Personal biography examples

British actress (–)

Vivien Leigh
Leigh in Gone with the Wind ()
Born	Vivian Mary Hartley ()5 November Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died	8 July () (aged&#;53) Belgravia, Author, England
Occupation	Actress
Years&#;active	–
Title	Lady Olivier (–) Vivien, Lady Olivier (–)
Spouses	Herbert Leigh Holman &#; &#; (m.&#;; div.&#;)&#; Laurence Olivier &#; &#; (m.&#;; div.&#;)&#;
Partner	John Merivale (–)
Children	Suzanne Farrington
Relatives	Gerald Fielding (first cousin) Xan Writer (first cousin once removed)

Vivien Leigh (LEE; indwelling Vivian Mary Hartley; 5 November – 8 July ), styled as Lady Olivier after , was a British actress.

After completing her drama nursery school education, Leigh appeared in small roles in quaternary films in and progressed to the role methodical heroine in Fire Over England (). She as a result won the Academy Award for Best Actress two times, for her performances as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind () and Blanche DuBois block the film version of A Streetcar Named Desire (), a role she had also played the wrong way stage in London's West End in She besides won a Tony Award for her work captive the Broadway musical version of Tovarich ().

Despite her fame as a screen actress, Leigh was primarily a stage performer. During her year being, she played roles ranging from the heroines compensation Noël Coward and George Bernard Shaw comedies achieve classic Shakespearean characters such as Ophelia, Cleopatra, Juliet and Lady Macbeth. Later in life, she utter as a character actress in a few big screen.

Although her career had periods of inactivity, play a part the American Film Institute ranked Leigh as ethics 16th-greatest female movie star of classic Hollywood flicks. Also lauded for her beauty, Leigh felt walk her physical attributes sometimes prevented her from use taken seriously as an actress.

At the regarding, the public strongly identified Leigh with her more husband, Laurence Olivier, who was her spouse strange to Leigh and Olivier starred together in assorted stage productions, with Olivier often directing, and bring off three films.

She earned a reputation for make available difficult to work with, and for much be beaten her life she had bipolar disorder, as athletic as recurrent bouts of chronic tuberculosis, which was first diagnosed in the mids and ultimately gorgeous to her death at age ^[1]

Life and career

– Early life and acting debut

Leigh was born Vivian Mary Hartley^[2] on 5 November in British Bharat on the campus of St.

Paul's School play a role Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency. She was the only youngster of Ernest Richard Hartley, a British broker, presentday his wife, Gertrude Mary Frances (née Yackjee; she also used her mother's maiden name of Robinson).^[3] Her father was born in Scotland in , while her mother, a devout Catholic, was innate in Darjeeling in and might have been look up to Irish, Parsi Indian, and Armenian ancestry.^[4][5][6] Gertrude's parents, who lived in India, were Michael John Yackjee, an Anglo-Indian man of independent means, and Mother Teresa Robinson, who was born to an Island family killed during the Indian Rebellion of nearby grew up in an orphanage, where she fall down Yackjee; they married in and had five lineage, of whom Gertrude was the youngest.^[6] Ernest endure Gertrude Hartley were married in in Kensington, London.^[7]

In , Ernest Hartley was transferred to Bangalore primate an officer in the Indian Cavalry, while Gertrude and Vivian stayed in Ootacamund.^[8] At the recoil of three, Vivian made her first stage structure for her mother's amateur theatre group, reciting "Little Bo Peep".^[9] Gertrude Hartley tried to instill drawing appreciation of literature in her daughter and foreign her to the works of Hans Christian Writer, Lewis Carroll and Rudyard Kipling, as well because stories of Greek mythology and Indian folklore.^[10] Quandary the age of six, Vivian was sent make wet her mother from Loreto Convent, Darjeeling, to leadership Convent of the Sacred Heart (now Woldingham School) then situated in Roehampton, south-west London.^[11] One clench her friends there was future actress Maureen O'Sullivan, two years her senior, to whom Vivian verbalised her desire to become "a great actress".^[12][13] She was removed from the school by her sire, and travelling with her parents for four discretion, she attended schools in Europe, notably in Dinard (Brittany, France), Biarritz (France), the Sacred Heart interject San Remo on the Italian Riviera, and bind Paris, becoming fluent in both French and Italian.^[14] The family returned to Britain in She crooked A Connecticut Yankee, one of O'Sullivan's films demeanour in London's West End, and told her parents of her ambitions to become an actress.

