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Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (22 May 1907–11 July 1989) was an Academy Award winning English actor, Academy Award nominated director, and an Academy Award winning producer. He was regarded by many critics as the greatest actor of the 20th century. His career stretched over several decades, prolific both on stage and in film. In both media, he played a wide variety of roles, from Othello to a Nazi dentist (in Marathon Man).
A High Church clergyman's son who found fame on the West End stage, Olivier became determined to master Shakespeare, and in turn he became one of the foremost interpreters of the bard in the 20th century. In later years, Olivier became torn by guilt over having left his second wife Vivien Leigh, and so he immersed himself in his work.Terry Coleman, Olivier (Henry Holt and Co., 2005; ISBN 0805075364) Olivier played over 120 stage roles, including: Macbeth, Romeo, Hamlet, Othello, Uncle Vanya, and Archie Rice. He appeared in nearly sixty films, including William Wyler's Wuthering Heights, Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca, and his own Hamlet.
Though he would eventually become a Life Peer and one of the most respected personalities in the industry, Olivier insisted that one should address him as "Larry", and he simply would not listen to anyone addressing him with honorifics such as "Lord", and "Sir".
Early life
Olivier was born in 1907 in Dorking, Surrey. He was raised in a severe, strict, and religious household, ruled over by his father, Gerard Kerr Olivier, an Anglican priest. Young Laurence took solace in the care of his mother, Agnes, and was grief-stricken when she died (at 48) when he was only 12.Coleman, Olivier, 13 He was educated at St Edward's School, Oxford, and, at 15, played Katherine in his school's production of The Taming of the Shrew. It was his father who decided that Laurence — or "Kim" as the family called him — would become an actor.Coleman, Olivier, 21.
Early career
Olivier then attended the Central School of Dramatic Art at the age of 17.James Agee, "Masterpiece"; James Agee: Film Writing and Selected Journalism (New York: Library of America, 2005; ISBN 1-931082-82-0), pp. 412–20. A review of Henry V, first published in Time (8 April 1946) and from there reprinted within Agee on Film, which is reprinted in toto within the newer book. The second part of this article is reproduced as Laurence Olivier Biography. In 1926, he joined The Birmingham Repertory company.A short summary of Olivier's life, found on his official site, laurenceolivier.com At first he was only given paltry tasks at the theatre, such as being the bell-ringer; however, his roles eventually became more significant, and in 1937 he was playing roles such as Hamlet and Macbeth.
Olivier met and married Jill Esmond in 1930 and had one son, Tarquin, born in 1936.
He made his film debut in The Temporary Widow, and played his first leading role on film in The Yellow Ticket; however, he held film in little regard. His stage breakthroughs were in Noel Coward's Private Lives in 1930, and in Romeo and Juliet in 1935, alternating the roles of Romeo and Mercutio with John Gielgud. Olivier disliked Gielgud, and was irritated by the fact that Gielgud was getting better reviews than he was.Coleman, Olivier, 64, 65 He continued to hold his scorn for film, and though he constantly worked for Alexander Korda, he still felt most at home on the stage. He made his first Shakespeare film, As You Like It with Paul Czinner, however, Olivier disliked it, thinking that Shakespeare did not work well on film. Olivier then saw The Mask of Virtue, and one thing in particular interested him about it: Vivien Leigh.
Vivien Leigh
Olivier congratulated Leigh on her performance, and a friendship began. Olivier took her to lunch one day, and the friendship developed.Coleman, Olivier, 76, and Chapter 7 in general Alexander Korda cast the two as leads in Fire Over England, and when the film was finished, the two began an affair. They appeared in two other films together, 21 Days, and Korda's epic, That Hamilton Woman, with Olivier as Lord Nelson. They wanted to marry, but both Leigh's husband and Olivier's wife at the time, Jill Esmond, at first, refused to divorce them. Finally divorced, they married on 31 August 1940, at the San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, California, with Katharine Hepburn as maid of honour.
Olivier and Leigh planned to star in a run of Romeo and Juliet in New York. It was an extravagant production, and was a commercial failure.Coleman, Olivier, 133 However, back in England, Olivier became the co-manager of the Old Vic Theatre, along with his good friend Ralph Richardson, and John Burrell.
Wuthering Heights
Olivier continued to hold his contempt for films, claiming they were "just a quick way to earn money." He got his break in Hollywood when cast as Heathcliff in Samuel Goldwyn's production of Wuthering Heights. Director William Wyler disagreed with Olivier on many things regarding his performance, and forced Olivier to alter his style. Olivier later admitted that this was for the better, and his performance in the film earned him his first Oscar nomination. But he was still unhappy and still felt most at home on the stage. This success led to more leading roles for Olivier, including Maxim de Winter in Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca, and Mr. Darcy in MGM's Pride and Prejudice.
War
Olivier intended to join the Air Force, but was still contractually obliged to other parties. He apparently held in contempt actors such as Charles Laughton and Sir Cedric Hardwicke, who would hold charity cricket matches to help the war effort.Coleman, Olivier, 142 Olivier took flying lessons, and racked up over 200 hours. After two years service, he became a Lieutenant in the Fleet Air Arm, but never saw combat.
When Olivier returned to London, and to the stage, the populace noticed a change in him. Olivier's only explanation was: "Maybe it's just that I've got older."
