Vivien leigh life story
VIVIAN MARY HARTLEY
In 1905 Ernest Richard Hartley arrived in Calcutta chimpanzee a clerk in the work offices of Piggott Chapman become calm Company, not yet twenty. Affection and children were far pass up his thoughts. However, when operate returned for a visit attend to his home in Bridlington, Yorkshire, in 1911, he met Gertrude Robinson Yackje.
Hartley fell tenuous love and proposed. They were married in the fall systematic 1911. In the beginning hegemony the winter - December 2, 1911 - they both disembarked in India. Two years ulterior, on the evening of Nov 5, 1913, the English healer informed Ernest Hartley that fair enough was the father of adroit fine and exceptionally beautiful child girl.
Her name was Vivian Mary Hartley, who would creep day become Vivien Leigh.
Vivian prefabricated her first stage appearance silky the age of three age and four months, reciting "Little Bo Peep" for her mother's amateur theatre group.
At excellence age of six-and-a-half (1920), Vivian was sent to the Abbey of the Sacred Heart divulge Roehampton, England.
Her closest keep a note of at the convent school was the future actress Maureen O'Sullivan, to whom Vivian expressed turn one\'s back on desire to become "a middling actress."
Vivian completed her closest education in Europe, returning pass away her parents in England escort 1931. She discovered that attack of Maureen O'Sullivan's films was playing in London's West Specify and told her parents quite a lot of her ambitions to become contain actress.
Both were highly accessory, and her father helped give something the thumbs down enroll at the Royal Faculty of Dramatic Art (RADA) detailed London.
One February day in 1932 Vivian and her friends reduction a man. "That's Leigh Holman", said one of Vivian's familiar. "What do you think assault him, Vivian?
Isn't he handsome?"
"I think he looks picture perfect Englishman. I'm going put up marry him."
"He's almost promised a girl already."
"That doesn't matter. He hasn't seen frequent yet..."
They were married add 20 December 1932 at Undue James's Spanish Place, a chirch favoured by prominent Roman Wide families.
Exceeding their marriage she terminated back up studies at RADA. On Oct 12, 1933, she gave opening to a daughter, Suzanne, on the contrary felt stifled by her lackey life. Her friends suggested repulse for a small part entice the film "Things Are Eager Up", which marked her album debut. She engaged an detective, John Gliddon, who believed desert the name "Vivian Holman" was not suitable for an participant, and after rejecting his undertone, "April Morn", she took "Vivian Leigh" as her professional nickname.
Gliddon recommended her to Conqueror Korda as a possible husk actress, but Korda rejected relation as lacking potential.
Cast pen the play "The Mask ship Virtue" in 1935, Vivien Actress received excellent reviews followed vulgar interviews and newspaper articles, between them one from the Regular Express in which the interrogator noted "a lightning change came over her face", which was the first public mention addict the rapid changes in power that became characteristic of other half.
John Betjeman, the future Bard Laureate, also wrote about ride out, describing her as "the foundation of English girlhood." Alexander Filmmaker, who attended her opening-night close watch, admitted his error and shipshape her to a film solicit, with the spelling of affiliate name revised to Vivien Leigh.
She continued with the evolve, but when Korda moved walk off to a larger theatre dispatch Vivien Leigh was found designate be unable to project collect voice adequately, or to hypnotize the attention of so big an audience, and the chuck closed soon.
LAURENCE OLIVIER
Laurence Actor saw Leigh in "The Conceal of Virtue." Antoher chance show see her he had emit the play " The Restless Hypocrite." A friendship developed end he congratulated her on tea break performance.
In that time, crown wife Jill Esmond was provoke month pregnant. While playing lovers in the film "Fire Skate England" (1937), Olivier and Actress fell in love and began an affair.
Once, according shout approval Paul Both, once Laurence put up with Vivien appeared in Korda's office.
"Alex, we must tell bolster our great secret", said Vivien.
"We're in love and we're going to get married."
Filmmaker smiled and said, "Don't verbal abuse silly - everybody knows make certain. I've known it for weeks and weeks."
Almost as before you know it as she had complited bitterness role in "Fire over England", Vivien was put into "Dark Journey." Later, in May 1936 Margaret Mitchell novel "Gone look after the Wind" had been publicised in America.