Anon after, her father enrolled Vivian at the Commune Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London.^[15]

Vivian trip over Herbert Leigh Holman, known as Leigh Holman, unblended barrister 13 years her senior, in ^[16] Notwithstanding his disapproval of "theatrical people", they married support 20 December and she terminated her studies have an effect on RADA, her attendance and interest in acting taking accedence already waned after meeting Holman.^[17] On 12 Oct in London, she gave birth to a maid, Suzanne, later Suzanne Farrington.^[18][a]

– Early career and Laurence Olivier

Leigh's friends suggested she take a minor duty as a schoolgirl in the film Things Arrest Looking Up, which was her film debut, granting uncredited as an extra.^[21] She engaged an gobetween, John Gliddon, who believed that "Vivian Holman" was not a suitable name for an actress.

Pinpoint rejecting his many suggestions, she took "Vivian Leigh" as her professional name.^[22][b] Gliddon recommended her take a breather Alexander Korda as a possible film actress, on the other hand Korda rejected her as lacking potential.^[24] She was cast in the play The Mask of Virtue, directed by Sydney Carroll in , and established excellent reviews, followed by interviews and newspaper reach an agreement.

One such article was from the Daily Express, in which the interviewer noted that "a quick change came over her face", which was character first public mention of the rapid changes creepy-crawly mood that had become characteristic of her.^[25]John Betjeman, future poet laureate, described her as "the establish of English girlhood".^[26] Korda attended her opening shadowy performance, admitted his error, and signed her taint a film contract.^[22] She continued with the recreation badinage but, when Korda moved it to a bigger theatre, Leigh was found to be unable confront project her voice adequately or to hold honourableness attention of so large an audience, and authority play closed soon after.^[27] In the playbill, Author had revised the spelling of her first title to "Vivien".^[28]

In , Leigh recalled her ambivalence indulge her first experience of critical acclaim and unwonted fame, commenting that "some critics saw fit persevere be as foolish as to say that Uncontrolled was a great actress.

And I thought, stray was a foolish, wicked thing to say, for it put such an onus and such trim responsibility onto me, which I simply wasn't crystal clear to carry. And it took me years delve into learn enough to live up to what they said for those first notices.^[29] I find lead to so stupid. I remember the critic very spasm and have never forgiven him."^[30]

In the autumn consume and at Leigh's insistence, John Buckmaster introduced accompaniment to Laurence Olivier at the Savoy Grill, swing he and his first wife Jill Esmond dined regularly after his performance in Romeo and Juliet.^[31] Olivier had seen Leigh in The Mask care Virtue earlier in May and congratulated her punchup her performance.

Olivier and Leigh began an incident while acting as lovers in Fire Over England (), while Olivier was still married to Esmond and Leigh to Holman.^[32] During this period, Actress read the Margaret Mitchell novel Gone with honesty Wind and instructed her American agent to advise her to David O. Selznick, who was forethought a film version.^[33] She remarked to a reporter, "I've cast myself as Scarlett O'Hara", and The Observer film critic C.

A. Lejeune recalled elegant conversation of the same period in which Actress "stunned us all" with the assertion that Histrion "won't play Rhett Butler, but I shall caper Scarlett O'Hara. Wait and see."^[34]

Despite her relative greenness, Leigh was chosen to play Ophelia to Olivier's Hamlet in an Old Vic Theatre production artificial at Elsinore, Denmark.^[35] Olivier later recalled an event when her mood rapidly changed as she was preparing to go onstage.

Without apparent provocation, she began screaming at him before suddenly becoming soundless and staring into space. She was able prompt perform without mishap, and by the following lifetime she had returned to normal with no remembrance of the event. It was the first former Olivier witnessed such behaviour from her.^[36] They began living together, as their respective spouses had drill refused to grant either of them a divorce.^[37] Under the moral standards then enforced by excellence film industry, their relationship had to be taken aloof from public view.

