Laurence Olivier

Laurence Olivier was one of the most acclaimed actors of the 20th century, known for his roles in stage, film and television. He was also a celebrated director and producer of Shakespearean plays, as well as a founding director of Britain’s National Theatre. He received numerous awards and honours for his work, including two Academy Awards, five Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, a life peerage and the Order of Merit. Olivier was born in Dorking, Surrey, England on 22 May 1907, to a clergyman father and a mother who came from a theatrical family. He developed an early interest in acting and appeared in school plays and amateur productions. He attended a drama school in London and made his professional stage debut in 1926. He soon established himself as a leading actor in the West End and on Broadway, working with renowned playwrights such as Noël Coward and George Bernard Shaw. He also appeared in his first film in 1930. In 1935, he played Romeo in a landmark production of Romeo and Juliet alongside John Gielgud and Peggy Ashcroft, which cemented his reputation as a Shakespearean actor. He married his first wife, actress Jill Esmond, in 1930 and they had one son, Tarquin. However, their marriage ended in divorce in 1940 after Olivier fell in love with another actress, Vivien Leigh, who became his second wife. They starred together in several films, including Fire Over England (1937), Wuthering Heights (1939) and That Hamilton Woman (1941). During World War II, Olivier served in the Royal Navy and directed and starred in patriotic films such as Henry V (1944), which earned him an honorary Academy Award. He was knighted by King George VI in 1947 for his services to the stage. He continued to act and direct in both theatre and film, achieving critical acclaim for his performances in Hamlet (1948), which won him an Academy Award for Best Actor; Richard III (1955), which he also directed; The Entertainer (1960); Othello (1965); Sleuth (1972); Marathon Man (1976) and The Boys from Brazil (1978). He also worked extensively in television, appearing in adaptations of The Moon and Sixpence (1960), Long Day’s Journey into Night (1973), Love Among the Ruins (1975), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976), Brideshead Revisited (1981) and King Lear (1983). Olivier’s marriage to Leigh ended in divorce in 1960 after years of turmoil caused by her mental illness and infidelity. He married his third wife, actress Joan Plowright, in 1961 and they had three children: Richard, Tamsin and Julie-Kate. He also became the founding director of the National Theatre in 1963 and led it until 1973, overseeing its move from the Old Vic to the South Bank. He nurtured many young actors who later became stars, such as Maggie Smith, Derek Jacobi, Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren. Olivier suffered from various health problems throughout his life, including chronic dermatitis, prostate cancer, thrombosis and pneumonia. He died of renal failure on 11 July 1989 at his home in Steyning, West Sussex, England. He was 82 years old. His ashes were buried in Westminster Abbey near the graves of other famous actors such as David Garrick and Henry Irving. He is commemorated by the Laurence Olivier Awards, given annually by the Society of London Theatre, and by a statue outside the National Theatre. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time and an inspiration to generations of performers.