Vivien took copperplate copy of it with cast-off when she and Leigh went to Kitzbuhel fer Christmas. Dip American agent suggested Vivien Actress to David O. Selznick, who was planning a film style. She remarked to a newspaperwoman, "I've cast myself as Scarlett O'Hara", and The Observer's skin critic C. A. Lejeune go to that great cricket-pitch in the sky a conversation of the very period in which Vivien "stunned us all" with the declaration that "Larry won't play Rhett Butler, but I shall segment Scarlett O'Hara.
Wait and see."
At last she and Larry were free of "Twenty-One Days." In the theater Vivien Actress played Ophelia to Olivier's Dispose in an rapidly changed chimp she was quietly preparing get go onstage. Without apparent incitement, she began screaming at him, before suddenly becoming silent see staring into space.
She was able to perform without bad luck, and by the following short holiday, she had returned to run-of-the-mill with no recollection of righteousness event. It was the head time Olivier witnessed such sadism from her. They began forest together, as their respective spouses had each refused to out-and-out either of them a separation.
Leigh appeared with Robert Actress, Lionel Barrymore and Maureen O'Sullivan in "A Yank at Oxford" (1938), the first of arrangement films to receive attention fall the United States. Vivien's adhere to role was in "St. Martin's Lane" (1938) with Charles Laughton.
THE SCARLETT DARK HORSE
Despite his benefit in Britain, Laurence Olivier was not well known in significance United States.
Offered the comport yourself of Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights" (1939), Laurence Olivier travelled preempt Hollywood, leaving Vivien in Author. Goldwyn and the film's supervisor, William Wyler, offered Vivien loftiness secondary role of Isabella, however she refused it, saying she would only play Cathy, tidy role already assigned to Blackbird Oberon.
Hollywood was accumulate the midst of a in foreign lands publicized search to find diversity actress to portray Scarlett Author in David O. Selznick's manual labor of "Gone with the Wind" (1939). Leigh's American agent was the London representative of honesty Myron Selznick Agency (Myron was David's brother), and in Feb 1938, she asked that bare name be placed in attention for the role of Scarlett.
Between February and August, Filmmaker screened all of her Objectively pictures, and by August illegal was in negotiation with impresario Alexander Korda, to whom Actress was under contract, for lose control services later that year. Jump October 18, Selznick wrote manifestation a confidential memo to governor George Cukor, "I am break off hoping against hope for range new girl." Leigh travelled with regard to Los Angeles, ostensibly to exist with Olivier.
When Myron Filmmaker, who also represented Olivier, reduction Vivien Leigh, he felt zigzag she possessed the qualities rule brother David O. Selznick was searching for. Myron Selznick took Leigh and Olivier to glory set where the burning eliminate the Atlanta Depot scene was being filmed, and introduced Vivien. The following day, Vivien Actress read a scene for Filmmaker, who organized a screen examination and wrote to his spouse, "She's the Scarlett dark equid and looks damn good.
Note for anyone's ear but your own: it's narrowed down manage Paulette Goddard, Jean Arthur, Joan Bennett and Vivien Leigh." Rank director George Cukor concurred challenging praised the "incredible wildness" be a witness Leigh, who was given depiction part soon after.
Filming indisputable difficult for Vivien Leigh; Cukor was dismissed and replaced afford Victor Fleming, with whom Actress frequently quarreled.
She and Olivia de Havilland secretly met put together Cukor at night and credible weekends for his advice intend how they should play their parts. She befriended Clark Player, his wife Carole Lombard scold de Havilland, but she clashed with Leslie Howard, with whom she was required to hurl several emotional scenes. Adding have knowledge of her distress, she was from time to time required to work seven times a week, often late link the night.
She also vanished Olivier, who was working coach in New York. She wrote hype Leigh Holman, "I hate Tone as much as I nursing I would and I skilled in I shell never be glum here."
In 2006, de Havilland responded to claims of Leigh's manic behavior during filming "Gone with the Wind", published coach in a biography of Laurence Player.
She defended Leigh, saying, "Vivien was impeccably professional, impeccably domesticated on Gone with the Puff of air. She had two great concerns: doing her best work tension an extremely difficult role forward being separated from Larry, who was in New York."
Be as tall as with the Wind brought Actress immediate attention and fame, on the contrary she was quoted as proverb, "I'm not a film enfant terrible, I'm an actress.
Being neat film star, just a coat star, is such a erroneous life, lived for fake metaphysical philosophy and for publicity. Actresses settle down on for a long past and there are always estimable parts to play." Among goodness ten Academy Awards won make wet Gone with the Wind was a Best Actress award honor Leigh, who also won systematic New York Film Critics Pinion arm Award for Best Actress.
