Vivien Leigh
Vivien Mary Hartley was born on November 5, 1913 in Darjeeling, India a strange place for one of the world's most celebrated actresses to be born. She was to live in this beautiful country for the next six years. Her parents wanted to come back to England but because of The Great War (W.W.I) they opted to stay in India. At the end of the war the Hartley's headed back to their home country where Vivien's mother wanted her daughter to have a convent education. She was one of the youngest in attendance. While there her mother came for a visit and took her to a play on London's legendary West Side. It was there that Vivien decided to become an actress.
Vivien with Laurence Olivier.
At the end of her education, she met and married Herbert Leigh Holman in 1932 and together had a child named Suzanne in 1933. Though she enjoyed motherhood, it did not squelch her ambition to be an actress. Her first role in British motion pictures was as Rose Venables in 1935's THE VILLAGE SQUIRE. That same year Vivien appeared in THINGS ARE LOOKING UP, LOOK UP AND LAUGH, and GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT. In 1938, Vivien went to the US to see her lover Laurence Olivier who was filming WUTHERING HEIGHTS (she had left her husband in 1937). While visiting Olivier Vivien had the good luck to happen upon the Selznick brothers who were filming the burning of Atlanta for the film, GONE WITH THE WIND, based on Margaret Mitchell's novel. The role of Scarlett O'Hara had yet to be cast and she was invited to take part in a screen test for the role. There had already been much talk, in Hollywood, about who was to be cast as Scarlett. There were some big names that had tried out for the part, namely--Norma Shearer, Katherine Hepburn, and Paulette Goddard. In fact, most in the entertainment circles felt that Miss Goddard was a sure bet for the part.
Vivien with Clark Gable in "Gone with the Wind".
However, four days after the screen test, Vivien was informed that she had landed the coveted slot. The rest as they say is history. GONE WITH THE WIND became one of the most celebrated films in the annals of film. Not only did GWTW win Best Picture during the Academy Awards, but Vivien won for Best Actress. Already she was a household name. In 1940, she made two films, WATERLOO BRIDGE and 21 DAYS though neither approached the magnetism of GWTW. That same year saw Vivien marry Olivier and together appeared in THAT HAMILTON WOMAN in 1941. By the time of the filming of CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA (1944) her life began to unravel. Vivien had suffered two miscarriages, tuberculosis, and was diagnosed as a manic depressive. However her public was still enthralled with her. She rebounded nicely for her role as Blanche DuBois for her second Oscar winning performance in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE opposite Marlon Brando in 1951. She wasn't heard from much after that. She made a film in 1955 (THE DEEP BLUE SEA) and didn't appear again until 1961 in THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS. STONE. Vivien's final turn on the silver screen came in 1965's SHIP OF FOOLS and that was a small part. Vivien died at the age of 53 after a severe bout of tuberculosis on July 7, 1967.
Biography Courtesy: Denny C. Jackson.
Vivien with Marlon Brando in "A Streetcar Named Desire".
Crystal's Favorite Vivien Leigh Films:
Gone with the Wind (1939) - Scarlett O'Hara
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) - Blanche DuBois
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