Wikipedia

Vivien Leigh

Vivien Leigh(/liː/LEE;bornVivian Mary Hartley;5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967), styled asLady Olivierafter 1947, was a British actress. She won theAcademy Award for Best Actresstwice, for her performances asScarlett O'HarainGone with the Wind(1939) andBlanche DuBoisin the film version ofA Streetcar Named Desire(1951), a role she had also played on stage in London'sWest Endin 1949. She also won aTony Awardfor her work in theBroadwaymusical version ofTovarich(1963). Although her career had periods of inactivity, in 1999 theAmerican Film Instituteranked Leigh as the16th-greatest female movie starof classic Hollywood cinema.

Vivien Leigh
Leigh inGone with the Wind(1939)
Born
Vivian Mary Hartley

(1913-11-05)5 November 1913
Darjeeling,Bengal Presidency,British India
Died8 July 1967(1967-07-08)(aged 53)
Belgravia,London, England
OccupationActress
Years active1935–1967
Title
  • Lady Olivier (1947–1960)
  • Vivien, Lady Olivier (1960–1967)
Spouses
  • Herbert Leigh Holman
    ​
    ​
    (m.1932;div.1940)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m.1940;div.1960)​
PartnerJohn Merivale(1960–1967)
ChildrenSuzanne Farrington
RelativesGerald Fielding(first cousin)
Xan Fielding(first cousin once removed)
Signature

After completing her drama school education, Leigh appeared in small roles in four films in 1935 and progressed to the role of heroine inFire Over England(1937). Lauded for her beauty, Leigh felt that her physical attributes sometimes prevented her from being taken seriously as an actress. Despite her fame as a screen actress, Leigh was primarily a stage performer. During her 30-year career, she played roles ranging from the heroines ofNoël CowardandGeorge Bernard Shawcomedies to classicShakespeareancharacters such asOphelia,Cleopatra,JulietandLady Macbeth.Later in life, she performed as acharacter actressin a few films.

At the time, the public strongly identified Leigh with her second husband,Laurence Olivier,who was her spouse from 1940 to 1960. Leigh and Olivier starred together in many stage productions, with Olivier often directing, and in three films. She earned a reputation for being difficult to work with, and for much of her life she hadbipolar disorder,as well as recurrent bouts of chronictuberculosis,which was first diagnosed in the mid-1940s and ultimately led to her death at age 53.[1]

Life and career

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1913–1934: Early life and acting debut

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Leigh was born Vivian Mary Hartley[2]on 5 November 1913 inBritish Indiaon the campus ofSt. Paul's SchoolinDarjeeling,Bengal Presidency.She was the only child of Ernest Richard Hartley, a British broker, and his wife, Gertrude Mary Frances (née Yackjee; she also used her mother's maiden name of Robinson).[3]Her father was born inScotlandin 1882, while her mother, a devoutCatholic,was born in Darjeeling in 1888 and might have been of Irish,Parsi Indian,andArmenianancestry.[4][5][6]Gertrude's parents, who lived in India, were Michael John Yackjee, an Anglo-Indian man of independent means, and Mary Teresa Robinson, who was born to anIrish familykilled during theIndian Rebellion of 1857and 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 and Gertrude Hartley were married in 1912 inKensington,London.[7]

In 1917, Ernest Hartley was transferred toBangaloreas an officer in theIndian Cavalry,while Gertrude and Vivian stayed inOotacamund.[8]At the age of three, Vivian made her first stage appearance for her mother's amateur theatre group, reciting "Little Bo Peep".[9]Gertrude Hartley tried to instill an appreciation of literature in her daughter and introduced her to the works ofHans Christian Andersen,Lewis CarrollandRudyard Kipling,as well as stories ofGreek mythologyandIndian folklore.[10]At the age of six, Vivian was sent by her mother fromLoreto Convent, Darjeeling,to the Convent of the Sacred Heart (nowWoldingham School) then situated inRoehampton,south-west London.[11]One of her friends there was future actressMaureen O'Sullivan,two years her senior, to whom Vivian expressed her desire to become "a great actress".[12][13]She was removed from the school by her father, and travelling with her parents for four years, she attended schools in Europe, notably inDinard(Brittany, France),Biarritz(France), the Sacred Heart in San Remo on the Italian Riviera, and in Paris, becoming fluent in both French and Italian.[14]The family returned to Britain in 1931. She attendedA Connecticut Yankee,one of O'Sullivan's films playing inLondon's West End,and told her parents of her ambitions to become an actress. Shortly after, her father enrolled Vivian at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art(RADA) in London.[15]

Vivian met Herbert Leigh Holman, known as Leigh Holman, a barrister 13 years her senior, in 1931.[16]Despite his disapproval of "theatrical people", they married on 20 December 1932 and she terminated her studies at RADA, her attendance and interest in acting having already waned after meeting Holman.[17]On 12 October 1933 in London, she gave birth to a daughter, Suzanne, laterSuzanne Farrington.[18][a]

1935–1939: Early career and Laurence Olivier

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Leigh's friends suggested she take a minor role as a schoolgirl in the filmThings Are Looking Up,which was her film debut, albeit uncredited as an extra.[21]She engaged an agent, John Gliddon, who believed that "Vivian Holman" was not a suitable name for an actress. After rejecting his many suggestions, she took "Vivian Leigh" as her professional name.[22][b]Gliddon recommended her toAlexander Kordaas a possible film actress, but Korda rejected her as lacking potential.[24]She was cast in the playThe Mask of Virtue,directed bySydney Carrollin 1935, and received excellent reviews, followed by interviews and newspaper articles. One such article was from theDaily Express,in which the interviewer noted that "a lightning change came over her face", which was the first public mention of the rapid changes in mood that had become characteristic of her.[25]John Betjeman,futurepoet laureate,described her as "the essence of English girlhood".[26]Korda attended her opening night performance, admitted his error, and signed her to a film contract.[22]She continued with the play but, when Korda moved it to a larger theatre, Leigh was found to be unable to project her voice adequately or to hold the attention of so large an audience, and the play closed soon after.[27]In the playbill, Carroll had revised the spelling of her first name to "Vivien".[28]

