Vivien Leigh

Vivien Leigh was born Vivian Mary Hartley on November 5, 1913 in Darjeeling, India. Her father, Ernest Hartley was a British officer in the Indian Cavalry and her mother, Gertrude Robinson Yackje was once a former stage actress. The two married in Kensington, London in 1912 before relocating to India.

As an only child, Gertrude introduced Vivian to literary works such as Hans Christian Anderson, Kingsley, Kipling and Lewis Caroll from a young age. Vivian made her stage debut at the age of three when she recited “Little Bo Peep” for her mother’s stage group.

In the beginning of 1920, Vivian began her formal education at all an all-girls boarding school at the Convent of the Sacred Heart at Roehampton, England. She was just six and a half years old at the time and though she wouldn’t see her mother for another two years, Vivian made a smooth transition to a convent education where she easily excelled in her studies and extracurricular activities including cello and violin lessons.

Her closest friend at the time was fellow pupil and future screen actress Maureen O’Sullivan. One day Maureen asked, “Wouldn’t it be grand to a pilot when you leave school?” To which Vivian replied: “When I leave school, I’m going to be a great actress.” Both would.

After completing her studies in 1931, Vivian returned to her parents in England and told them of her acting ambitions. Both were extremely supportive and enrolled Vivian at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London. Later that year Vivian met Herbert Leigh Holman and though 13 years her senior, the two wed on December 20, 1932. Holman wasn’t too found of the theatre world and upon their marriage Vivian ended her studies at RADA.

Introducing Miss. Leigh

Vivian’s first major role was that of mother as on October 12, 1933 she gave birth to her first and only daughter Suzanne. Unsatisfied in simply playing the “stay at home mom” Vivian continued to pursue her dream of becoming a great actress and in 1935 made her screen debut in the small film Things Are Looking Up as a school girl.

She quickly found representation with an agent named John Gliddonwho recommended she change her name to “April Morn.” Thankfully Vivian came up with a better one and the two settled on “Vivian Leigh.” Through Gliddon, Vivien was able to acquire a contract with Alexander Korda. Though he first rejected Vivian due to a “lack of potential,” after seeing her performance in the stage production of A Mask of Virtue, Korda bit his tongue and signed her on in 1935 and substituted the “a” for an “e” in Vivien. From then on Vivian became known as “Vivien Leigh.”

During A Mask of Virtue, Vivien first met Laurence Olivier when he congratulated her for her performance back stage. The two would later be cast as lovers in the 1937 film Fire Over Englandwhere they would then proceed to carry their relationship off-screen and begin an affair. At the time, both were still married with children, Olivier was married to actress Jill Esmond.

Vivien continued to be cast in films such as A Yank At Oxford and in plays like Hamletand it was during this time that Vivien began to candidly cast herself for the part of Scarlett O’Hara in MGM’s upcoming production of Gone With The Wind. The book had already sold over 1.5 million copies at the time and after reading and re-reading the acclaimed novel, Vivien was adamant for the role vied by hopeful actress around the globe at the time. Many of her friends recall a conversation when someone suggested that Laurence Olivier play the role of Rhett Butler and Vivien remarked, ” Larry won’t play Rhett Butler, but I shall play Scarlett O’Hara. Wait and see.”

A Scarlett Is Born

Olivier himself confessed that Vivien went after the role of Scarlett with an “almost demonic determination.”

While Hollywood was thrust in a nationwide talent search for the part of Scarlett O’Hara in David O. Selznick’s production of Gone With The Wind, Vivien began to make her move. After pushing her way into a meet and greet with David and giving a star worthy screen test the part was hers.

On Christmas day in 1938, Vivien and Laurence attended a brunch at GWTW director George Cukor’s house. Taking Vivien aside, Cukor confided to her, “The part’s been cast.”

“My heart sank to the bottom of the swimming pool,” Vivien later recalled as she was sure it had gone to one of her thousands of rivals.

Cukorshook his head and added “I guess we’re stuck with you.”

The role of a lifetime was cast but the battle of the contracts was just beginning. Selznick bought Vivien’s contract from Korda, who told her she was making a foolish mistake. “You are completely wrong for the part…. ” For the longest leading role in what was to become the longest and most profitable movie ever made in Hollywood, Vivien was paid a mere $30,000 and would remain under contract to Selznick until 1945.

Vivien made her feelings toward the finances known during the course of several letters she would write to her husband-still-refusing-to-become-divorcee Leigh Holman. In one of them she writes:

“As you so well realize, I loathe Hollywood and for no other part would I have dreamt of signing a contract…. All their standards are financial ones, and I am doing Gone With the Wind for them for less money than I have been earning, per picture, for the last two years.”

