Laurence Olivier
Known for: Acting
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.
Filmography
Series
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
1961
Series
Great Performances
Harry
1971
Series
Great Performances
Self
1971
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee
1944
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Cecil B. DeMille Award Recipient
1944
Series
Tony Awards
Self - Recipient
1956
Series
Tony Awards
Self
1956
Series
The Dick Cavett Show
Self - Guest
1968
Series
The Carol Burnett Show
Self - Audience Member
1967
Series
Omnibus
Self (archive footage)
1967
Series
Omnibus
1967
Series
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
Narrator
1969
Series
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
James Tyrone Sr.
1969
Series
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1948
Series
The Oscars
Self
1953
Series
Jesus of Nazareth
Nicodemus
1977
Film
Clash of the Titans
Zeus
1981
Film
Romeo and Juliet
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
1968
Film
Spartacus
Marcus Licinius Crassus
1960
Film
A Bridge Too Far
Dr. Jan Spaander
1977
Film
The Betsy
Loren Hardeman
1978
Series
Brideshead Revisited
Alexander Flyte
1981
Series
The World at War
Narrator
1973
Film
Rebecca
Maxim de Winter
1940
Series
Talking Pictures
Self (archive footage)
2013
Film
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Dr. Totenkopf (archive footage)
2004
Series
ABC Stage 67
Self
1966
Series
ABC Stage 67
Self (archive footage)
1966
Film
Marathon Man
Dr. Christian Szell
1976
Film
Battle of Britain
Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
1969
Film
Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff
1939
Film
The Bounty
Admiral Hood
1984
Film
The Boys from Brazil
Ezra Lieberman
1978
Film
Khartoum
Mahdi
1966
Film
Sleuth
Andrew Wyke
1972
Series
Peter the Great
King William III of Orange
1986
Film
49th Parallel
Johnnie, the Trapper
1941
Series
The Last Days of Pompeii
Gaius
1984
Film
Dracula
Prof. Abraham Van Helsing
1979
Film
A Little Romance
Julius
1979
Film
Nicholas and Alexandra
Count Witte
1971
Film
Pride and Prejudice
Mr. Darcy
1940
Series
Laurence Olivier Presents
Big Daddy
1976
Series
Laurence Olivier Presents
Antonio
1976
Series
Laurence Olivier Presents
Doc Delaney
1976
Series
Laurence Olivier Presents
Sir Joseph
1976
Film
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1983
Film
Bunny Lake Is Missing
Newhouse
1965
Film
Hamlet
Hamlet - Prince of Denmark / Voice of Ghost
1948
Series
Male of the Species
Self - Presenter
1969
Film
The Prince and the Showgirl
The Regent
1957
Film
Richard III
Richard III
1955
Film
The Jazz Singer
Cantor Rabinovitch
1980
Film
That Hamilton Woman
Lord Horatio Nelson
1941
Film
Night of 100 Stars II
Self
1985
Film
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
Professor James Moriarty
1976
Film
Oh! What a Lovely War
Field Marshal Sir John French
1969
Film
The Devil's Disciple
Gen. Burgoyne
1959
Film
Nothing Like a Dame
Self (archive footage)
2018
Series
Wagner
Pfeuffer
1983
Film
Wild Geese II
Rudolf Hess
1985
Film
Henry V
King Henry
1944
Film
The Jigsaw Man
Adm. Sir Gerald Scaith
1983
Film
Discovering Hamlet
Hamlet (archive footage)
2011
Film
The Shoes of the Fisherman
Piotr Ilyich Kamenev
1968
Film
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony
Self (archive footage)
2021
Film
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
Superintendent Newhouse (archive footage) (uncredited)
1991
Film
Carrie
George Hurstwood
1952
Film
Othello
Othello
1965
Film
This Happy Breed
Narrator (voice)
1944
Series
Iconic Couples of Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
2015
Film
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
2018
Film
Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady
1982
Film
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Self (archive footage)
2010
Film
Inchon
Gen. Douglas MacArthur
1981
Film
Westward Passage
Nicholas 'Nick' Allen
1932
Series
Lost Empires
Harry Burrard
1986
Film
The Divorce of Lady X
Everard Logan
1938
Film
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Self
1940
Film
Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story
Self (archive footage)
2023
Film
Churchill and the Movie Mogul
Self (archive footage)
2019
Film
Fire Over England
Michael Ingolby
1937
Film
The Filth and the Fury