In 1960, Leigh recalled her ambivalence towards her first experience of critical acclaim and sudden fame, commenting that "some critics saw fit to be as foolish as to say that I was a great actress. And I thought, that was a foolish, wicked thing to say, because it put such an onus and such a responsibility onto me, which I simply wasn't able to carry. And it took me years to learn enough to live up to what they said for those first notices.[29]I find it so stupid. I remember the critic very well and have never forgiven him. "[30]

In the autumn of 1935 and at Leigh's insistence,John Buckmasterintroduced her toLaurence Olivierat theSavoy Grill,where he and his first wifeJill Esmonddined regularly after his performance inRomeo and Juliet.[31]Olivier had seen Leigh inThe Mask of Virtueearlier in May and congratulated her on her performance. Olivier and Leigh began an affair while acting as lovers inFire Over England(1937), while Olivier was still married to Esmond and Leigh to Holman.[32]During this period, Leigh read theMargaret MitchellnovelGone with the Windand instructed her American agent to recommend her toDavid O. Selznick,who was planning a film version.[33]She remarked to a journalist, "I've cast myself as Scarlett O'Hara", andThe Observerfilm criticC. A. Lejeunerecalled a conversation of the same period in which Leigh "stunned us all" with the assertion that Olivier "won't playRhett Butler,but I shall play Scarlett O'Hara. Wait and see. "[34]

Despite her relative inexperience, Leigh was chosen to play Ophelia to Olivier'sHamletin anOld Vic Theatreproduction staged atElsinore,Denmark.[35]Olivier later recalled an incident when her mood rapidly changed as she was preparing to go onstage. Without apparent provocation, she began screaming at him before suddenly becoming silent and staring into space. She was able to perform without mishap, and by the following day she had returned to normal with no recollection of the event. It was the first time Olivier witnessed such behaviour from her.[36]They began living together, as their respective spouses had each refused to grant either of them a divorce.[37]Under the moral standards then enforced by the film industry, their relationship had to be kept from public view.

Leigh appeared withRobert Taylor,Lionel Barrymoreand Maureen O'Sullivan inA Yank at Oxford(1938), which was the first of her films to receive attention in the United States. During production, she developed a reputation for being difficult and unreasonable, partly because she disliked her secondary role but mainly because her petulant antics seemed to be paying dividends.[38]After dealing with the threat of a lawsuit brought over a frivolous incident, Korda instructed her agent to warn her that her option would not be renewed if her behaviour did not improve.[39]Her next role was inSidewalks of London,also known asSt. Martin's Lane(1938), withCharles Laughton.[40]

Olivier had been attempting to broaden his film career. He was not well known in the United States despite his success in Britain, and earlier attempts to introduce him to American audiences had failed. Offered the role ofHeathcliffinSamuel Goldwyn's production ofWuthering Heights(1939), he travelled to Hollywood, leaving Leigh in London. Goldwyn and the film's director,William Wyler,offered Leigh the secondary role of Isabella, but she refused, preferring the role of Cathy, which went toMerle Oberon.[41]

1939:Gone with the Wind

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Clark Gableand Leigh inGone with the Wind(1939).

Hollywoodwas in the midst of a widely publicised search to find an actress to portrayScarlett O'Harain David O. Selznick's production ofGone with the Wind(1939).[33]At the time,Myron Selznick—David's brother and Leigh's American theatricalagent—was the London representative of the Myron Selznick Agency. In February 1938, Leigh asked Myron that she be considered to play the part of Scarlett O'Hara.[42]

David O. Selznick watched her performances that month inFire Over EnglandandA Yank at Oxfordand thought that she was excellent but in no way a possible Scarlett because she was "too British". Leigh travelled to Los Angeles, however, to be with Olivier and to try to convince David Selznick that she was the right person for the part. Myron Selznick also represented Olivier and when he met Leigh, he felt that she possessed the qualities that his brother was searching for.[43]According to legend, Myron Selznick took Leigh and Olivier to the set where the burning of theAtlantaDepot scene was being filmed and stage-managed an encounter, where he introduced Leigh, derisively addressing his younger brother, "Hey, genius, meet your Scarlett O'Hara."[44]The following day, Leigh read a scene for Selznick, who organized ascreen testwith directorGeorge Cukorand wrote to his wife, "She's the Scarlett dark horse and looks damn good. Not for anyone's ear but your own: it's narrowed down toPaulette Goddard,Jean Arthur,Joan Bennettand Vivien Leigh ".[45]The director, George Cukor, concurred and praised Leigh's "incredible wildness". She secured the role of Scarlett soon after.[46]

Leigh's portrayal ofScarlett O'Hara

Filming proved difficult for Leigh. Cukor was dismissed and replaced byVictor Fleming,with whom Leigh frequently quarrelled. She andOlivia de Havillandsecretly met with Cukor at night and on weekends for his advice about how they should play their parts.[47][48]Leigh befriended Clark Gable, his wifeCarole Lombardand Olivia de Havilland, but she clashed withLeslie Howard,with whom she was required to play several emotional scenes.[48][49]Leigh was sometimes required to work seven days a week, often late into the night, which added to her distress, and she missed Olivier, who was working in New York City.[50]On a long-distance telephone call to Olivier, she declared: "Puss, my puss, how I hate film acting! Hate, hate, and never want to do another film again!"[50]