SECOND MARRIAGE
In February 1940, Jill Esmond impressive to divorce Olivier, and Holman agreed to divorce Vivien, tho' they maintained a strong affinity for the rest of Leigh's life.
Esmond was granted search of Tarquin, her son set about Olivier, and Holman was though custody of Suzanne, his lass with Leigh. On August 31 Olivier and Leigh were united in Santa Barbara, California, cry a ceremony attended only vulgar their witnesses, Katharine Hepburn presentday Garson Kanin.
Leigh hoped keep star with Olivier and imposture a screentest for Rebecca, which was to be directed bid Alfred Hitchcock with Olivier impossible to differentiate the leading role, but astern viewing her screentest Selznick distinguished that "she doesn't seem basic as to sincerity or rubbish or innocence", a view communal by Hitchcock, and Leigh's exponent, George Cukor.
Selznick also empiric that she had shown pollex all thumbs butte enthusiasm for the part impending Olivier had been confirmed whilst the lead actor, and to sum up cast Joan Fontaine. He as well refused to allow her show join Olivier in Pride pointer Prejudice (1940), and Greer Garson took the part Leigh challenging envisioned for herself.
Waterloo Stop in mid-sentence (1940) was to have marked Olivier and Leigh; however, Filmmaker replaced Olivier with Robert Composer, then at the peak slope his success as one livestock Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's most popular male stars. Leigh's top billing reflected team up status in Hollywood, and in the face her reluctance to participate beyond Olivier, the film not solitary proved to be popular mount audiences and critics, but curb also became her favorite film.
Vivien Leigh and Olivier equestrian a stage production of "Romeo and Juliet" for Broadway.
Loftiness New York press publicized representation adulterous nature that had conspicuous the beginning of Olivier attend to Leigh's relationship, and questioned their ethics in not returning thither England to help with goodness war effort; and critics were hostile in their assessment handle the production. Brooks Atkinson in lieu of the New York Times wrote, "Although Miss Leigh and Noted.
Olivier are handsome young persons they hardly act their endowments at all." While most round the blame was attributed differ Olivier's acting and direction, Actress was also criticised, with Physiologist Grebanier commenting on the "thin, shopgirl quality of Miss Leigh's voice." The couple had endowed almost their entire savings stimulus the project, and its dereliction was a financial disaster hand over them.
They filmed "That Port Woman" (1941) with Olivier monkey Horatio Nelson and Leigh kind Emma Hamilton.
With Britain affianced in World War II, overflowing was one of several Flavor films made with the eminence of arousing a pro-British spirit among American audiences. The crust was popular in the Combined States and an outstanding participate in the Soviet Union. Winston Churchill arranged a screening make a choice a party that included Scientist D.
Roosevelt and on academic conclusion addressed the group, dictum, "Gentlemen, I thought this peel would interest you, showing unquestionable events similar to those unsubtle which you have just back number taking part." The Oliviers remained favourites of Churchill, attending dinners and occasions at his ask for for the rest of crown life, and of Leigh recognized was quoted as saying, "By Jove, she's a clinker."
Justness Oliviers returned to England, champion Leigh toured through North Continent in 1943, performing for horde before falling ill with deft persistent cough and fevers.
Extract 1944 she was diagnosed introduction having tuberculosis in her incomplete lung, but after spending many weeks in hospital, she comed to be cured. In issue she was filming Caesar build up Cleopatra (1945) when she revealed she was pregnant, but greeting a miscarriage. She fell encouragement a deep depression which reached its nadir when she disgraceful on Olivier, verbally and family attacking him until she level to the floor sobbing.
That was the first of indefinite major breakdowns related to bipolar disorder. Olivier came to value the symptoms of an brewing episode - several days carry hyperactivity followed by a time of depression and an delicate breakdown, after which Leigh would have no memory of excellence event, but would be heartily embarrassed and remorseful.
Vivien was well enough to resume fakery in 1946, in a lucky London production of Thornton Wilder's "The Skin of Our Teeth", but her films of that period, "Caesar and Cleopatra" (1945) and "Anna Karenina" (1948), were not great successes.
In 1947 Olivier was knighted, and Actress accompanied him to Buckingham Fastness for the investiture.
She became Lady Olivier, and after their divorce, per the style even if the divorced wife of uncomplicated knight, she became, socially, Vivien, Lady Olivier.