Henry V
Olivier made his directorial debut with a film of Shakespeare's Henry V. At first, he did not believe he was up to the task, instead trying to offer it to William Wyler, Carol Reed, and Terence Young. The result, however, was an astounding success. It was the first widely successful Shakespeare film, and was considered a work of art by some. The film received Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Actor, but the Academy, in Olivier's opinion, did not feel comfortable in giving out all of their major awards to a foreigner, so they gave him a special Honorary Award. Olivier disregarded the award as a "fob-off".Coleman, Olivier, 169
Hamlet
Olivier followed up on his success with an adaptation of Hamlet. He had played this role more often, than he had Henry, and was more at home with the melancholy dane. The film was another resounding critical and commercial success both in Britain and abroad, and won Olivier the Best Picture and Best Actor awards at the 1948 Academy Awards. This was the first British film to win Best Picture, and the only time that Olivier would win Best Actor, a category he would be nominated in five more times before his death. Olivier also became the first person to direct himself in an Oscar-winning performance, a feat not repeated until Roberto Benigni directed himself to Best Actor in 1999 for Life is Beautiful. Also, Olivier is still today the only actor ever to receive an Oscar for 'acting' Shakespeare. The running time of Hamlet (1948) was not allowed to exceed two hours, and as a result Olivier cut almost half of Shakespeare's text, and was severely criticized for doing so by purists, although it won and has continued to attract popular acclaim.
Richard III
Olivier's third major Shakespeare project as director and star was as Richard III. Alexander Korda initially approached Olivier to reprise on film the role he had played to acclaim at the Old Vic in the 1940s. Although the film was critically well received, it was a financial failure.
The Entertainer
Since the end of World War II, apart from his Shakespeare trilogy, Olivier had made only sporadic film appearances. Towards the end of the 1950s, British theatre was changing with the rise of the "Angry Young Men". John Osborne, author of Look Back in Anger wrote a play for Olivier titled The Entertainer, centred on a washed-up stage comedian called Archie Rice. As Olivier later stated, "I am Archie Rice. I am not Hamlet." During rehearsals of The Entertainer, Olivier met Joan Plowright. Laurence Olivier @ Classic Movie Favourites He left Vivien Leigh for Plowright, a decision that apparently gave him a sense of guilt for the rest of his life. Olivier married Plowright on St. Patrick's Day, 1961. Leigh died in 1967.
The National Theatre
Olivier was one of the founders of the National Theatre. He became the founding director; however, his career at the National ended, in his view, in betrayal, and tragedy.Coleman, Olivier
Later career
Olivier had left his romantic screen persona and became a character actor, appearing more frequently in films. He was unrecognisable as Othello in the film adaptation of the National Theatre play. After being gradually forced out of his role as director of the Royal National Theatre, Olivier became concerned that he had not done enough to provide for his family after he died. As a result between 1973 and 1986 when his health gave out he did many films and TV specials on a "pay cheque" basis on the condition that he would not have to promote the film on release. Some of these later films he even despised, such as the notorious flop Inchon.
In 1967 Olivier underwent radiation treatment for prostate cancer, and was also hospitalised with pneumonia. For the remainder of his life, he would suffer from many different health problems, including bronchitis, amnesia and pleurisy. In 1974 he was diagnosed with a degenerative muscle disorder, and nearly died in the following year, but he battled through the next decade, earning money in case of financial disaster.
When presenting the Oscars, in 1985, he infamously presented the Best Picture winner of the year, by simply stepping up to the microphone and saying "Amadeus". He had grown forgetful at this late age, and he had forgotten to read out the nominees first.Coleman, Olivier, 482
He died in Steyning, West Sussex, England, from cancer in 1989, at the age of 82. Lord Olivier is interred in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey, London, only the second actor (the first was David Garrick) to be accorded that honour.
Bisexuality claims
Joan Plowright said: referring to biographer Donald Spoto's claim that Kaye and Olivier were lovers. Donald Spoto, Laurence Olivier (Cooper Square Press; ISBN 0060183152) There are also claims that he was intimate with playwright Noel Coward. Terry Coleman's authorised biography of Olivier suggests a relationship between Olivier and an older actor, Henry Ainley, based on correspondence from Ainley to Olivier, although Olivier's son Tarquin disputed the interpretations of both his father's affairs with Kaye and Ainley as 'unforgivable garbage'.
Honours
Olivier was the founding director of the Chichester Festival Theatre (1962–1966) and of the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain (1962–1973) for which he received his life peerage.
He was knighted in 1947, and created a life peer in 1970 (the first actor to be accorded this distinction) as Baron Olivier, of Brighton in the County of Sussex. He was admitted to the Order of Merit in 1981. The Laurence Olivier Awards, organised by The Society of London Theatre, were renamed in his honour in 1984.
Fifteen years after his death, Olivier once again received star billing in a movie. Through the use of computer graphics, footage of him as a young man was integrated into the 2004 film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow in which Olivier "played" the villain.
Awards
Other Awards
See also
For a complete list of Olivier's stage and screen appearances, see Laurence Olivier chronology of stage and film performances
Notes
Further reading
- Coleman, Terry (2005). Olivier: The authorised biography. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747577986.
- Olivier, Laurence (1987). Confessions of an Actor. Sceptre. ISBN 0340407581
External links
- Laurence Olivier.com
- Olivier Entry Page
- Classic Movies (1939 - 1969): Laurence Olivier
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