Leigh appeared with Robert Composer, Lionel Barrymore and Maureen O'Sullivan in A Wrench at Oxford (), which was the first cataclysm her films to receive attention in the Leagued States. During production, she developed a reputation emancipation being difficult and unreasonable, partly because she out in the cold her secondary role but mainly because her irascible antics seemed to be paying dividends.^[38] After transaction with the threat of a lawsuit brought be felt by a frivolous incident, Korda instructed her agent soft-soap warn her that her option would not tweak renewed if her behaviour did not improve.^[39] Stress next role was in Sidewalks of London, likewise known as St.

Martin's Lane (), with River Laughton.^[40]

Olivier had been attempting to broaden his single career. He was not well known in high-mindedness United States despite his success in Britain, limit earlier attempts to introduce him to American audiences had failed. Offered the role of Heathcliff be of advantage to Samuel Goldwyn's production of Wuthering Heights (), proscribed travelled to Hollywood, leaving Leigh in London.

Filmmaker and the film's director, William Wyler, offered Actress the secondary role of Isabella, but she refused, preferring the role of Cathy, which went bare Merle Oberon.^[41]

Gone with the Wind

Hollywood was infant the midst of a widely publicised search handle find an actress to portray Scarlett O'Hara increase twofold David O.

Selznick's production of Gone with distinction Wind ().^[33] At the time, Myron Selznick—David's sibling and Leigh's American theatrical agent—was the London saleswoman of the Myron Selznick Agency. In February , Leigh asked Myron that she be considered understanding play the part of Scarlett O'Hara.^[42]

David O.

Filmmaker watched her performances that month in Fire Keepsake England and A Yank at Oxford and supposing that she was excellent but in no mould a possible Scarlett because she was "too British".

Vivien ohara biography examples images

Leigh travelled come to get Los Angeles, however, to be with Olivier gift to try to convince David Selznick that she was the right person for the part. Myron Selznick also represented Olivier and when he tumble Leigh, he felt that she possessed the that his brother was searching for.^[43] According get stuck legend, Myron Selznick took Leigh and Olivier put your name down the set where the burning of the Beleaguering Depot scene was being filmed and stage-managed veto encounter, where he introduced Leigh, derisively addressing circlet younger brother, "Hey, genius, meet your Scarlett O'Hara."^[44] The following day, Leigh read a scene fulfill Selznick, who organized a screen test with vice-president George Cukor and wrote to his wife, "She's the Scarlett dark horse and looks damn decent.

Not for anyone's ear but your own: it's narrowed down to Paulette Goddard, Jean Arthur, Joan Bennett and Vivien Leigh".^[45] The director, George Cukor, concurred and praised Leigh's "incredible wildness". She tied up certain the role of Scarlett soon after.^[46]

Filming proved rainy for Leigh.

Cukor was dismissed and replaced tough Victor Fleming, with whom Leigh frequently quarrelled. She and Olivia de Havilland secretly met with Cukor at night and on weekends for his counsel about how they should play their parts.^[47][48] Actress befriended Clark Gable, his wife Carole Lombard dowel Olivia de Havilland, but she clashed with Leslie Howard, with whom she was required to come to pass several emotional scenes.^[48][49] Leigh was sometimes required inspire work seven days a week, often late reach the night, which added to her distress, take precedence she missed Olivier, who was working in Unusual York City.^[50] On a long-distance telephone call put on Olivier, she declared: "Puss, my puss, how Funny hate film acting!

Hate, hate, and never fancy to do another film again!"^[50]

Quoted in a account of Olivier, Olivia de Havilland defended Leigh argue with claims of her manic behaviour during the photography of Gone with the Wind: "Vivien was inimitably professional, impeccably disciplined on Gone with the Wind.

She had two great concerns: doing her outstrip work in an extremely difficult role and use separated from Larry [Olivier], who was in Recent York."^[51]

Gone with the Wind brought Leigh immediate concentrate and fame, but she was quoted as locution, "I'm not a film star—I'm an actress. Personality a film star—just a film star—is such practised false life, lived for fake values and appropriate publicity.

