1907-05-22 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.
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28 Years Later | Henry V (archive footage) | 2025-06-18 |
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The Bannfoot Ferry | Self (archive footage) | 2024-06-22 |
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Dame Maggie Smith - A Celebration | Self (archive footage) | 2024-12-14 |
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Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story | Self (archive footage) | 2023-06-02 |
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Hannibal Hopkins et Sir Anthony | Self (archive footage) | 2021-03-26 |
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Vivien Leigh, autant en emporte le vent | Self (archive footage) | 2021-01-03 |
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Nothing Like a Dame | Self (archive footage) | 2018-05-02 |
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Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood | Self (archive footage) | 2018-07-27 |
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Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe | Self (archive footage) | 2012-05-15 |
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Discovering Hamlet | Hamlet (archive footage) | 2011-11-01 |
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Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff | Self (archive footage) | 2010-05-05 |
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Revisiting Brideshead | Self (archive footage) | 2005-10-15 |
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Jornal Português (1938-1951) | Self (archive footage) | 2005-12-12 |
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Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow | Dr. Totenkopf (archive footage) | 2004-09-17 |
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Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love | Self (archive footage) | 2001-09-13 |
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Sir John Mills' Moving Memories | Self (archive footage) | 2000-08-01 |
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The Filth and the Fury | Richard III (archive footage) | 2000-03-29 |
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Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood | Self (archive footage) | 1999-01-23 |
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Korda: I Don't Grow on Trees: Part One | Self | 1993-10-05 |
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Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker | Superintendent Newhouse (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1991-10-28 |
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Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond | Self (archive footage) | 1990-10-22 |
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War Requiem | The Old Soldier | 1989-01-06 |
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The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind | Self (archive footage) | 1988-10-01 |
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Gregory Peck: His Own Man | Self (archive footage) | 1988-03-08 |
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Directed by William Wyler | Self | 1986-05-01 |
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To Be Hamlet | Self | 1985-01-19 |
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Wild Geese II | Rudolf Hess | 1985-10-18 |
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Night of 100 Stars II | Self | 1985-03-10 |
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The Bounty | Admiral Hood | 1984-05-04 |
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The Ebony Tower | Henry Breasley | 1984-04-01 |
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A Voyage Round My Father | Clifford Mortimer | 1984-04-19 |
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The Jigsaw Man | Adm. Sir Gerald Scaith | 1983-11-11 |
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Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson | Joe Halpern | 1983-08-23 |
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A Talent for Murder | Dr. Anthony Wainwright | 1983-12-19 |
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Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1983-02-25 |
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King Lear | King Lear | 1983-04-03 |
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Laurence Olivier: a life | Self | 1982-10-24 |
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Inchon | Gen. Douglas MacArthur | 1981-05-04 |
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Clash of the Titans | Zeus | 1981-06-12 |
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At the Haunted End of the Day | Self | 1981-01-01 |
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The Jazz Singer | Cantor Rabinovitch | 1980-12-17 |
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A Little Romance | Julius | 1979-04-27 |
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Dracula | Prof. Abraham Van Helsing | 1979-07-20 |
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The Betsy | Loren Hardeman | 1978-02-02 |
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The Boys from Brazil | Ezra Lieberman | 1978-10-05 |
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Saturday, Sunday, Monday | Antonio | 1978-01-01 |
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Daphne Laureola | Sir Joseph | 1978-01-15 |
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A Bridge Too Far | Dr. Jan Spaander | 1977-06-15 |
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Come Back, Little Sheba | Doc Delaney | 1977-12-31 |
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The Gentleman Tramp | Narrator | 1976-10-10 |
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The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People | Self | 1976-10-06 |
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Marathon Man | Dr. Christian Szell | 1976-10-08 |
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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Big Daddy | 1976-12-06 |
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The Collection | Harry | 1976-01-01 |
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Love Among the Ruins | Sir Arthur Glanville-Jones | 1976-04-12 |
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The Seven-Per-Cent Solution | Professor James Moriarty | 1976-10-24 |
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The Rehearsal | Self | 1974-01-01 |