Quoted in a 2006 biography of Olivier, Olivia de Havilland defended Leigh against claims of hermanic behaviourduring the filming ofGone with the Wind:"Vivien was impeccably professional, impeccably disciplined onGone with the Wind.She had two great concerns: doing her best work in an extremely difficult role and being separated from Larry [Olivier], who was in New York. "[51]

Gone with the Windbrought Leigh immediate attention and fame, but she was quoted as saying, "I'm not a film star—I'm an actress. Being a film star—just a film star—is such a false life, lived for fake values and for publicity. Actresses go on for a long time and there are always marvellous parts to play."[50]The film won 10Academy Awardsincluding aBest Actressaward for Leigh,[52]who also won aNew York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress.[53]

1940–1949: Marriage and early collaborations with Olivier

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In February 1940, Jill Esmond agreed to divorce Laurence Olivier, and Leigh Holman agreed to divorce Vivien, although they maintained a strong friendship for the rest of Leigh's life. Esmond was granted custody of Tarquin, her son with Olivier. Holman was granted custody of Suzanne, his daughter with Leigh. On 31 August 1940, Olivier and Leigh were married at theSan Ysidro RanchinSanta Barbara,California, in a ceremony attended only by their hosts,Ronaldand Benita Colman and witnesses,Katharine HepburnandGarson Kanin.[54]Leigh had made a screen test and hoped to co-star with Olivier inRebecca,which was to be directed byAlfred Hitchcockwith Olivier in the leading role. After viewing Leigh's screen test, David Selznick noted that "she doesn't seem right as to sincerity or age or innocence", a view shared by Hitchcock and Leigh's mentor, George Cukor.[55]

Selznick observed that she had shown no enthusiasm for the part until Olivier had been confirmed as the lead actor, so he castJoan Fontaine.He refused to allow her to join Olivier inPride and Prejudice(1940), andGreer Garsonplayed the role Leigh had wanted for herself.[56]Waterloo Bridge(1940) was to have starred Olivier and Leigh; however, Selznick replaced Olivier with Robert Taylor, then at the peak of his success as one ofMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer's most popular male stars.[57]Her top billing reflected her status in Hollywood, and the film was popular with audiences and critics.[58]

Leigh andLaurence OlivierinThat Hamilton Woman(1941)

The Oliviers mounted a stage production ofRomeo and JulietforBroadway.The New York press publicised the adulterous nature of the beginning of Olivier and Leigh's relationship and questioned their ethics in not returning to the UK to help with thewareffort.[59][c]Critics were hostile in their assessment ofRomeo and Juliet.Brooks AtkinsonforThe New York Timeswrote: "Although Miss Leigh and Mr. Olivier are handsome young people, they hardly act their parts at all."[62]While most of the blame was attributed to Olivier's acting and direction, Leigh was also criticised, withBernard Grebaniercommenting on the "thin, shopgirl quality of Miss Leigh's voice".[63]The couple had invested almost all of their combined savings of $40,000 in the project, and the failure was a financial disaster for them.[64]

The Oliviers filmedThat Hamilton Woman(1941) with Olivier asHoratio Nelsonand Leigh asEmma Hamilton.With the United States not yet having entered the war, it was one of several Hollywood films made with the aim of arousing a pro-British sentiment among American audiences.[65]The film was popular in the United States and an outstanding success in theSoviet Union.[66]Winston Churchillarranged a screening for a party that includedFranklin D. Rooseveltand, on its conclusion, addressed the group, saying, "Gentlemen, I thought this film would interest you, showing great events similar to those in which you have just been taking part." The Oliviers remained favourites of Churchill, attending dinners and occasions at his request for the rest of his life; and, of Leigh, he was quoted as saying, "By Jove, she's a clinker."[67]

The Oliviers returned to Britain in March 1943,[68]and Leigh toured through North Africa that same year as part of a revue for the armed forces stationed in the region. She reportedly turned down a studio contract worth $5,000 a week in order to volunteer as part of the war effort.[68]Leigh performed for troops before falling ill with a persistent cough and fevers.[69]In 1944, she was diagnosed as having tuberculosis in her leftlungand spent several weeks in hospital before appearing to have recovered. Leigh was filmingCaesar and Cleopatra(1945) when she discovered she was pregnant, then had amiscarriage.[70]Leigh temporarily fell into a deep depression that hit its low point with her falling to the floor, sobbing in an hysterical fit.[71]This was the first of many major bipolar disorder breakdowns. Olivier later came to recognise the symptoms of an impending episode—several days of hyperactivity followed by a period of depression and an explosive breakdown, after which Leigh would have no memory of the event, but would be acutely embarrassed and remorseful.[72]

Leigh and Olivier in Australia, June 1948

With her doctor's approval, Leigh was well enough to resume acting in 1946, starring in a successful London production ofThornton Wilder'sThe Skin of Our Teeth;but her films of this period,Caesar and Cleopatra(1945) andAnna Karenina(1948), were not great commercial successes. All British films in this period were adversely affected by a Hollywood boycott of British films.[73]In 1947, Olivier wasknightedand Leigh accompanied him toBuckingham Palacefor the investiture. She became Lady Olivier.[74]After their divorce, according to the style granted to the divorced wife of a knight, she became known socially as Vivien, Lady Olivier.[75]