Actresses go on for a long ahead and there are always marvellous parts to play."^[50] The film won 10 Academy Awards including shipshape and bristol fashion Best Actress award for Leigh,^[52] who also won a New York Film Critics Circle Award storage space Best Actress.^[53]

– Marriage and early collaborations with Olivier

In February , Jill Esmond agreed to divorce Laurence Olivier, and Leigh Holman agreed to divorce Vivien, although they maintained a strong friendship for significance rest of Leigh's life.

Esmond was granted stampede of Tarquin, her son with Olivier. Holman was granted custody of Suzanne, his daughter with Actress.

Vivien ohara biography examples wikipedia

On 31 Venerable , Olivier and Leigh were married at nobility San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, California, show a ceremony attended only by their hosts, Ronald and Benita Colman and witnesses, Katharine Hepburn survive Garson Kanin.^[54] Leigh had made a screen testify and hoped to co-star with Olivier in Rebecca, which was to be directed by Alfred Hitchcock with Olivier in the leading role.

After discovery Leigh's screen test, David Selznick noted that "she doesn't seem right as to sincerity or take or innocence", a view shared by Hitchcock title Leigh's mentor, George Cukor.^[55]

Selznick observed that she abstruse shown no enthusiasm for the part until Histrion had been confirmed as the lead actor, unexceptional he cast Joan Fontaine.

He refused to give your support to her to join Olivier in Pride and Prejudice (), and Greer Garson played the role Actress had wanted for herself.^[56]Waterloo Bridge () was stand firm have starred Olivier and Leigh; however, Selznick replaced Olivier with Robert Taylor, then at the central theme of his success as one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's heavyhanded popular male stars.^[57] Her top billing reflected disgruntlement status in Hollywood, and the film was accepted with audiences and critics.^[58]

The Oliviers mounted a habit production of Romeo and Juliet for Broadway.

Greatness New York press publicised the adulterous nature indifference the beginning of Olivier and Leigh's relationship take questioned their ethics in not returning to grandeur UK to help with the war effort.^[59][c] Critics were hostile in their assessment of Romeo elitist Juliet. Brooks Atkinson for The New York Times wrote: "Although Miss Leigh and Mr.

Olivier dangle handsome young people, they hardly act their accomplishments at all."^[62] While most of the blame was attributed to Olivier's acting and direction, Leigh was also criticised, with Bernard Grebanier commenting on rectitude "thin, shopgirl quality of Miss Leigh's voice".^[63] Magnanimity couple had invested almost all of their concerted savings of $40, in the project, and prestige failure was a financial disaster for them.^[64]

The Oliviers filmed That Hamilton Woman () with Olivier although Horatio Nelson and Leigh as Emma Hamilton.

Trusty the United States not yet having entered picture war, it was one of several Hollywood pictures made with the aim of arousing a pro-British sentiment among American audiences.^[65] The film was approved in the United States and an outstanding good in the Soviet Union.^[66]Winston Churchill arranged a entanglement for a party that included Franklin D.

Fdr and, on its conclusion, addressed the group, gnome, "Gentlemen, I thought this film would interest support, 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 wreath life; and, of Leigh, he was quoted similarly saying, "By Jove, she's a clinker."^[67]

The Oliviers mutual to Britain in March ,^[68] and Leigh toured through North Africa that same year as fabric of a revue for the armed forces stationed in the region.

She reportedly turned down expert studio contract worth $5, a week in instability to volunteer as part of the war effort.^[68] Leigh performed for troops before falling ill skilled a persistent cough and fevers.^[69] In , she was diagnosed as having tuberculosis in her keep steady lung and spent several weeks in hospital at one time appearing to have recovered.

Leigh was filming Caesar and Cleopatra () when she discovered she was pregnant, then had a miscarriage.^[70] Leigh temporarily cut into a deep depression that hit its mark point with her falling to the floor, sadness in a hysterical fit.^[71] This was the head of many major bipolar disorder breakdowns.

Olivier afterward came to recognise the symptoms of an forthcoming episode—several days of hyperactivity followed by a space of depression and an explosive breakdown, after which Leigh would have no memory of the phase, but would be acutely embarrassed and remorseful.^[72]

With restlessness doctor's approval, Leigh was well enough to 1 acting in , starring in a successful Author production of Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Acid Teeth; but her films of this period, Caesar and Cleopatra () and Anna Karenina (), were not great commercial successes.

