Laurence Olivier
Acting
Born: May 22, 1907 · Dorking, Surrey, England, UK
Died: July 11, 1989 (aged 82)
Highest Rated
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.
Known for
Spartacus
1960
Rebecca
1940
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
2004
Marathon Man
1976
A Bridge Too Far
1977
Clash of the Titans
1981
Romeo and Juliet
1968
Sleuth
1972
The Bounty
1984
Jesus of Nazareth
1977
The Boys from Brazil
1978
Battle of Britain
1969
Photos (16)
Movies (91)
Spartacus
Marcus Licinius Crassus
The Betsy
Loren Hardeman
Clash of the Titans
Zeus
Romeo and Juliet
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Rebecca
Maxim de Winter
A Bridge Too Far
Dr. Jan Spaander
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Dr. Totenkopf (archive footage)
The Bounty
Admiral Hood
Marathon Man
Dr. Christian Szell
Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff
The Boys from Brazil
Ezra Lieberman
Battle of Britain
Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
Sleuth
Andrew Wyke
Pride and Prejudice
Mr. Darcy
Khartoum
Mahdi
A Little Romance
Julius
Dracula
Prof. Abraham Van Helsing
Nicholas and Alexandra
Count Witte
That Hamilton Woman
Lord Horatio Nelson
The Prince and the Showgirl
The Regent
49th Parallel
Johnnie, the Trapper
Hamlet
Hamlet - Prince of Denmark / Voice of Ghost
Discovering Hamlet
Hamlet (archive footage)
Bunny Lake Is Missing
Newhouse
Oh! What a Lovely War
Field Marshal Sir John French
Wild Geese II
Rudolf Hess
The Shoes of the Fisherman
Piotr Ilyich Kamenev
Richard III
Richard III
The Jazz Singer
Cantor Rabinovitch
The Devil's Disciple
Gen. Burgoyne
Henry V
King Henry
Inchon
Gen. Douglas MacArthur
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
Professor James Moriarty
The Jigsaw Man
Adm. Sir Gerald Scaith
The Divorce of Lady X
Everard Logan
Carrie
George Hurstwood
This Happy Breed
Narrator (voice)
Westward Passage
Nicholas 'Nick' Allen
Uncle Vanya
Dr. Astrov
21 Days
Larry Durrant
The Filth and the Fury
Richard III (archive footage)
Fire Over England
Michael Ingolby
The Collection
Harry
Term of Trial
Graham Weir
Othello
Othello
The Entertainer
Archie Rice
The Magic Box
Police Constable 94-B
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
Superintendent Newhouse (archive footage) (uncredited)
Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend
archive footage
Three Sisters
Dr. Ivan Chebutikin
The Beggar's Opera
MacHeath
The Merchant of Venice
Shylock
The Demi-Paradise
Ivan Kouznetsoff
Words for Battle
Narrator (voice)
Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady
1982
No Funny Business
Clive Dering
Lady Caroline Lamb
Duke of Wellington
The Power and the Glory
Priest
Moscow Nights
Captain Ivan Ignatoff
The Conquest of the Air
Vincent Lunardi
King Lear
King Lear
The Ebony Tower
Henry Breasley
The Yellow Ticket
Julian Rolfe
As You Like It
Orlando
Love Among the Ruins
Sir Arthur Glanville-Jones
Q Planes
Tony McVane
Come Back, Little Sheba
Doc Delaney
The Moon and Sixpence
Charles Strickland
War Requiem
The Old Soldier
A Talent for Murder
Dr. Anthony Wainwright
Daphne Laureola
Sir Joseph
Marilyn despite herself
2012
Friends and Lovers
Lieutenant Ned Nichols
Male of the Species
Presenter
David Copperfield
Mr. Creakle
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Big Daddy
Potiphar's Wife
Straker
Too Many Crooks
The Boy
A Voyage Round My Father
Clifford Mortimer
Perfect Understanding
Nicholas Randall
A Queen Is Crowned
Narrator
Rebecca
Maxim de winter
The Legend of Marilyn Monroe
1966
Marilyn Monroe
archive footage
Saturday, Sunday, Monday
Antonio
The Gentleman Tramp
Narrator
The Temporary Widow
Peter Bille
Private Lives
Elyot Chase
The Dance of Death
Edgar
Long Day's Journey Into Night
James Tyrone Sr.