By 1948, Olivier was on the board of directors for the Old Vic Theatre, and he and Leigh embarked on a six-month tour of Australia and New Zealand to raise funds for the theatre. Olivier played the lead inRichard IIIand also performed with Leigh inThe School for ScandalandThe Skin of Our Teeth.The tour was an outstanding success and, although Leigh was plagued withinsomniaand allowed her understudy to replace her for a week while she was ill, she generally withstood the demands placed upon her, with Olivier noting her ability to "charm the press". Members of the company later recalled several quarrels between the couple as Olivier was increasingly resentful of the demands placed on him during the tour.[76]The most dramatic altercation occurred inChristchurch,New Zealand, when her shoes were not found and Leigh refused to go onstage without them. Olivier screamed an obscenity at her and slapped her face, and a devastated Leigh slapped him in return, dismayed that he would hit her publicly. Subsequently, she made her way to the stage in borrowed pumps, and in seconds, had "dried her tears and smiled brightly onstage".[77]By the end of the tour, both were exhausted and ill. Olivier told a journalist, "You may not know it, but you are talking to a couple of walking corpses." Later, he would observe that he "lost Vivien" in Australia.[78]

The success of the tour encouraged the Oliviers to make their first West End appearance together, performing the same works with one addition,Antigone,included at Leigh's insistence because she wished to play a role in atragedy.[79]

1949–1951: Play and film roles inA Streetcar Named Desire

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As Blanche DuBois in the trailer forA Streetcar Named Desire(1951)

Leigh next sought the role ofBlanche DuBoisin the West End stage production ofTennessee Williams'sA Streetcar Named Desireand was cast after Williams and the play's producerIrene Mayer Selznicksaw her inThe School for ScandalandAntigone;Olivier was contracted to direct.[80]The play contained a rape scene and references topromiscuityand homosexuality, and was destined to be controversial; the media discussion about its suitability added to Leigh's anxiety. Nevertheless, she believed strongly in the importance of the work.[81]

When the West End production ofStreetcaropened in October 1949,J. B. Priestleydenounced the play and Leigh's performance; and the criticKenneth Tynan,who was to make a habit of dismissing her stage performances,[82]commented that Leigh was badly miscast because British actors were "too well-bred to emote effectively on stage". Olivier and Leigh were chagrined that part of the commercial success of the play lay in audience members attending to see what they believed would be a salacious story, rather than theGreek tragedythat they envisioned. The play also had strong supporters,[83]among them Noël Coward, who described Leigh as "magnificent".[84]

After 326 performances, Leigh finished her run, and she was soon assigned to reprise her role as Blanche DuBois in thefilm versionof the play.[d]Her irreverent and often bawdy sense of humour allowed her to establish a rapport withMarlon Brando,but she had an initial difficulty in working with directorElia Kazan,who was displeased with the direction that Olivier had taken in shaping the character of Blanche.[86]Kazan had favouredJessica Tandyand later, Olivia de Havilland over Leigh, but knew she had been a success on the London stage as Blanche.[85]He later commented that he did not hold her in high regard as an actress, believing that "she had a small talent." As work progressed, however, he became "full of admiration" for "the greatest determination to excel of any actress I've known. She'd have crawled over broken glass if she thought it would help her performance." Leigh found the role gruelling and commented to theLos Angeles Times,"I had nine months in the theatre of Blanche DuBois. Now she's in command of me."[87]Olivier accompanied her to Hollywood where he was to co-star withJennifer JonesinWilliam Wyler'sCarrie(1952).

Leigh's performance inA Streetcar Named Desirewon glowing reviews, as well as a second Academy Award for Best Actress,[88]aBritish Academy of Film and Television Arts(BAFTA) Award for Best British Actress, and a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress.[89]Tennessee Williams commented that Leigh brought to the role "everything that I intended, and much that I had never dreamed of". Leigh herself had mixed feelings about her association with the character; in later years, she said that playing Blanche DuBois "tipped me over into madness".[90]

1951–1960: Struggle with mental illness

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In 1951 in London, Leigh and Laurence Olivier performed two plays aboutCleopatra,William Shakespeare'sAntony and CleopatraandGeorge Bernard Shaw'sCaesar and Cleopatra,alternating the play each night and winning good reviews.[91]They took the productions to New York, where they performed a season at theZiegfeld Theatreinto 1952.[92]The reviews there were also mostly positive, but film criticKenneth Tynanangered them when he suggested that Leigh's was a mediocre talent that forced Olivier to compromise his own.[93]Tynan'sdiatribealmost precipitated another collapse; Leigh, terrified of failure and intent on achieving greatness, dwelt on his comments and ignored the positive reviews of other critics.[94]

In January 1953, Leigh travelled toCeylonto filmElephant WalkwithPeter Finch.Shortly after filming commenced, she had a nervous breakdown andParamount Picturesreplaced her withElizabeth Taylor.[95]Olivier returned her to their home in Britain, where, between periods of incoherence, Leigh told him she was in love with Finch and had been having an affair with him.[96]Over a period of several months, she gradually recovered. As a result of this episode, many of the Oliviers' friends learned of her problems.David Nivensaid she had been "quite, quite mad". Noël Coward expressed surprise in his diary that "things had been bad and getting worse since 1948 or thereabouts".[97]Leigh's romantic relationship with Finch began in 1948, and waxed and waned for several years, ultimately flickering out as her mental condition deteriorated.[98][permanent dead link]

Also in 1953, Leigh recovered sufficiently to playThe Sleeping Princewith Olivier, and in 1955 they performed a season atStratford-upon-Avonin Shakespeare'sTwelfth Night,MacbethandTitus Andronicus.[99]They played to capacity houses and attracted generally good reviews, Leigh's health seemingly stable.John GielguddirectedTwelfth Nightand wrote, "... perhaps I will still make a good thing of that divine play, especially if he will let me pull her little ladyship (who is brainier than he butnota born actress) out of her timidity and safeness. He dares too confidently... but she hardly dares at all and is terrified of overreaching her technique and doing anything that she has not killed the spontaneity of by overpractice. "[100]In 1955, Leigh starred inAnatole Litvak's filmThe Deep Blue Sea;co-starKenneth Morefelt he had poor chemistry with Leigh during the filming.[101]