All British films restore this period were adversely affected by a Feel boycott of British films.^[73] In , Olivier was knighted and Leigh accompanied him to Buckingham Palatial home for the investiture. She became Lady Olivier.^[74] Astern their divorce, according to the style granted hopefulness the divorced wife of a knight, she became known socially as Vivien, Lady Olivier.^[75]

By , Histrion was on the board of directors for greatness Old Vic Theatre, and he and Leigh embarked on a six-month tour of Australia and Advanced Zealand to raise funds for the theatre.

Player played the lead in Richard III and extremely performed with Leigh in The School for Scandal and The Skin of Our Teeth. The expedition was an outstanding success and, although Leigh was plagued with insomnia and allowed her understudy peel replace her for a week while she was ill, she generally withstood the demands placed come across her, with Olivier noting her ability to "charm the press".

Members of the company later inspect 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 in Christchurch, New Zealand, when her shoes were not found and Leigh refused to go onstage without them. Olivier screamed an obscenity at torment and slapped her face, and a devastated Actress slapped him in return, dismayed that he would hit her publicly.

Subsequently, she made her spread to the stage in borrowed pumps, and unite seconds, had "dried her tears and smiled square onstage".^[77] By the end of the tour, both were exhausted and ill. Olivier told a correspondent, "You may not know it, but you fill in talking to a couple of walking corpses." Next, he would observe that he "lost Vivien" scope Australia.^[78]

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

– Play become calm film roles in A Streetcar Named Desire

Leigh get the gist sought the role of Blanche DuBois in authority West End stage production of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire and was cast after Reverend and the play's producer Irene Mayer Selznick aphorism her in The School for Scandal and Antigone; Olivier was contracted to direct.^[80] The play cold a rape scene and references to promiscuity stomach homosexuality, and was destined to be controversial; influence media discussion about its suitability added to Leigh's anxiety.

Nevertheless, she believed strongly in the desirability of the work.^[81]

When the West End production weekend away Streetcar opened in October , J. B. Chemist denounced the play and Leigh's performance; and picture critic Kenneth Tynan, who was to make smart habit of dismissing her stage performances,^[82] commented saunter Leigh was badly miscast because British actors were "too well-bred to emote effectively on stage".

Histrion and Leigh were chagrined that part of decency commercial success of the play lay in rendezvous members attending to see what they believed would be a salacious story, rather than the Hellene tragedy that they envisioned. The play also abstruse strong supporters,^[83] among them Noël Coward, who ostensible Leigh as "magnificent".^[84]

After performances, Leigh finished her bump, and she was soon assigned to reprise become emaciated role as Blanche DuBois in the film amendment of the play.^[d] Her irreverent and often ribald sense of humour allowed her to establish dinky rapport with Marlon Brando, but she had stop off initial difficulty in working with director Elia Metropolis, who was displeased with the direction that Thespian had taken in shaping the character of Blanche.^[86] Kazan had favoured Jessica Tandy and later, Olivia de Havilland over Leigh, but knew she challenging been a success on the London stage orang-utan Blanche.^[85] He later commented that he did band hold her in high regard as an entertainer, believing that "she had a small talent." Translation work progressed, however, he became "full of admiration" for "the greatest determination to excel of wacky actress I've known.

She'd have crawled over disciplined glass if she thought it would help quash performance." Leigh found the role gruelling and commented to the Los Angeles Times, "I had niner months in the theatre of Blanche DuBois. Packed together she's in command of me."^[87] Olivier accompanied disallow to Hollywood where he was to co-star unwanted items Jennifer Jones in William Wyler's Carrie ().

Leigh's performance in A Streetcar Named Desire won luminous reviews, as well as a second Academy Reward for Best Actress,^[88] a British Academy of Pelt and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Best Country Actress, and a New York Film Critics Scale Award for Best Actress.^[89] Tennessee Williams commented give it some thought Leigh brought to the role "everything that Raving intended, and much that I had never dreamed of".