Vivien began shooting scenes for Gone With The Wind began in January of 1939 and would endure long hours over the next five months of filming. It would all be worth it though. Gone With The Wind would bring Vivien international attention and acclaim. After watching Vivien’s performance Margaret Mitchell pronouced “She is my Scarlett.”

Gone With The Wind would also bring Vivien an Academy Award for Best Performance in 1940. She became the first British Actress to do so.

In response to allegations of Vivien’s “manic behavior” during filming of Gone With The Wind by Selznick and even Olivier, Olivia de Havilland set the record straight in 2006 saying, “Vivien was impeccably professional, impeccably disciplined on Gone with the Wind. She had two great concerns: doing her best work in an extremely difficult role and being separated from Larry, who was in New York.”

Meet The Oliviers

In February 1940, both Jill Esmond and Leigh Holman agreed to divorce their spouses and on August 30th, Vivien and Laurence were married in a ceremony in Santa Barbara, California attended only by their witnesses: Katherine Hepburn and Garson Canin. Not too shabby.

After being denied the lead in Rebecca alongside her hubby Olivier, Vivien starred in 1940’s Waterloo Bridge with Robert Taylor. Any confusion as to who was now the bigger star was put to rest when Vivien earned top billing for the film. Waterloo Bridge went on to become a success at the box office as well as a personal favorite for both Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor.

Vivien followed up with a stage production of Romeo and Juliet put on by Olivier and herself. Unfortunetly the play was shortlived and panned by critics and members of the crew a like. Disappointed but undeterred Vivian made her acting avengance with Olivier in That Hamilton Woman (1941). The pro-British propaganda movie was popular in the U.S. as well as the Soviet Union. Winston Churchill himself arranged a screening soiree for Franklin D. Roosevelt and addressed the crowd saying “Gentlemen, I thought this film would interest you, showing great events similar to those in which you have just been taking part.”

By spring of 1944 Vivien was filming Caesar and Cleopatra when she discovered she was pregnant. Sadly, she suffered a miscarriage and fell into a depression that would result in her first of many breakdowns she would have over her life due to a bipolar disorder.

After continueing to make several more appearances on the stage and screen, Vivien accompanied her husband to Buckingham Palace in 1947 where Laurence would be knighted by the Queen and Vivien became Lady Olivier.

Vivien’s next major role was that of Blanche DuBois in the West End stage production of Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire, and was cast after Williams and the play’s producer Irene Mayer Selznick saw her in the The School for Scandal and Antigone, and Olivier was contracted to direct. After 326 performaces Vivien landed the part in the film production directed and produced by Elia Kazan. She was paid $100,000 which now made her the higheset paid English actress at the time.

The film won great reviews and earned Vivien her second Academy Award for Best Actress as well as a BAFTA Award though it came at a price. The strains of playing Blanche Dubois had driven Vivien to the brink of madness and it was aroound this time she began receiving electro-convulsive-therapy (ECT) for her bipolar.

Vivien’s illness continued to plague her while filming Elephant Walk in 1953. After having a breakdown -and an affair with co-star and Olivier friend Peter Finch- she was quickly replaced with Elizabeth Taylor.

In 1958 she became pregnant with a boy but after five months she suffered a miscarriage. Though she wouldn’t have a son she would have a grandson. In December of 1958 her daughter Suzanne gave birth to a son making Vivien a grandma.

Divorce And The Final Days

By 1958 Vivien’s relationship with Olivier had deterioatedto the point that both began outside relationships. Vivien with Jack Merivale and Olivier with Joan Plowright whom he would marry in 1961 but first, Vivien had a show to put on. On May 19, 1960 Vivien received a request for divorce from Olivier and after having been given poor advice from a friend, she proceeded to issue a statement to the press and public:

“Lady Olivier wishes to say that Sir Laurence has asked her for a divorce so that he may marry Miss Joan Plowright. She will naturally do whatever he wishes.”

Talk about resentment. Though she longed for a make-up with Olivier she began to love and develop a strong and stable relationship with Jack Merivale that would last until her death. In her final years, Vivien continued to work and win raves and awards for her performances. She won a Tony for Best Actress In A Musical for her role in Tovarich. She also appeared in the film’s The Roman Spring of Mrs.Stone (1961) and Shipping Fools (1965).

By 1967 Vivien became ill with a recurrent bout of tuberculosis and in the wee hours of July 8, 1967 Vivien was found dead on the floor of her London home by her partner Jack Merivale. Vivien was walking to the bathroom when her lungs filled with liquid and she collapsed.

Her body was cremated at The Golden Green Crematorium and her ashes were scattered across the lake of her home Tickerage Mill in England. A memorial service was held at St.Martin-in-the-fields. Although Laurence Olivier did not attend, his son from his first marriage Tarquin did.