Richard III (archive footage)
2000
Film
The Magic Box
Police Constable 94-B
1952
Film
Term of Trial
Graham Weir
1962
Film
21 Days
Larry Durrant
1940
Film
The Entertainer
Archie Rice
1960
Film
Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend
archive footage
1986
Film
King Lear
King Lear
1983
Film
Daphne Laureola
Sir Joseph
1978
Film
Marilyn, dernières séances
Self(archive footage)
2008
Film
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
Self (archive footage)
2012
Film
The Demi-Paradise
Ivan Kouznetsoff
1943
Film
Sir John Mills' Moving Memories
Self (archive footage)
2000
Film
Directed by William Wyler
Self
1986
Marilyn Monroe: In The Movies
2012
Film
David Copperfield
Mr. Creakle
1969
Film
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Self (archive footage)
1988
Film
Lady Caroline Lamb
Duke of Wellington
1972
Film
Hollywood: The Selznick Years
Self - Maxim de Winter (archive footage) (uncredited)
1961
Film
Words for Battle
Narrator (voice)
1941
Film
Rebecca
Maxim de winter
1950
Film
As You Like It
Orlando
1936
Film
The Moon and Sixpence
Charles Strickland
1959
Film
The Power and the Glory
Priest
1963
Film
War Requiem
The Old Soldier
1989
Film
Dame Maggie Smith - A Celebration
Self (archive footage)
2024
Film
Q Planes
Tony McVane
1939
Film
The Legend of Marilyn Monroe
1966
Film
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
Self
1940
Film
Love Among the Ruins
Sir Arthur Glanville-Jones
1976
Film
Vivien Leigh, autant en emporte le vent
Self (archive footage)
2021
Film
A Talent for Murder
Dr. Anthony Wainwright
1983
Film
The Beggar's Opera
MacHeath
1953
Film
The Merchant of Venice
Shylock
1973
Film
Eve and Marilyn
Self (archive photo)
1987
Film
Charmed Lives: A Family Romance
Self (archive footage)
2028
Film
Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond
Self (archive footage)
1990
The Prince, The Showgirl and Me
Self (archive footage)
2004
Film
Potiphar's Wife
Straker
1931
Legends in Light: The Photography of George Hurrell
Self (archive footage)
1995
Film
A Voyage Round My Father
Clifford Mortimer
1984
Film
The Ebony Tower
Henry Breasley
1984
Film
To Be Hamlet
Self
1985
Film
Revisiting Brideshead
Self (archive footage)
2005
Film
Laurence Olivier: A Life
Self
1982
Film
The Collection
Harry
1976
Film
Marilyn Monroe
archive footage
1986
Film
Three Sisters
Dr. Ivan Chebutikin
1970
Film
Uncle Vanya
Dr. Astrov
1963
Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
1999
Film
The Conquest of the Air
Vincent Lunardi
1931
Film
Marilyn despite herself
2012
Film
Perfect Understanding
Nicholas Randall
1933
Film
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
Self (archive footage)
2001
Film
The Yellow Ticket
Julian Rolfe
1931
Film
A Queen Is Crowned
Narrator
1953
Great Acting: Laurence Olivier
Self - Interviewee
1966
Film
Too Many Crooks
The Boy
1930
Film
Male of the Species
Presenter
1969
Film
Friends and Lovers
Lieutenant Ned Nichols
1931
Film
Come Back, Little Sheba
Doc Delaney
1977
Film
Moscow Nights
Captain Ivan Ignatoff
1934
Film
Private Lives
Elyot Chase
1940
Film
The Dance of Death
Edgar
1969
Film
The Gentleman Tramp
Narrator
1976
Olivier Talks About Othello
Self - Host
1965
Film
The Bannfoot Ferry
Self (archive footage)
2024
Film
The Volunteer
Self
1944
Film
The Rehearsal
Self
1974
Korda: I Don't Grow on Trees: Part One
Self
1993
Film
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Big Daddy
1976
Film
Gregory Peck: His Own Man
Self (archive footage)
1988
Film
The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People
Self
1976
Film
Vivien Leigh: A Delicate Balance
Self (archive footage)
2000
Film
Long Day's Journey Into Night
James Tyrone Sr.
1973
Film
At the Haunted End of the Day
Self
1981
The Body of Marilyn Monroe
archive footage
2004
Film
The Making of 'Rebecca'
Self (archive footage)
2008
Film
Saturday, Sunday, Monday
Antonio
1978
Film
The Vivien Leigh Archive at the V&A
Self (archive footage)
2016
Film
The Temporary Widow
Peter Bille
1930
Film
Malta G.C.
Narrator
1942
Tree of Life
Narrator
1971
Film
No Funny Business
Clive Dering
1933
Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson
Joe Halpern
1983
Film
Jornal Português (1938-1951)
Self (archive footage)
2015
The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci
Narrator
1953
Film
The Greats: Vivien Leigh
Self (archive footage)
2016