Laurence Olivier

Laurence Olivier
Allan warren · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Laurence Olivier
Caption	Olivier in 1973
Birth date	22 May 1907
Birth place	Dorking, Surrey, England
Death date	11 July 1989
Death place	Steyning, West Sussex, England
Occupation	Actor, director, producer
Spouse	Jill Esmond (1930–1940), Vivien Leigh (1940–1960), Joan Plowright (1961–1989)
Children	3, including Richard Olivier
Awards	Academy Awards, BAFTAs, Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Tony Awards

Laurence Olivier. A towering figure of 20th-century theatre and cinema, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of his generation. His career spanned over six decades, encompassing groundbreaking work on the London stage and in Hollywood, where he became a pioneering force in bringing Shakespearean drama to the screen. He served as the inaugural director of the Royal National Theatre and was celebrated for his intense, physically transformative performances.

Early life and education

Born in Dorking, Surrey, he was the youngest of three children to Agnes Louise and Gerard Kerr Olivier, a High Anglican clergyman. His early education was at All Saints Choir School in London and later at St Edward's School in Oxford. He first demonstrated a talent for performance in school productions, which led him to study at the Central School of Speech and Drama. His professional stage debut came in 1924 with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, a crucial training ground for many British actors of the era.

Stage career

He quickly established himself as a formidable presence in the West End and with the Old Vic company, where his interpretations of Shakespearean tragic heroes became legendary. His performances as Hamlet, Richard III, and Macbeth in the 1930s and 1940s were critically acclaimed. In 1963, he was appointed the first director of the newly formed Royal National Theatre, a position he held for a decade, directing and starring in productions of works by Chekhov, John Osborne, and Congreve. His final stage performance was in 1974's *The Party* at the National Theatre.

Film career

He achieved international film stardom with his portrayal of Heathcliff in the 1939 Hollywood production of *Wuthering Heights*, earning his first Academy Award nomination. He directed, produced, and starred in acclaimed film adaptations of *Henry V* (1944), *Hamlet* (1948), and *Richard III* (1955), for which he received numerous accolades including the Academy Award for Best Actor. Later notable film roles included the charismatic Archie Rice in *The Entertainer* (1960), the sinister Christian Szell in *Marathon Man* (1976), and a cameo as a Merchant Ivory veteran in *The Jazz Singer* (1980).

Directing and producing

Beyond his acting, he was a seminal director and producer for both stage and screen. His film adaptations of Shakespeare were noted for their innovative cinematic techniques and accessibility, helping to popularize the Bard for a mass audience. At the Royal National Theatre, he oversaw a vast repertoire and nurtured a generation of talent, including actors like Maggie Smith and Alan Bates. He also directed and produced for British television, including a celebrated series of Shakespeare plays for ITV in the 1980s.

Personal life and legacy

His personal life was often tumultuous and highly publicized. He was married three times: to actress Jill Esmond, to screen icon Vivien Leigh, and finally to actress Joan Plowright, with whom he spent the remainder of his life. He was knighted in 1947 and was created a life peer as Baron Olivier in 1970, the first actor to receive such an honour. He died of renal failure at his home near Steyning, West Sussex. His legacy is preserved through the Laurence Olivier Awards, Britain's premier theatre honours, and his extensive body of recorded performances.

Awards and honours

His mantle of awards is among the most distinguished in entertainment history. He won two Academy Awards (with ten nominations), five Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and two BAFTA awards. For his stage work, he received a special Tony Award in 1947 and was later honoured with the Kennedy Center Honors in 1978. In 1981, he was awarded the Japan Art Association's Praemium Imperiale. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in 1947 and made a member of the Order of Merit in 1981.

Category:1907 births Category:1989 deaths Category:English film directors Category:English male stage actors Category:Academy Award winners