BIOGRAPHY
He is an actor who many consider
to be the greatest in the English-speaking world during
the twentieth century. Though Sir Laurence Olivier was
based mostly in England, he made a significant number
of Hollywood films. He was nominated for Academy Awards
as either an actor, producer or director twelve times,
winning twice, while also being honored with two special
Oscars. In his long and versatile career, Olivier appeared
in more than 120 stage roles, nearly 60 films and more
than 15 television productions.
The son of a clergyman, he was well educated, and introduced
to the arts at an early age. He made his acting debut
at the age of fifteen at the all-boys, All Saints Choir
School. He continued playing Shakespearean and other
classical roles while in training. Olivier's next big
step was joining The Birmingham Repertory company
in
1926. He had also acted on Broadway and was recognized
by the American film industry. He had his chance at
early Hollywood stardom when he played the lead in Yellow
Ticket. By the time he made
Fire Over England,
he was a hot commodity, made even hotter by his well-publicized
affair with his costar, the beautiful and talented
Vivien Leigh. Tongues wagged wilder than usual because
both
Olivier and Leigh were married to other people at the
time. They later freed themselves in order to marry
each
other,
a union
that lasted for more than 20 years.
As a sought after actor, Olivier heeded the call to
Hollywood again and was considerably more successful.
He starred as Heathclifff in the scintillating romance,
Wuthering Heights
(1939), and became an international matinee idol. He
followed that hit with several others, including Rebecca
and That Hamilton Woman.
Olivier's most productive period came from directing
and producing. He did this, while also starring in Henry
V (1944) and Hamlet
(1948). He won Best Film and Best Actor awards for Hamlet
from the Academy. No matter what country has produced
his films, Olivier remains an international star whose
talent belongs to all nations.
Burdened by ill health for more than a decade, Olivier
fought cancer and other ailments while working at a
furious pace. He was knighted in 1947, and in 1970 he
was made "Baron Olivier of Brighton," for services to
the theater, which allowed him to sit in the House of
the Lords. If that wasn't enough, in 1981 he was given
the Order of Merit. In America, the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences bestowed its version of knighthood
on "Lord Larry," awarding him a special Oscar "for the
full body of his work, the unique achievement of his
entire career and his lifetime of contribution to the
art of film.
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