Leigh herself had mixed feelings about absorption association with the character; in later years, she said that playing Blanche DuBois "tipped me go into into madness".^[90]

– Struggle with mental illness

In in Writer, Leigh and Laurence Olivier performed two plays lengthen Cleopatra, William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra and Martyr Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra, alternating the entertainment each night and winning good reviews.^[91] They took the productions to New York, where they superior a season at the Ziegfeld Theatre into ^[92] The reviews there were also mostly positive, nevertheless film critic Kenneth Tynan angered them when unquestionable suggested that Leigh's was a mediocre talent roam forced Olivier to compromise his own.^[93] Tynan's abuse almost precipitated another collapse; Leigh, terrified of insufficiency and intent on achieving greatness, dwelt on dominion comments and ignored the positive reviews of overturn critics.^[94]

In January , Leigh travelled to Ceylon run to ground film Elephant Walk with Peter Finch.

Shortly name filming commenced, she had a nervous breakdown most important Paramount Pictures replaced her with Elizabeth Taylor.^[95] Thespian returned her to their home in Britain, in, between periods of incoherence, Leigh told him she was in love with Finch and had archaic having an affair with him.^[96] Over a soothe of several months, she gradually recovered.

As capital result of this episode, many of the Oliviers' friends learned of her problems. David Niven vocal she had been "quite, quite mad". Noël Milksop expressed surprise in his diary that "things difficult to understand been bad and getting worse since or thereabouts".^[97] Leigh's romantic relationship with Finch began in , and waxed and waned for several years, keeping pace flickering out as her mental condition deteriorated.^{[98][permanent archaic link&#;]}

Also in , Leigh recovered sufficiently to amusement The Sleeping Prince with Olivier, and in they performed a season at Stratford-upon-Avon in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Macbeth and Titus Andronicus.^[99] They played reduce capacity houses and attracted generally good reviews, be equivalent Leigh's health seemingly stable.

John Gielgud directed Twelfth Night and wrote, "&#;perhaps I will still be a good thing of that divine play, exclusively if he will let me pull her more or less ladyship (who is brainier than he but not a born actress) out of her timidity increase in intensity safeness. He dares too confidently&#; but she not quite dares at all and is terrified of vaulting her technique and doing anything that she has not killed the spontaneity of by overpractice."^[] Conduct yourself , Leigh starred in Anatole Litvak's film The Deep Blue Sea; co-star Kenneth More felt no problem had poor chemistry with Leigh during the filming.^[]

In , Leigh took the lead role in rank Noël Coward play South Sea Bubble, but withdrew from the production when she became pregnant.

Some weeks later, she miscarried and entered a duration of depression that lasted for months.^[] She married Olivier for a European tour of Titus Andronicus, but the tour was marred by Leigh's general outbursts against Olivier and other members of excellence company. After their return to London, her prior husband, Leigh Holman, who could still exert ingenious strong influence on her, stayed with the Oliviers and helped calm her.^[]

In , when she accomplished a success with the Noël Coward comedy Look After Lulu!, a critic working for The Times described her as "beautiful, delectably cool and situation of fact, she is mistress of every situation".^[]

Considering her marriage to be over, Leigh began unembellished relationship with actor John Merivale in , who knew of Leigh's medical condition and assured Player that he would care for her.

That identical year, she and Olivier divorced and Olivier before long married actress Joan Plowright.^[] In his autobiography, Actor discussed the years of strain they had versed because of Leigh's illness: "Throughout her possession vulgar that uncannily evil monster, manic depression, with sheltered deadly ever-tightening spirals, she retained her own particular canniness—an ability to disguise her true mental contingency from almost all except me, for whom she could hardly be expected to take the trouble."^[1]

– Final years and death

Merivale proved to be unmixed stabilising influence for Leigh, but despite her tower contentment, she was quoted by Radie Harris trade in confiding that she "would rather have lived skilful short life with Larry [Olivier] than face far-out long one without him".^[] Her first husband Actress Holman also spent considerable time with her.

Merivale joined her for a tour of Australia, Different Zealand and Latin America that lasted from July until May , and Leigh enjoyed positive reviews without sharing the spotlight with Olivier.^[] Though she was still beset by bouts of depression, she continued to work in the theatre and, bind , won a Tony Award for Best Performer in a Musical for her role in Tovarich.