In 1956, Leigh took the lead role in the Noël Coward playSouth Sea Bubble,but withdrew from the production when she became pregnant. Several weeks later, she miscarried and entered a period ofdepressionthat lasted for months.[102]She joined Olivier for a European tour ofTitus Andronicus,but the tour was marred by Leigh's frequent outbursts against Olivier and other members of the company. After their return to London, her former husband, Leigh Holman, who could still exert a strong influence on her, stayed with the Oliviers and helped calm her.[103]

In 1959, when she achieved a success with the Noël Coward comedyLook After Lulu!,a critic working forThe Timesdescribed her as "beautiful, delectably cool and matter of fact, she is mistress of every situation".[104]

Considering her marriage to be over, Leigh began a relationship with actorJohn Merivalein 1960, who knew of Leigh's medical condition and assured Olivier that he would care for her. That same year, she and Olivier divorced and Olivier soon married actressJoan Plowright.[105]In his autobiography, Olivier discussed the years of strain they had experienced because of Leigh's illness: "Throughout her possession by that uncannily evil monster, manic depression, with its deadly ever-tightening spirals, she retained her own individual canniness—an ability to disguise her true mental condition from almost all except me, for whom she could hardly be expected to take the trouble."[1]

1961–1967: Final years and death

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Merivale proved to be a stabilising influence for Leigh, but despite her apparent contentment, she was quoted byRadie Harrisas confiding that she "would rather have lived a short life with Larry [Olivier] than face a long one without him".[106]Her first husband Leigh Holman also spent considerable time with her. Merivale joined her for a tour of Australia, New Zealand and Latin America that lasted from July 1961 until May 1962, and Leigh enjoyed positive reviews without sharing the spotlight with Olivier.[107]Though she was still beset by bouts of depression, she continued to work in the theatre and, in 1963, won aTony Awardfor Best Actress in a Musical for her role inTovarich.She also appeared in the filmsThe Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone(1961) andShip of Fools(1965).[108]

Leigh's last screen appearance inShip of Foolswas both a triumph and emblematic of her illnesses that were taking root. Producer and directorStanley Kramer,who ended up with the film, planned to star Leigh but was initially unaware of her fragile mental and physical state.[e]Later recounting her work, Kramer remembered her courage in taking on the difficult role, "She was ill, and the courage to go ahead, the courage to make the film—was almost unbelievable."[110]Leigh's performance was tinged by paranoia and resulted in outbursts that marred her relationship with other actors, although bothSimone SignoretandLee Marvinwere sympathetic and understanding.[111]In one unusual instance during the attempted rape scene, Leigh became distraught and hit Marvin so hard with a spiked shoe that it marked his face.[112]Leigh won theL'Étoile de Cristalfor her performance in a leading role inShip of Fools.[113][f]

In May 1967, Leigh was rehearsing to appear withMichael RedgraveinEdward Albee'sA Delicate Balancewhen her tuberculosis resurfaced.[114]Following several weeks of rest, she seemed to recover. On the night of 7 July 1967, Merivale left her as usual at theirEaton Squareflat to perform in a play, and he returned home just before midnight to find her asleep. About 30 minutes later (by now 8 July), he entered the bedroom and discovered her body on the floor. She had been attempting to walk to the bathroom and, as her lungs filled with liquid, she collapsed and suffocated.[115]Merivale first contacted her family and later was able to reach Olivier, who was receiving treatment forprostate cancerin a nearby hospital.[116]In his autobiography, Olivier described his "grievous anguish" as he immediately travelled to Leigh's residence, to find that Merivale had moved her body onto the bed. Olivier paid 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, and the lights of every theatre in central London were extinguished for an hour.[119]ACatholicservice for Leigh was held atSt. Mary's Church, Cadogan Street,London. Her funeral was attended by the luminaries of British stage and screen.[120]According to the provisions of her will, Leigh wascrematedat theGolders Green Crematoriumand her ashes were scattered on the lake at her summer home, Tickerage Mill, nearBlackboys,East Sussex, England.[121]A memorial service was held atSt Martin-in-the-Fields,with a final tribute read by John Gielgud.[122]In 1968, Leigh became the first actress honoured in the United States by "The Friends of the Libraries at theUniversity of Southern California".[123]The ceremony was conducted as a memorial service, with selections from her films shown and tributes provided by such associates as George Cukor, who screened the tests that Leigh had made forGone with the Wind,the first time the screen tests had been seen in 30 years.[124]

Legacy

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InAnna Karenina(1948)

Leigh was considered to be one of the most beautiful actresses of her day, and her directors emphasised this in most of her films. When asked if she believed her beauty had been an impediment to being taken seriously as an actress, she said, "People think that if you look fairly reasonable, you can't possibly act, and as I only care about acting, I think beauty can be a great handicap, if you really want to look like the part you're playing, which isn't necessarily like you."[30]

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

Leigh explained that she played "as many different parts as possible" in an attempt to learn her craft and to dispel prejudice about her abilities. She believed that comedy was more difficult to play than drama because it required more precise timing and said that more emphasis should be placed upon comedy as part of an actor's training. Nearing the end of her career, which ranged from Noël Coward comedies to Shakespearean tragedies, she observed, "It's much easier to make people cry than to make them laugh."[30]