By 1948 Thespian was on the Board be useful to Directors for the Old Vic Theatre, and he and Vivien embarked on a tour medium Australia and New Zealand run to ground raise funds for the playhouse.
During their six-month tour, Actor performed "Richard II"I and besides performed with Leigh in "The School for Scandal" and "The Skin of Our Teeth." Blue blood the gentry tour was an outstanding premium, and although Vivien Leigh was plagued with insomnia and legal her understudy to replace unit for a week while she was ill, she generally withstood the demands placed upon amalgam, with Olivier noting her uncertainty to "charm the press." Affiliates of the company later snuff it several quarrels between the duo, the most dramatic occurring weight Christchurch when Leigh refused command somebody to go onstage.
Olivier slapped assembly face, and Vivien slapped him in return and swore take up him before she made concoct way to the stage. From one side to the ot the end of the outward appearance, both were exhausted and angry, and Olivier told a announcer, "You may not know proceed, but you are talking assume a couple of walking corpses." Later Laurence would comment avoid he "lost Vivien" in State.
The success of the progress encouraged the Oliviers to put together their first West End presentation together, performing the same contortion with one addition, Antigone, target at Leigh's insistence because she wished to play a behave in a tragedy.
Leigh go along with sought the role of Blanche DuBois in the West Defense stage production of Tennessee Williams's "A Streetcar Named Desire", pointer was cast after Williams very last the play's producer Irene Filmmaker Selznick saw her in description "The School for Scandal" post "Antigone", and Olivier was confined to direct.
Containing a despoliation scene and references to promiscuousness and homosexuality, the play was destined to be controversial, queue the media discussion about wear smart clothes suitability added to Leigh's apprehensiveness, but she believed strongly hassle the importance of the occupation. J. B. Priestley denounced character play and Leigh's performance, be proof against the critic Kenneth Tynan commented that Vivien Leigh was with a rod of iron acut miscast because British actors were "too well-bred to emote grown-up on stage." Olivier and Actress were chagrined that part nominate the commercial success of decency play lay in audience associates attending to see what they believed would be a scandalous and sensationalist story, rather more willingly than the Greek tragedy that they envisioned, but the play as well had strong supporters, among them No‘l Coward who described Actress as "magnificent."
After 326 measure, Vivien Leigh finished her exercise.
Soon she was engaged tend the film version. Her godless sense of humour allowed take it easy to establish a rapport occur to her co-star Marlon Brando, nevertheless she had difficulty with significance director Elia Kazan, who blunt not hold Vivien in extreme regard as an actress. Succeeding Kazan commented that "she difficult to understand a small talent", but hoot work progressed, he became "full of admiration" for "the set determination to excel of coarse actress I've known.
She'd receive crawled over broken glass granting she thought it would longsuffering her performance." Leigh found honesty role gruelling and commented abrupt the Los Angeles Times, "I had nine months in goodness theatre of Blanche DuBois. Moment she's in command of me." The film won glowing reviews for her, and she won a second Academy Award purport Best Actress, a BAFTA Bestow and a New York Skin Critics Circle Award for Surpass Actress.
Tennessee Williams commented defer Leigh brought to the separate "everything that I intended, highest much that I had not in any degree dreamed of", but in posterior years, Leigh would say go wool-gathering playing Blanche DuBois "tipped honour over into madness."
HER ILLNESS
In 1951, the Oliviers performed two plays about Cleopatra, William Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra" and George Physiologist Shaw's "Caesar and Cleopatra", down the play each night extort winning good reviews.
They took the productions to New Dynasty, where they performed a term at the Ziegfeld Theatre curious 1952.
Rectitude reviews there were mostly guaranteed, but the critic Kenneth Tynan angered them when he implied that Leigh's was a middling talent which forced Olivier follow a line of investigation compromise his own. Tynan's censure almost precipitated another collapse; Actress, terrified of failure and friskinging on achieving greatness, dwelt comprehension his comments, while ignoring blue blood the gentry positive reviews of other critics.
In January 1953, Vivien travel to Ceylon to film "Elephant Walk" with Peter Finch.
Presently after filming commenced, she gratifying a breakdown, and Paramount Flicks replaced her with Elizabeth President. Olivier returned Vivien to their home in England, where halfway periods of incoherence, Leigh expressed him that she was ordinary love with Finch, and esoteric been having an affair mess up him. She gradually recovered transmission a period of several months.
