Laurence Olivier

Acting

Born May 22, 1907 — Died July 11, 1989 Dorking, Surrey, England, UK

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.

Movies(129)

Dame Maggie Smith - A Celebration

Self (archive footage)

2024

The Bannfoot Ferry

Self (archive footage)

2024

Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story

Self (archive footage)

2023

Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony

Self (archive footage)

2021

Vivien Leigh, autant en emporte le vent

Self (archive footage)

2021

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

Self (archive footage)

2018

Nothing Like a Dame

Self (archive footage)

2018

Jornal Português (1938-1951)

Self (archive footage)

2015

Marilyn Monroe: In The Movies

2012

Marilyn despite herself

2012

Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe

Self (archive footage)

2012

Discovering Hamlet

Hamlet (archive footage)

2011

Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff

Self (archive footage)

2010

Marilyn, dernières séances

Self(archive footage)

2008

Revisiting Brideshead

Self (archive footage)

2005

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Dr. Totenkopf (archive footage)

2004

The Prince, The Showgirl and Me

2004

The Body of Marilyn Monroe

archive footage

2004

Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love

Self (archive footage)

2001

Sir John Mills' Moving Memories

Self (archive footage)

2000

The Filth and the Fury

Richard III (archive footage)

2000

Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood

Self (archive footage)

1999

Korda: I Don't Grow on Trees: Part One

Self

1993

Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker

Superintendent Newhouse (archive footage) (uncredited)

1991

Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond

Self (archive footage)

1990

War Requiem

The Old Soldier

1989

The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

Self (archive footage)

1988

Gregory Peck: His Own Man

Self (archive footage)

1988

Directed by William Wyler

Self

1986

Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend

archive footage

1986

Marilyn Monroe

archive footage

1986

Wild Geese II

Rudolf Hess

1985

Night of 100 Stars II

Self

1985

To Be Hamlet

Self

1985

The Bounty

Admiral Hood

1984

A Voyage Round My Father

Clifford Mortimer

1984

The Ebony Tower

Henry Breasley

1984

A Talent for Murder

Dr. Anthony Wainwright

1983

The Jigsaw Man

Adm. Sir Gerald Scaith

1983

Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson

Joe Halpern

1983

King Lear

1983

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

1983

Laurence Olivier: a life

Self

1982

Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady

1982

Clash of the Titans

Zeus

1981

Inchon

Gen. Douglas MacArthur

1981

At the Haunted End of the Day

Self

1981

The Jazz Singer

Cantor Rabinovitch

1980

Dracula

Prof. Abraham Van Helsing

1979

A Little Romance

Julius

1979

The Boys from Brazil

Ezra Lieberman

1978

The Betsy

Loren Hardeman

1978

Daphne Laureola

Sir Joseph

1978

Saturday, Sunday, Monday

Antonio

1978

Come Back, Little Sheba

Doc Delaney

1977

A Bridge Too Far

Dr. Jan Spaander

1977

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Big Daddy

1976

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

Professor James Moriarty

1976

The Gentleman Tramp

Narrator

1976

Marathon Man

Dr. Christian Szell

1976

The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People

Self

1976

Love Among the Ruins

Sir Arthur Glanville-Jones

1976

The Collection

Harry

1976

The Rehearsal

Self

1974

The Merchant of Venice

Shylock

1973

Long Day's Journey Into Night

James Tyrone Sr.

1973

Sleuth

Andrew Wyke

1972

Lady Caroline Lamb

Duke of Wellington

1972

Nicholas and Alexandra

Count Witte

1971

Tree of Life

Narrator

1971

Three Sisters

Dr. Ivan Chebutikin

1970

David Copperfield

Mr. Creakle

1969

Battle of Britain

Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding

1969

The Dance of Death

Edgar

1969

Oh! What a Lovely War

Field Marshal Sir John French

1969

Male of the Species

Presenter

1969

The Shoes of the Fisherman

Piotr Ilyich Kamenev

1968

Romeo and Juliet

Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

1968

Great Acting: Laurence Olivier

Self - Interviewee

1966

The Legend of Marilyn Monroe

1966

Khartoum

Mahdi

1966

Othello

1965

Bunny Lake Is Missing

Newhouse

1965

Olivier Talks About Othello

Self - Host

1965

Uncle Vanya

Dr. Astrov

1963

The Power and the Glory

Priest

1963

Term of Trial

Graham Weir

1962

Spartacus

Marcus Licinius Crassus

1960

The Entertainer

Archie Rice

1960

The Moon and Sixpence

Charles Strickland

1959

The Devil's Disciple

Gen. Burgoyne

1959

The Prince and the Showgirl

The Regent

1957

Richard III

1955

The Beggar's Opera

MacHeath

1953

A Queen Is Crowned

Narrator

1953

The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci

Narrator

1953

Carrie

George Hurstwood

1952

The Magic Box

Police Constable 94-B

1952

Rebecca

Maxim de winter

1950

Hamlet

Hamlet - Prince of Denmark / Voice of Ghost

1948

Henry V

King Henry

1944

This Happy Breed

Narrator (voice)

1944

The Volunteer

Self

1944

The Demi-Paradise

Ivan Kouznetsoff

1943

Malta G.C.

Narrator

1942

49th Parallel

Johnnie, the Trapper

1941

That Hamilton Woman

Lord Horatio Nelson

1941

Words for Battle

Narrator (voice)

1941

Private lives

Elyot Chase

1940

Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

Self

1940

Pride and Prejudice

Mr. Darcy

1940

Hollywood: Style Center of the World

Self

1940

Rebecca

Maxim de Winter

1940

21 Days

Larry Durrant

1940

Wuthering Heights

Heathcliff

1939

Q Planes

Tony McVane

1939

The Divorce of Lady X

Everard Logan

1938

Fire Over England

Michael Ingolby

1937

As You Like It

Orlando

1936

Moscow Nights

Captain Ivan Ignatoff

1934

No Funny Business

Clive Dering

1933

Perfect Understanding

Nicholas Randall

1933

Westward Passage

Nicholas 'Nick' Allen

1932

The Conquest of the Air

Vincent Lunardi

1931

The Yellow Ticket

Julian Rolfe

1931

Friends and Lovers

Lieutenant Ned Nichols

1931

Potiphar's Wife

Straker

1931

Too Many Crooks

The Boy

1930

The Temporary Widow

Peter Bille

1930

Laurence Olivier

TV Shows(22)

Movies(129)