Malta G.C.
Narrator
TV Shows (16)
Great Performances
Harry · 1 eps
Omnibus
1 eps
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
Narrator · 2 eps
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
James Tyrone Sr. · 1 eps
Jesus of Nazareth
Nicodemus · 4 eps
Brideshead Revisited
Alexander Flyte · 2 eps
The World at War
Narrator · 26 eps
Peter the Great
King William III of Orange · 4 eps
Laurence Olivier Presents
Big Daddy · 1 eps
Laurence Olivier Presents
Antonio · 1 eps
Laurence Olivier Presents
Doc Delaney · 1 eps
Laurence Olivier Presents
Sir Joseph · 1 eps
The Last Days of Pompeii
Gaius · 3 eps
Wagner
Pfeuffer · 10 eps
Lost Empires
Harry Burrard · 7 eps
1939: Secrets of Hollywood's Golden Year
1 eps
Self / Appearances (52)
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee · 2 eps
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Cecil B. DeMille Award Recipient · 1 eps
The Mike Douglas Show
Self · 2 eps
Great Performances
Self · 1 eps
Tony Awards
Self - Recipient · 1 eps
Tony Awards
Self · 2 eps
Omnibus
Self (archive footage) · 1 eps
The Carol Burnett Show
Self - Audience Member · 1 eps
The Oscars
Self · 2 eps
The Dick Cavett Show
Self - Guest · 1 eps
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self · 1 eps
ABC Stage 67
Self · 1 eps
ABC Stage 67
Self (archive footage) · 1 eps
Talking Pictures
Self (archive footage) · 1 eps
Iconic Couples of Hollywood
Self (archive footage) · 1 eps
Male of the Species
Self - Presenter · 3 eps
Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story
Self (archive footage)
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
Nothing Like a Dame
Self (archive footage)
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Self (archive footage)
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony
Self (archive footage)
Night of 100 Stars II
Self
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Self (archive footage)
Directed by William Wyler
Self
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Self
To Be Hamlet
Self
Sir John Mills' Moving Memories
Self (archive footage)
Revisiting Brideshead
Self (archive footage)
Vivien Leigh, autant en emporte le vent
Self (archive footage)
Dame Maggie Smith - A Celebration
Self (archive footage)
Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond
Self (archive footage)
Eve and Marilyn
Self (archive photo)
Hollywood: The Selznick Years
Self - Maxim de Winter (archive footage) (uncredited)
Gregory Peck: His Own Man
Self (archive footage)
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
Self
Laurence Olivier: A Life
Self
Marilyn, dernières séances
Self(archive footage)
The Rehearsal
Self
The Prince, The Showgirl and Me
Self (archive footage)
Churchill and the Movie Mogul
Self (archive footage)
Vivien Leigh: A Delicate Balance
Self (archive footage)
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
Self (archive footage)
The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People
Self
The Volunteer
Self
The Bannfoot Ferry
Self (archive footage)
The Greats: Vivien Leigh
Self (archive footage)
The Making of 'Rebecca'
Self (archive footage)
The Vivien Leigh Archive at the V&A
Self (archive footage)
At the Haunted End of the Day
Self
Jornal Português (1938-1951)
Self (archive footage)
Upcoming (1)
Directing (7)
Writing (4)
Producing (10)
The Prince and the Showgirl
Producer
Hamlet
Producer
Richard III
Producer
Henry V
Producer
The Collection
Producer
The Beggar's Opera
Producer
Hindle Wakes
Producer
Daphne Laureola
Executive Producer
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Producer
Saturday, Sunday, Monday
Producer