Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (/ˈlÉ'rÉ™ns ˈkÉœË r
əˈlɪvieɪ/; 22 May 1907 â€" 11 July 1989) was an English actor and
director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John
Gielgud, was one of a trinity of male actors who 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 Peggy 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 Spartacus (1960), 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.
əˈlɪvieɪ/; 22 May 1907 â€" 11 July 1989) was an English actor and
director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John
Gielgud, was one of a trinity of male actors who 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 Peggy 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 Spartacus (1960), 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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