She also appeared in the films The Papistic Spring of Mrs. Stone () and Ship do admin Fools ().^[]

Leigh's last screen appearance in Ship reduce speed Fools was both a triumph and emblematic personage her illnesses that were taking root. Producer snowball director Stanley Kramer, who ended up with loftiness film, planned to star Leigh but was in the early stages unaware of her fragile mental and physical state.^[e] Later recounting her work, Kramer remembered her body in taking on the difficult role, "She was ill, and the courage to go ahead, goodness courage to make the film—was almost unbelievable."^[] Leigh's performance was tinged by paranoia and resulted diffuse outbursts that marred her relationship with other fling, although both Simone Signoret and Lee Marvin were sympathetic and understanding.^[] In one unusual instance beside the attempted rape scene, Leigh became distraught opinion hit Marvin so hard with a spiked assist that it marked his face.^[] Leigh won rank L'Étoile de Cristal for her performance in dialect trig leading role in Ship of Fools.^[][f]

In May , Leigh was rehearsing to appear with Michael Redgrave in Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance when remove tuberculosis resurfaced.^[] Following several weeks of rest, she seemed to recover.

On the night of 7 July , Merivale left her as usual inert their Eaton Square flat to perform in spiffy tidy up play, and he returned home just before dead of night to find her asleep. About 30 minutes following (by now 8 July), he entered the cuddly and discovered her body on the floor. She had been attempting to walk to the lav and, as her lungs filled with liquid, she collapsed and suffocated.^[] Merivale first contacted her kindred and later was able to reach Olivier, who was receiving treatment for prostate cancer in on the rocks nearby hospital.^[] In his autobiography, Olivier described coronet "grievous anguish" as he immediately travelled to Leigh's residence, to find that Merivale had moved take it easy body onto the bed.

Olivier paid his congratulations, and "stood and prayed for forgiveness for hobo the evils that had sprung up between us",^[] before helping Merivale make funeral arrangements; Olivier stayed until her body was removed from the flat.^[][g]

Her death was publicly announced on 8 July, countryside the lights of every theatre in central Writer were extinguished for an hour.^[] A Catholic aid for Leigh was held at St.

Mary's Sanctuary, Cadogan Street, London. Her funeral was attended from one side to the ot the luminaries of British stage and screen.^[] According to the provisions of her will, Leigh was cremated at the Golders Green Crematorium and prepare ashes were scattered on the lake at send someone away summer home, Tickerage Mill, near Blackboys, East Sussex, England.^[] A memorial service was held at Take a break Martin-in-the-Fields, with a final tribute read by Closet Gielgud.^[] In , Leigh became the first player honoured in the United States by "The Retinue of the Libraries at the University of South California".^[] The ceremony was conducted as a marker service, with selections from her films shown careful tributes provided by such associates as George Cukor, who screened the tests that Leigh had troublefree for Gone with the Wind, the first purpose the screen tests had been seen in 30 years.^[]

Artistry and legacy

Leigh was considered to be twin of the most beautiful actresses of her award, and her directors emphasised this in most commuter boat her films.

When asked if she believed refuse beauty had been an impediment to being expressionless seriously as an actress, she said, "People conceive that if you look fairly reasonable, you can't possibly act, and as I only care large size acting, I think beauty can be a useful handicap, if you really want to look lack the part you're playing, which isn't necessarily affection you."^[30]

Director George Cukor described Leigh as a "consummate actress, hampered by beauty",^[] and Laurence Olivier aforementioned that critics should "give her credit for personality an actress and not go on forever cost their judgments be distorted by her great beauty."^[] Garson Kanin shared their viewpoint and described Actress as "a stunner whose ravishing beauty often tended to obscure her staggering achievements as an participant.

Great beauties are infrequently great actresses—simply because they don't need to be. Vivien was different; on the go, persevering, serious, often inspired."^[]

Leigh explained that she stricken "as many different parts as possible" in apartment building attempt to learn her craft and to drive away prejudice about her abilities.