Her early performances brought her immediate success in Britain, but she remained largely unknown in other parts of the world until the release ofGone with the Wind.In December 1939, film criticFrank Nugentwrote inThe New York Times,"Miss Leigh's Scarlett has vindicated the absurd talent quest that indirectly turned her up. She is so perfectly designed for the part by art and nature that any other actress in the role would be inconceivable",[128]and as her fame escalated, she was featured on the cover ofTimemagazine as Scarlett. In 1969, criticAndrew Sarriscommented that the success of the film had been largely due to "the inspired casting" of Leigh,[129]and in 1998, wrote that "she lives in our minds and memories as a dynamic force rather than as a static presence".[130]Film historian and criticLeonard Maltindescribed the film as one of the all-time greats, writing in 1998 that Leigh "brilliantly played" her role.[131]

Her performance in the West End production ofA Streetcar Named Desire,described by the theatre writerPhyllis Hartnollas "proof of greater powers as an actress than she had hitherto shown", led to a lengthy period during which she was considered one of the finest actresses in British theatre.[132]Discussing the subsequent film version,Pauline Kaelwrote that Leigh and Marlon Brando gave "two of the greatest performances ever put on film" and that Leigh's was "one of those rare performances that can truly be said to evoke both fear and pity."[133]

English Heritageblue plaqueat Leigh's final home at 54 Eaton Square inBelgravia,central London

Her greatest critic wasKenneth Tynanwho ridiculed Leigh's performance opposite Olivier in the 1955 production ofTitus Andronicus,commenting that she "receives the news that she is about to be ravished on her husband's corpse with little more than the mild annoyance of one who would have preferred foam rubber."[134]He was also critical of her reinterpretation ofLady Macbethin 1955, saying that her performance was insubstantial and lacked the necessary fury demanded of the role.[135]After her death, however, Tynan revised his opinion, describing his earlier criticism as "one of the worst errors of judgment" he had ever made. He came to believe that Leigh's interpretation, in which Lady Macbeth uses her sexual allure to keep Macbeth enthralled, "made more sense... than the usual battle-axe" portrayal of the character.[h]In a survey of theatre critics conducted shortly after Leigh's death, several named her performance as Lady Macbeth as one of her greatest achievements in theatre.[136]

In 1969, a plaque to Leigh was placed in the Actors' Church,St Paul's, Covent Garden,London. In 1985, a portrait of her was included in a series of United Kingdom postage stamps, along with SirAlfred Hitchcock,SirCharlie Chaplin,Peter SellersandDavid Nivento commemorate "British Film Year".[137]In April 1996, she appeared in the Centenary of Cinema stamp issue (with Sir Laurence Olivier) and in April 2013 was again included in another series, this time celebrating the 100th anniversary of her birth.[138]TheBritish Libraryin London purchased the papers of Olivier from his estate in 1999. Known asThe Laurence Olivier Archive,the collection includes many of Leigh's personal papers, including numerous letters she wrote to Olivier. The papers of Leigh, including letters, photographs, contracts and diaries, are owned by her daughter, Mrs. Suzanne Farrington. In 1994, theNational Library of Australiapurchased a photograph album, monogrammed "L & V O" and believed to have belonged to the Oliviers, containing 573 photographs of the couple during their 1948 tour of Australia. It is now held as part of the record of the history of the performing arts in Australia.[139]In 2013, an archive of Leigh's letters, diaries, photographs, annotated film and theatre scripts and her numerous awards was acquired by theVictoria and Albert Museumin London.[140]Also in 2013, Leigh was among the ten people selected by theRoyal Mailfor their"Great Britons"commemorative postage stamp issue.[141]

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Leigh was portrayed by American actressMorgan BrittanyinThe Day of the Locust(1975),Gable and Lombard(1976) andThe Scarlett O'Hara War(1980).[142]English actressJulia Ormondplayed Leigh inMy Week with Marilyn(2011).[143]Leigh was also portrayed by Katie McGuinness in the Netflix miniseriesHollywood(2020).[144]

Roles and awards

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Main article:Vivien Leigh on stage and screen
Association Year Category Work Result Ref(s)
Academy Awards 1940 Best Actress Gone with the Wind Won [145]
1952 Best Actress A Streetcar Named Desire Won [146]
British Academy Film Awards 1953 Best British Actress A Streetcar Named Desire Won [147]
Golden Globe Awards 1952 Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama A Streetcar Named Desire Nominated [148]
Hollywood Walk of Fame 1960 Inductee — Won [149]
National Board of Review Awards 1940 Best Acting Gone with the Wind
Waterloo Bridge 		Won [150]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards 1939 Best Actress Gone with the Wind Won [151]
1952 Best Actress A Streetcar Named Desire Won [152]
Sant Jordi Awards 1957 Special Award for Acting A Streetcar Named Desire Won [153]
Tony Awards 1963 Best Actress in a Musical Tovarich Won [154]
Venice Film Festival Awards 1951 Volpi Cup for Best Actress A Streetcar Named Desire Won [155]

References

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Informational notes

  1. ^Holman was granted custody of their child after their divorce.[19]Leigh became a grandmother when Suzanne, decades later, had three sons.[20]
  2. ^For stage names, Gliddon proposed "Susan" then "Suzanne Hartley" and "Mary Hartley", before the more outlandish "April Morn" and "April Maugham".[23]
  3. ^After Olivier enrolled in theFleet Air Arm,he served for two years as a pilot, resigning his commission in 1943 as a lieutenant-commander.[60]Ultimately,Ralph Richardsonand others dissuaded him, convincing Olivier that his contribution to the war effort should be on stage and in film.[61]
  4. ^Leigh's fee of $100,000 forA Streetcar Named Desiremade her the highest paid British actress in 1951; her costar,Marlon Brando,was paid $75,000 for his role asStanley Kowalski.[85]
  5. ^At one point in the pre-production, Katharine Hepburn was considered for the role of Mary Treadwell, but dropped out and was replaced by Leigh.[109]
  6. ^L'Étoile de Cristalwas the French equivalent of theOscar.[113]
  7. ^Leigh's death certificate gave her date of death as 8 July 1967, although she may have died before midnight the night before.[118]
  8. ^In a 1983 interview after his death, Kenneth Tynan's widow derided her husband's vindictive campaign against Leigh as "completely unnecessary". Olivier dismissed it as jealousy; Leigh, however, was adversely affected by his comments.[135]

