Laurence Olivier

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	Acting
Most Rating	4.2518
Birthday	1907-05-22
Place of Birth	Dorking, Surrey, England, UK
Also Known As	Лоуренс Оливье, Sir Laurence Olivier, Laurence Kerr Olivier, Лоуренс Олівʼє, لارنس الیویه, Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ,

Rebecca

Spartacus

Sleuth

Marathon Man

Wuthering Heights

To Be Hamlet

Clash of the Titans

Bunny Lake Is Missing

The Bounty

Sir John Mills' Moving Memories

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

A Bridge Too Far

Oh! What a Lovely War

A Little Romance

Fire Over England

49th Parallel

The Prince and the Showgirl

Battle of Britain

Hamlet

Henry V

Dracula

The Dance of Death

The Jigsaw Man

Khartoum

War Requiem

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

Richard III

Carrie

The Jazz Singer

That Hamilton Woman

Pride and Prejudice

Q Planes

The Divorce of Lady X

As You Like It

Othello

The Boys from Brazil

Nicholas and Alexandra

A Voyage Round My Father

21 Days

The Shoes of the Fisherman

King Lear

Wild Geese II

The Entertainer

The Magic Box

Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

Term of Trial

The Devil's Disciple

The Betsy

The Yellow Ticket

The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci

Love Among the Ruins

The Power and the Glory

Inchon

David Copperfield

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

Words for Battle

The Gentleman Tramp

The Conquest of the Air

The Collection

Moscow Nights

Westward Passage

Friends and Lovers

Male of the Species

Perfect Understanding

Discovering Hamlet

Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony

The Demi-Paradise

Revisiting Brideshead

The Merchant of Venice

Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love

Long Day's Journey Into Night

Three Sisters

Come Back, Little Sheba

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

The Beggar's Opera

Malta G.C.

Lady Caroline Lamb

The Ebony Tower

The Rehearsal