Biography
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson, Peggy Ashcroft and John Gielgud, dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. Late in his career, he had considerable success in television roles.
His family had no theatrical connections, but Olivier's father, a clergyman, decided that his son should become an actor. After attending a drama school in London, Olivier learned his craft in a succession of acting jobs during the late 1920s. In 1930 he had his first important West End success in Noël Coward's Private Lives, and he appeared in his first film. In 1935 he played in a celebrated production of Romeo and Juliet alongside Gielgud and Ashcroft, and by the end of the decade he was an established star. In the 1940s, together with Richardson and John Burrell, Olivier was the co-director of the Old Vic, building it into a highly respected company. There his most celebrated roles included Shakespeare's Richard III and Sophocles's Oedipus. In the 1950s Olivier was an independent actor-manager, but his stage career was in the doldrums until he joined the avant garde English Stage Company in 1957 to play the title role in The Entertainer, a part he later played on film. From 1963 to 1973 he was the founding director of Britain's National Theatre, running a resident company that fostered many future stars. His own parts there included the title role in Othello (1965) and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice (1970).
Among Olivier's films are Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940), and a trilogy of Shakespeare films as actor-director: Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948), and Richard III (1955). His later films included The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Sleuth (1972), Marathon Man (1976), and The Boys from Brazil (1978). His television appearances included an adaptation 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 honours included a knighthood (1947), a life peerage (1970) and the Order of Merit (1981). For his on-screen work he received four Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. The National Theatre's largest auditorium is named in his honour, and he is commemorated in the Laurence Olivier Awards, given annually by the Society of London Theatre. He was married three times, to the actresses Jill Esmond from 1930 to 1940, Vivien Leigh from 1940 to 1960, and Joan Plowright from 1961 until his death.
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Filmography
all 141
Movies 121
self 40
TV Shows 20
Narrator 6
Director 3
Producer 2
Voice 2
Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story (2023)
Hannibal Hopkins et Sir Anthony (2021)
Vivien Leigh, autant en emporte le vent (2020)
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (2018)
Nothing Like a Dame (2018)
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC (2015)
And the Oscar Goes To... (2014)
Talking Pictures (2013)
Discovering Hamlet (2011)
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (2010)
Jornal Português (1938-1951) (2005)
Revisiting Brideshead (2005)
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love (2001)
Sir John Mills' Moving Memories (2000)
The Filth and the Fury (2000)
Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood (1999)
The South Bank Show: Noël Coward (1992)
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker (1991)
Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond (1990)
War Requiem (1989)
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind (1988)
Gregory Peck: His Own Man (1988)
Lost Empires (1986)
Directed by William Wyler (1986)
Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend (1986)
Peter the Great (1986)
Wild Geese II (1985)
Night of 100 Stars II (1985)
To Be Hamlet (1985)
Terror in the Aisles (1984)
The Last Days of Pompeii (1984)
The Bounty (1984)
A Voyage Round My Father (1984)
The Ebony Tower (1984)
A Talent for Murder (1983)
The Jigsaw Man (1983)
Wagner (1983)
Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson (1983)
King Lear (1983)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage (1983)
Brideshead Revisited (1981)
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Inchon (1981)
At the Haunted End of the Day (1981)
The Jazz Singer (1980)
Dracula (1979)
A Little Romance (1979)
The Boys from Brazil (1978)
The Betsy (1978)
Daphne Laureola (1978)
Saturday, Sunday, Monday (1978)
Come Back, Little Sheba (1977)
A Bridge Too Far (1977)
Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
Hindle Wakes (1976)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976)
Laurence Olivier Presents (1976)
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)
The Gentleman Tramp (1976)
Marathon Man (1976)
The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People (1976)
The Collection (1976)
Love Among the Ruins (1975)
The Rehearsal (1974)
The World at War (1973)
The Merchant of Venice (1973)
Long Day's Journey Into Night (1973)
Sleuth (1972)
Lady Caroline Lamb (1972)
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
Great Performances (1971)
Three Sisters (1970)
David Copperfield (1969)
Battle of Britain (1969)
Oh! What a Lovely War (1969)
Male of the Species (1969)
Male of the Species (1969)
The Dance of Death (1969)
The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968)
The Dick Cavett Show (1968)
Romeo and Juliet (1968)
The Carol Burnett Show (1967)
Great Acting: Laurence Olivier (1966)
ABC Stage 67 (1966)
Khartoum (1966)
Othello (1965)
Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965)
Olivier Talks About Othello (1965)
Uncle Vanya (1963)
The Power and the Glory (1963)
Term of Trial (1962)
Hollywood: The Selznick Years (1961)
The Mike Douglas Show (1961)
Spartacus (1960)
The Entertainer (1960)
The Moon and Sixpence (1959)
The Devil's Disciple (1959)
The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)
Tony Awards (1956)
Richard III (1955)
The Beggar's Opera (1953)
A Queen Is Crowned (1953)
The Oscars (1953)
The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci (1953)
Carrie (1952)
The Magic Box (1952)
Hamlet (1948)
The Ed Sullivan Show (1948)
Henry V (1944)
This Happy Breed (1944)
The Volunteer (1944)
The Demi-Paradise (1943)
Malta G.C. (1942)
49th Parallel (1941)
That Hamilton Woman (1941)
Words for Battle (1941)
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards (1940)
Pride and Prejudice (1940)
Hollywood: Style Center of the World (1940)
Rebecca (1940)
21 Days (1940)
Wuthering Heights (1939)
Q Planes (1939)
The Divorce of Lady X (1938)
Fire Over England (1937)
The Conquest of the Air (1936)
As You Like It (1936)
Moscow Nights (1935)
No Funny Business (1933)
Perfect Understanding (1933)
Westward Passage (1932)
The Yellow Ticket (1931)
Friends and Lovers (1931)
Potiphar's Wife (1931)
Too Many Crooks (1930)
The Temporary Widow (1930)
The Power and the Glory
King Lear
Charmed Lives: A Family Romance
Ratings
Gallery
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1907-05-22
Deathday1989-07-11 (82 years old)
Birth NameLaurence Kerr Olivier
Birth PlaceDorking, United Kingdom
Height
RelationshipsJoan Plowright (1961-03-18 - 1989-01-01), Vivien Leigh (1940-08-30 - 1960-01-01), Jill Esmond (1930-01-01 - 1940-01-01)
ChildrenRichard Olivier, Julie-Kate Olivier, Simon Tarquin Olivier, Tamsin Olivier
FatherGerald Kerr Olivier
MotherAgnes Louise Crookenden
CitizenshipsUnited Kingdom
Also Known AsЛоуренс Оливье, Sir Laurence Olivier, Лоренс Оливье, Laurence Kerr Olivier
AwardsSociety of London Theatre Special Award, Donaldson Awards, Albert Medal, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, National Board of Review Award for Best Film, star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, Officer of the Legion of Honour, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, Sonning Prize, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, Knight Bachelor, Academy Fellowship Award, Academy Honorary Award, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor, Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor, Feltrinelli Prize, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Academy Award for Best Actor, Order of Merit
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