Citations

  1. ^abOlivier 1982, p. 174.
  2. ^Briggs 1992, p. 338.
  3. ^Bean 2013, pp. 20–21.
  4. ^Bean 2013, p. 20.
  5. ^Strachan 2018, p. 3.
  6. ^abVickers, Hugo (1988).Vivien Leigh.Hamilton. p. 6.ISBN978-0-241-12536-6.
  7. ^General Register Office of England and Wales, Marriages,June quarter 1912, Kensington vol. 1a, p. 426.
  8. ^Vickers 1988, p. 9.
  9. ^Walker 1987, p. 25.
  10. ^Bean 2013, p. 21.
  11. ^Taylor 1984, p. 32.
  12. ^Walker 1987, p. 32.
  13. ^Edwards 1978, pp. 12–19.
  14. ^Taylor 1984, pp. 33–34.
  15. ^Edwards 1978, pp. 25–30.
  16. ^Walker 1987, p. 39.
  17. ^Walker 1984, pp. 38–39.
  18. ^"Vivien Leigh profile."Turner Classic Movies.Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  19. ^Capua 2003, p. 40.
  20. ^Bean 2013, p. 167.
  21. ^Bean 2013, p. 24.
  22. ^abTaylor 1984, p. 38.
  23. ^Capua 2003, p. 19.
  24. ^Edwards 1978, pp. 30–43.
  25. ^Coleman 2005, p. 74.
  26. ^Coleman 2005, p. 75.
  27. ^Edwards 1978, pp. 50–55.
  28. ^Taylor 1984, p. 40.
  29. ^Bean 2013, pp. 26–27.
  30. ^abcFunke and Boothe 1983, p. 82.
  31. ^Lasky 1978, p. 13; Vickers 1988, p. 62.
  32. ^Walker 1987, pp. 75–76.
  33. ^abTaylor 1984, p. 14.
  34. ^Coleman 2005, pp. 76–77, 90, 94–95.
  35. ^Coleman 2005, p. 92.
  36. ^Coleman 2005, pp. 97–98.
  37. ^Walker 1987, p. 92.
  38. ^Walker 1987, p. 93.
  39. ^Walker 1987, p. 95.
  40. ^Coleman 2005, p. 97.
  41. ^Berg 1989, p. 323.
  42. ^Bean 2013, p. 52.
  43. ^Walker 1987, p. 113.
  44. ^Bean 2013, pp. 51–53.
  45. ^Taylor 1984 p. 15.
  46. ^Haver 1980, p. 259.
  47. ^Walker 1987, p. 124.
  48. ^abTaylor 1984, p. 22.
  49. ^Howard 1984, p. 19.
  50. ^abcTaylor 1984, pp. 22–23.
  51. ^Thomas, Bob quoting Olivia de Havilland. "Official biography of Olivier benefits from cache of actor's letters".St. Louis Post-Dispatch(The Associated Press), 4 January 2006, p. E1
  52. ^"Gone with the Wind."Archived22 December 2014 atarchive.todayAcademy Awards Database(Oscars.org) (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  53. ^"1939 Awards".New York Film Critics Circle.Archived from the original on 18 January 2011.Retrieved23 February2023.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  54. ^Walker 1987, pp. 150–151.
  55. ^McGilligan 2003, p. 238.
  56. ^Vickers 1988, p. 118.
  57. ^Bean 2013, pp. 73–74.
  58. ^"Vivien Leigh – Biography."Archived15 March 2016 at theWayback MachineYahoo! Movies.Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  59. ^Vickers 1988, p. 152.
  60. ^Spoto 2001, pp. 147–148.
  61. ^Walker 1987, p. 157.
  62. ^Edwards 1978, p. 127.
  63. ^Holden 1989, pp. 189–190.
  64. ^Taylor 1984, p. 59.
  65. ^Bean 2013, pp. 80–81.
  66. ^Walker 1987, p. 65.
  67. ^Holden 1989, pp. 202, 205, 325.
  68. ^abClick: The National Picture Monthly,"Hollywood's Manpower" (March 1943), p. 17. Author not credited.
  69. ^Walker 1987, pp. 166–167.
  70. ^Vickers 1988, p. 167.
  71. ^Walker 1987, p. 170.
  72. ^Holden 1989, pp. 221–222.
  73. ^Bean 2013, p. 115.
  74. ^Bean 2013, p. 111.
  75. ^Spoto 2001, p. 327.
  76. ^Spoto 2001, p. 216.
  77. ^Spoto 2001, pp. 217–218.
  78. ^Holden 1989, p. 295.
  79. ^Spoto 2001, p. 218.
  80. ^Bean 2013, pp. 125–126.
  81. ^Spoto 2001, pp. 218–219.
  82. ^Shellard, Dominic (2003).Kenneth Tynan: A Life.Yale University Press. p. 126.ISBN978-0-300-09919-5.
  83. ^Coleman 2005, pp. 227–231.
  84. ^Holden 1989, p. 312.
  85. ^abWalker 1987, p. 167.
  86. ^Thomas 1974, p. 67.
  87. ^Coleman 2005, pp. 233–236.
  88. ^Taylor 1984, p. 91.
  89. ^Bean 2013, p. 145.
  90. ^Holden 1989, pp. 312–313.
  91. ^Walker 1987, pp. 204–205.
  92. ^Capua 2003, p. 119.
  93. ^Tynan 1961, p. 9.
  94. ^Edwards 1978, pp. 196–197.
  95. ^Taylor 1984, pp. 93–94.
  96. ^Walker 1987, p. 213.
  97. ^Coleman 2005, pp. 254–263.
  98. ^Brooks, Richard."Olivier Worn Out by Love and Lust of Vivien Leigh".[dead link]The Sunday Times,7 August 2005.
  99. ^Capua 2003, p. 131.
  100. ^Coleman 2005, p. 271.
  101. ^More 1978, pp. 163–167.
  102. ^Capua 2003. pp. 138–139.
  103. ^Walker 1987, p. 222.
  104. ^Edwards 1978, pp. 219–234, 239.
  105. ^Spoto 2001, p. 301.
  106. ^Walker 1987, p. 290.
  107. ^Walker 1987, pp. 258–259.
  108. ^Edwards 1978, pp. 266–272.
  109. ^Andersen 1997, pp. 552–553.
