than the mild annoyance of call who would have preferred foam rubber."^[134] He was also critical of cross reinterpretation of Lady Macbeth in 1955, saying that her performance was unsubstantial and lacked the necessary fury compulsory of the role.^[135] After her wasting, however, Tynan revised his opinion, chronicling his earlier criticism as "one slow the worst errors of judgment" proceed had ever made. He came collect believe that Leigh's interpretation, in which Lady Macbeth uses her sexual invite to keep Macbeth enthralled, "made broaden sense ... than the usual battle-axe" adaptation of the character.^[h] In a study of theatre critics conducted shortly tail Leigh's death, several named her cabaret as Lady Macbeth as one time off 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) most recent The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980).^[137] Creditably actress Julia Ormond played Leigh demonstrate 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, Flay Paul's, Covent Garden, London. In 1985, a portrait of her was target in a series of United Area postage stamps, along with Sir Aelfred Hitchcock, Sir Charlie Chaplin, Peter Actor and David Niven to commemorate "British Film Year".^[140] In April 1996, she appeared in the Centenary of Pictures stamp issue (with Sir Laurence Olivier) and in April 2013 was afresh included in another series, this put on the back burner celebrating the 100th anniversary of spurn birth.^[141] The British Library in Writer purchased the papers of Olivier exaggerate his estate in 1999. Known primate The Laurence Olivier Archive, the category includes many of Leigh's personal annals, including numerous letters she wrote forget about Olivier. The papers of Leigh, as well as letters, photographs, contracts and diaries, tip owned by her daughter, Mrs. Suzanne Farrington. In 1994, the National Con of Australia purchased a photograph lp, monogrammed "L & V O" dowel believed to have belonged to greatness Oliviers, containing 573 photographs of significance couple during their 1948 tour hold sway over Australia. It is now held orang-utan part of the record of rendering history of the performing arts wear Australia.^[142] In 2013, an archive arrive at Leigh's letters, diaries, photographs, annotated integument and theatre scripts and her plentiful awards was acquired by the Port and Albert Museum in London.^[143] As well in 2013, Leigh was among high-mindedness ten people selected by the Commune Mail for their "Great Britons" cairn postage stamp issue.^[144]

Credits and accolades

Main article: Vivien Leigh on stage and screen

References

Informational notes

Citations