Vivien Leigh
Acting
Born 1913-11-05
Died 1967-07-07
Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency, British India [now West Bengal, India]
78 credits
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Vivien Leigh (born November 5, 1913, Darjeeling, India—died July 8, 1967, London, England) was an English actress renowned for her roles in Hollywood and British theater. She won two Academy Awards for Best Actress, portraying Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), both performances that solidified her place among the greatest actresses of classic cinema.
Leigh was the only child of Ernest Hartley, a British broker, and Gertrude Yackjee, who had Anglo-Indian and Armenian ancestry. She spent her childhood between England and Europe, attending convent schools before enrolling at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London in 1932, setting the stage for her acting career.
Her film debut came in Things Are Looking Up (1934), followed by roles in British films such as Fire Over England (1937), where she starred alongside Laurence Olivier. Their professional collaboration soon became a high-profile romance, capturing public fascination.
Leigh’s breakthrough role was Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939), a part for which she beat hundreds of actresses in a legendary casting search. The film became one of the most celebrated in cinematic history, and her performance earned international acclaim, securing her first Academy Award.
Leigh continued to star in films such as Waterloo Bridge (1940) and That Hamilton Woman (1941), frequently working with Olivier, whom she married in 1940. Their union lasted 20 years, during which they became one of the most revered couples in theater and film, starring together in Shakespearean productions and three films.
In 1951, she won her second Academy Award for A Streetcar Named Desire, where her portrayal of Blanche DuBois was deeply personal, reflecting her own struggles with mental health.
Leigh suffered from bipolar disorder, which profoundly affected her career and personal relationships. She also battled chronic tuberculosis, first diagnosed in the mid-1940s, which ultimately led to her death on July 8, 1967, at the age of 53.
After divorcing Olivier in 1960, she found companionship with actor John Merivale, who remained by her side until her passing.
Despite periods of career instability, Leigh remains one of the most celebrated actresses of her time. In 1999, the American Film Institute (AFI) ranked her as the 16th greatest female movie star of classic Hollywood cinema. She also won a Tony Award for Tovarich (1963), proving her talent extended beyond film.
Her beauty, talent, and dedication made her an enduring icon, and her performances continue to be studied and celebrated worldwide.
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Filmography
— top 60 of 78
Gone with the Wind
The Ed Sullivan Show
A Streetcar Named Desire
Waterloo Bridge
Small World
That Hamilton Woman
Ship of Fools
Caesar and Cleopatra
That's Entertainment! III
Glorious Technicolor
Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel
Anna Karenina
That's Entertainment, Part II
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Gone with the Wind – Makeup and Wardrobe Tests
That's Dancing!
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
21 Days
Dark Journey
Iconic Couples of Hollywood
Fire Over England
The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Churchill and the Movie Mogul
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
A Yank at Oxford
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
Sir John Mills' Moving Memories
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
The Deep Blue Sea
Desire and Censorship
British Pathé Newsreels: Gone with the Wind
Hollywood: The Selznick Years
The Extraordinary Seaman
Laurence Olivier: A Life
The Prince, The Showgirl and Me
The Skin of Our Teeth
Storm in a Teacup
Rebecca
St. Martin's Lane
Legends in Light: The Photography of George Hurrell
The Screen Director
Charmed Lives: A Family Romance
Jornal Português (1938-1951)
A Streetcar on Broadway
Vivien Leigh, autant en emporte le vent
Antony and Cleopatra
Ivanov
Things Are Looking Up
All-Time Movie Greats
Private Lives
Vivien Leigh: A Delicate Balance
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