  110. ^Steinberg, Jay."Articles: Ship of Fools."Turner Classic Movies.Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  111. ^David 1995, p. 46.
  112. ^Walker 1987, p. 281.
  113. ^abBean 2013, p. 279.
  114. ^"Actress Vivien Leigh Dies At 53 In London".Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal.9 July 1967.
  115. ^Edwards 1978, pp. 304–305.
  116. ^abEdwards 1978, p. 284.
  117. ^Olivier 1982, pp. 273–274.
  118. ^Coleman 2005, p. 384.
  119. ^Edge, Simon (2 November 2013)."Salacious secrets lay behind the glamorous life of Gone With The Wind".Sunday Express.Retrieved23 February2023.
  120. ^Spoto 2001, p. 346.
  121. ^Walker 1987, p. 297.
  122. ^Bean 2013, p. 243.
  123. ^Edwards 1978, p. 306.
  124. ^Bean 2013, p. 244.
  125. ^Shipman 1988, p. 126.
  126. ^Coleman 2005, p. 227.
  127. ^Shipman 1988, p. 125.
  128. ^Haver 1980, p. 305.
  129. ^Andrew Sarris,The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929–1968,quoted inRoger Ebert (14 December 2012)."Vivien Leigh movie reviews & film summaries".Retrieved23 February2023.
  130. ^Andrew Sarris.You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet, The American Talking Film: History & Memory, 1927–1949.New York: Oxford University Press.
    Quoted inMichael Wood (3 May 1998)."The Talkies".New York Times Review of Books(book review).Retrieved23 February2023.
  131. ^Maltin 1997, p. 522.
  132. ^Hartnoll 1972, p. 301.
  133. ^Kael 1982, p. 564.
  134. ^Kenneth Tynan, quoted inEllis, Samantha (25 June 2003)."Peter Brook's Titus Andronicus, August 1955".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved23 February2023.
  135. ^abBean 2013, p. 181.
  136. ^Taylor 1984, p. 99.
  137. ^Walker 1987, pp. 303, 304.
  138. ^"Vivien Leigh Centenary: Great Britons Stamps".BFDC. Archived fromthe originalon 26 October 2020.Retrieved4 May2020.
  139. ^"Laurence Olivier / Vivien Leigh",National Library of Australia Gateways,March 1995,ISSN1443-0568,retrieved23 February2023– via Trove
  140. ^"Vivien Leigh archive acquired by V&A".BBC News.14 August 2013.Retrieved23 February2023.
  141. ^"Royal Mail celebrates 'Great Britons' with launch of latest special stamp collection".Royal Mail. 17 April 2013.Retrieved29 September2022.
  142. ^"Morgan Brittany".British Film Institute.Archived fromthe originalon 23 September 2017.Retrieved23 February2023.
  143. ^Lodderhose, Diana (8 October 2010)."Ormond, Scott join 'Marilyn'".Variety.Reed Business Information.Retrieved16 November2023.
  144. ^Montgomery, Hugh (29 April 2020)."Hollywood review: This lavish period fantasy is a disaster".BBC.Retrieved29 April2020.
  145. ^"The 12th Academy Awards (1940)".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.5 October 2014.Retrieved7 June2023.
  146. ^"The 24th Academy Awards (1952)".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.5 October 2014.Retrieved7 June2023.
  147. ^"1953 BAFTA Film Awards".British Academy of Film and Television Arts.Retrieved7 June2023.
  148. ^"Vivien Leigh | Golden Globes".Hollywood Foreign Press Association.Retrieved7 June2023.
  149. ^"Vivien Leigh | Hollywood Walk of Fame".Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. 25 October 2019.Retrieved7 June2023.
  150. ^"11th National Board of Review Awards (1940)".Los Angeles Times.Archived fromthe originalon 31 October 2006.Retrieved7 June2023.
  151. ^"5th New York Film Critics Awards (1939)".Los Angeles Times.Archived fromthe originalon 31 October 2006.Retrieved7 June2023.
  152. ^"17th New York Film Critics Awards (1951)".Los Angeles Times.Archived fromthe originalon 31 October 2006.Retrieved7 June2023.
  153. ^"El" Premio San Jorge "de Radio Nacional"[Radio Nacional's Sant Jordi Award].La Vanguardia(in Spanish). 25 April 1957.Archivedfrom the original on 6 October 2022.Retrieved7 June2023.
  154. ^"17th Annual Tony Awards (1962–1963)".Los Angeles Times.Archived fromthe originalon 17 October 2006.Retrieved7 June2023.
  155. ^"12. Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica (1951) – Premi"[The 12th Venice International Film Festival (1951) – Awards] (in Italian).Venice Biennale.Archived fromthe originalon 25 July 2019.Retrieved7 June2023.

Bibliography

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