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The Merchant of Venice | Shylock | 1973-10-07 |
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Long Day's Journey Into Night | James Tyrone Sr. | 1973-03-10 |
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Sleuth | Andrew Wyke | 1972-12-10 |
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Lady Caroline Lamb | Duke of Wellington | 1972-11-22 |
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Nicholas and Alexandra | Count Witte | 1971-11-29 |
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Tree of Life | Narrator | 1971-01-01 |
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Three Sisters | Dr. Ivan Chebutikin | 1970-04-01 |
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David Copperfield | Mr. Creakle | 1969-12-01 |
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Oh! What a Lovely War | Field Marshal Sir John French | 1969-03-10 |
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Male of the Species | Presenter | 1969-01-03 |
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The Dance of Death | Edgar | 1969-01-01 |
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Battle of Britain | Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding | 1969-09-15 |
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The Shoes of the Fisherman | Piotr Ilyich Kamenev | 1968-11-14 |
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Romeo and Juliet | Narrator (voice) (uncredited) | 1968-04-02 |
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Khartoum | Mahdi | 1966-06-09 |
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Great Acting: Laurence Olivier | Self - Interviewee | 1966-12-31 |
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The Legend of Marilyn Monroe | 1966-11-30 | |
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Olivier Talks About Othello | Self - Host | 1965-01-01 |
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Othello | Othello | 1965-12-15 |
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Bunny Lake Is Missing | Supt. Newhouse | 1965-10-03 |
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The Power and the Glory | Priest | 1963-05-31 |
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Uncle Vanya | Dr. Astrov | 1963-11-20 |
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Term of Trial | Graham Weir | 1962-08-16 |
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The Entertainer | Archie Rice | 1960-07-25 |
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Spartacus | Marcus Licinius Crassus | 1960-10-13 |
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The Moon and Sixpence | Charles Strickland | 1959-10-30 |
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The Devil's Disciple | Gen. Burgoyne | 1959-08-20 |
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The Prince and the Showgirl | The Regent | 1957-06-13 |
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Richard III | Richard III | 1955-12-13 |
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The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci | Narrator | 1953-01-01 |
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A Queen Is Crowned | Narrator | 1953-06-02 |
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The Beggar's Opera | MacHeath | 1953-08-24 |
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Carrie | George Hurstwood | 1952-07-17 |
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The Magic Box | Police Constable 94-B | 1952-01-01 |
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Rebecca | Maxim de winter | 1950-11-06 |
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Hamlet | Hamlet - Prince of Denmark / Voice of Ghost | 1948-12-10 |
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This Happy Breed | Narrator (voice) | 1944-05-28 |
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The Volunteer | Self | 1944-01-10 |
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The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fifth with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France | King Henry | 1944-11-24 |
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The Demi-Paradise | Ivan Kouznetsoff | 1943-11-18 |
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Malta G.C. | Narrator | 1942-01-01 |
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That Hamilton Woman | Lord Horatio Nelson | 1941-04-03 |
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49th Parallel | Johnnie, the Trapper | 1941-11-24 |
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Words for Battle | Narrator (voice) | 1941-01-24 |
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Private lives | Elyot Chase | 1940-10-13 |
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Hollywood: Style Center of the World | Self | 1940-05-29 |
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Rebecca | Maxim de Winter | 1940-03-23 |
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Pride and Prejudice | Mr. Darcy | 1940-07-26 |
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Cavalcade of the Academy Awards | Self | 1940-07-31 |
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21 Days Together | Larry Durrant | 1940-01-07 |
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Wuthering Heights | Heathcliff | 1939-04-07 |
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Q Planes | Tony McVane | 1939-02-21 |
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The Divorce of Lady X | Everard Logan | 1938-01-15 |
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Fire Over England | Michael Ingolby | 1937-03-05 |
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As You Like It | Orlando | 1936-09-02 |
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Moscow Nights | Captain Ivan Ignatoff | 1934-12-23 |
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No Funny Business | Clive Dering | 1933-03-30 |
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Perfect Understanding | Nicholas Randall | 1933-01-15 |
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Westward Passage | Nicholas 'Nick' Allen | 1932-05-27 |
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The Conquest of the Air | Vincent Lunardi | 1931-12-01 |
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The Yellow Ticket | Julian Rolfe | 1931-10-30 |
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Friends and Lovers | Lieutenant Ned Nichols | 1931-10-03 |
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Potiphar's Wife | Straker | 1931-03-28 |
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Too Many Crooks | The Boy | 1930-08-01 |
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The Temporary Widow | Peter Bille | 1930-07-13 |