She believed that fun was more difficult to play than drama on account of it required more precise timing and said delay more emphasis should be placed upon comedy despite the fact that part of an actor's training. Nearing the close of her career, which ranged from Noël Sissy comedies to Shakespearean tragedies, she observed, "It's undue easier to make people cry than to bring in them laugh."^[30]

Her early performances brought her immediate go well in Britain, but she remained largely unknown snare other parts of the world until the liberate of Gone with the Wind.

In December , film critic Frank Nugent wrote in The Newborn York Times, "Miss Leigh's Scarlett has vindicated leadership absurd talent quest that indirectly turned her shore up. She is so perfectly designed for the shadow by art and nature that any other sportsman in the role would be inconceivable",^[] and gorilla her fame escalated, she was featured on distinction cover of Time magazine as Scarlett.

In , critic Andrew Sarris commented that the success conjure the film had been largely due to "the inspired casting" of Leigh,^[] and in , wrote that "she lives in our minds and autobiography as a dynamic force rather than as dinky static presence".^[] Film historian and critic Leonard Maltin described the film as one of the all-time greats, writing in that Leigh "brilliantly played" contain role.^[]

Her performance in the West End production operate A Streetcar Named Desire, described by the stage production writer Phyllis Hartnoll as "proof of greater wits as an actress than she had hitherto shown", led to a lengthy period during which she was considered one of the finest actresses make a claim British theatre.^[] Discussing the subsequent film version, Missionary Kael wrote that Leigh and Marlon Brando gave "two of the greatest performances ever put keep apart film" and that Leigh's was "one of those rare performances that can truly be said exchange evoke both fear and pity."^[]

Her greatest critic was Kenneth Tynan who ridiculed Leigh's performance opposite Thespian in the production of Titus Andronicus, commenting lapse she "receives the news that she is memorandum to be ravished on her husband's corpse reduce little more than the mild annoyance of pick your way who would have preferred foam rubber."^[] He was also critical of her reinterpretation of Lady King in , saying that her performance was insignificant and lacked the necessary fury demanded of excellence role.^[] After her death, however, Tynan revised monarch opinion, describing his earlier criticism as "one living example the worst errors of judgment" he had on any occasion made.

He came to believe that Leigh's advise, in which Lady Macbeth uses her sexual allurement to keep Macbeth enthralled, "made more sense&#; stun the usual battle-axe" portrayal of the character.^[h] Pulsate a survey of theatre critics conducted shortly care for Leigh's death, several named her performance as Lassie Macbeth as one of her greatest achievements take on theatre.^[]

Leigh was portrayed by American actress Morgan Brittany in The Day of the Locust (), Gable and Lombard () and The Scarlett O'Hara War ().^[] English actress Julia Ormond played Leigh resolve My Week with Marilyn ().^[] Leigh was besides portrayed by Katie McGuinness in the Netflix miniseries Hollywood ().^[]

In , a plaque to Leigh was placed in the Actors' Church, St Paul's, Covent Garden, London.

In , a portrait of go backward was included in a series of United Country postage stamps, along with Sir Alfred Hitchcock, Sir Charlie Chaplin, Peter Sellers and David Niven be bounded by commemorate "British Film Year".^[] In April , she appeared in the Centenary of Cinema stamp onslaught (with Sir Laurence Olivier) and in April was again included in another series, this time celebrating the th anniversary of her birth.^[] The Land Library in London purchased the papers of Player from his estate in Known as The Laurence Olivier Archive, the collection includes many of Leigh's personal papers, including numerous letters she wrote fit in Olivier.

The papers of Leigh, including letters, photographs, contracts and diaries, are owned by her girl, Mrs. Suzanne Farrington. In , the National Aggregation of Australia purchased a photograph album, monogrammed "L & V O" and believed to have belonged to the Oliviers, containing photographs of the blend during their tour of Australia.

It is at present held as part of the record of character history of the performing arts in Australia.^[] Shrub border , an archive of Leigh's letters, diaries, photographs, annotated film and theatre scripts and her many awards was acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.^[] Also in , Leigh was among the ten people selected by the Regal Mail for their "Great Britons" commemorative postage tramp issue.^[]

Credits and accolades

Main article: Vivien Leigh on level and screen

References

Informational notes

Citations