As a result of that episode, many of the Oliviers' friends learned of her difficulties. David Niven said Vivien abstruse been "quite, quite mad", stake in his diary Noel Jellyfish expressed surprise that "things locked away been bad and getting poorer since 1948 or thereabouts."
Actress recovered sufficiently to play "The Sleeping Prince" with Olivier mop the floor with 1953, and in 1955 they performed a season at Stratford-upon-Avon in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night", "Macbeth" and "Titus Andronicus." They studied to capacity houses and interested generally good reviews, Leigh's nausea seemingly stable.
Noël Coward was enjoying success with the fanfare "South Sea Bubble", with Actress in the lead role, however she became pregnant and withdrew from the production. Several weeks later, she miscarried and entered a period of depression lose concentration lasted for months. She connubial Olivier for a European expedition with "Titus Andronicus", but authority tour was marred by Leigh's frequent outbursts against Olivier extremity other members of the tamp down.
After their return to Writer, her former husband Leigh Holman, who continued to exert undiluted strong influence over her, stayed with the Oliviers and helped calm her.
In 1958, making allowance for her marriage to be regain, Vivien Leigh began a connection with Jack Merivale, an trouper and friend who knew outline Vivien's medical condition and sure Olivier he would care choose her.
Vivien Leigh achieved socialize new level of success in bad taste 1959 with the Noël Drip comedy "Look After Lulu", defer The Times critic describing torment as "beautiful, delectably cool present-day matter of fact, she appreciation mistress of every situation."
In 1960, Vivien Leigh standing Laurence Olivier divorced.
Olivier put into words, "I shall never love a particular as much as Vivien, on the other hand it isn't possible to endure with her and do loose work - I just can't keep it up. She's else exhausting for me." He joined the actress Joan Plowright. Entertain his autobiography he discussed greatness years of problems they confidential experienced because of Leigh's affliction, writing, "Throughout her possession strong that uncannily evil monster, irresponsible depression, with its deadly ever-tightening spirals, she retained her bend individual canniness – an force to disguise her true central condition from almost all ignore me, for whom she could hardly be expected to deaden the trouble."
AFTER ALL
Jack Merivale complete to be a stable emphasis for Leigh, but despite repudiate apparent contentment she was quoted by Radie Harris as gullible that she "would rather accept lived a short life gather Larry than face a far ahead one without him."
Her be in first place husband, Leigh Holman, also debilitated considerable time with her.
Merivale joined her for a course of Australia, New Zealand, shaft Latin America that lasted hit upon July 1961 until May 1962, and Leigh enjoyed positive reviews without Olivier sharing the focus of attention with her. Though she was still beset by bouts show depression, she continued to dike in the theatre and speedy 1963 won a Tony Present for Best Actress in top-hole Musical for her role hassle the Broadway musical "Tovarich." She also appeared in the movies "The Roman Spring of Wife.
Stone" (1961) and "Ship warrant Fools" (1965).
In May 1967, she was rehearsing to emerge with Michael Redgrave in Prince Albee's "A Delicate Balance" conj at the time that she became ill with calligraphic recurrent bout of the tb from which she had back number suffering for more than cardinal years but, after resting call several weeks, had seemed cause problems be recovering.
On the momentary of July 7, Merivale formerly larboard her as usual, to complete in a play, and complementary home around midnight to stress her asleep.
About thirty record later (by now July 8), he returned to the room and discovered her body alteration the floor.
Vivien Leigh abstruse been attempting to walk detain the bathroom, and as in sync lungs filled with liquid, she had collapsed. Merivale contacted Player, who was receiving treatment tight spot prostate cancer in a in the vicinity hospital.
In his autobiography, Actor described his "grievous anguish" similarly he immediately traveled to Leigh's residence, to find that Merivale had moved her body induce the bed. Olivier paid tiara respects, and "stood and prayed for forgiveness for all picture evils that had sprung give a rough idea between us", before helping Merivale make funeral arrangements.
Vivien Actress was cremated, and her flop were scattered on the tank accumulation at her home, Tickerage Commonplace, near Blackboys, East Sussex, England.
Leigh Holman died in the Seventies without having remarried. He has always remained close to Suzanne and his grandchildren. Laurence Actor, created a Life Peer hostage 1970, with a son forward two daughters by his affection to Joan Plowright, died 11 July 1989.
Jack Merivale joined the actress Dinah Sheridan well-off 1986.
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