Vivien Leigh Biography

Vivien Mary Hartley was born in India in 1913. Returning to England aged 6, she was later sent to European finishing schools across Europe, becoming fluent in French and Italian.

At 19, she married Leigh Holman, a British barrister, and had a daughter, Suzanne, in 1933.

Attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she made her first major stage appearance in 1935, in 'The Mask of Virtue' and her film debut in 'Things are Looking Up' the same year.

In 1937, she met and made her first screen appearance opposite the rising star, Laurence Olivier, in 'Fire Over England'.

Determined to seduce him - even though both were married - they became lovers by the end the year.

In 1938, moving to Hollywood to be with Olivier, she landed the role of Scarlet O’Hara in 'Gone With The Wind'. Now a star, she picked up a Best Actress Oscar.

Marrying Olivier in August 1940, she appeared alongside him in a US production of 'Romeo and Juliet'. They also co-starred in the films '21 Days' (1940) and 'That Hamilton Woman' (1941).

Returning to London, they collaborated on productions of 'Macbeth' and 'Antony and Cleopatra'. Whilst rehearsing for Shaw’s 'Caesar and Cleo', a pregnant Leigh fell and miscarried.

As a result of her deteriorating mental and physical health, her film output was small, and she began to undergo shock therapy in the late 1940s.

Her health then improved somewhat, and her stand-out role in 1951 was opposite Marlon Brando, in 'A Streetcar Named Desire', for which she received another Best Actress Oscar.

She and Olivier were divorced in 1960, as she began to shine on Broadway, especially in 'Tovarich', for which she won a 1963 Tony Award.

With her health deteriorating, her stamina diminished and, after appearing on stage with her new companion, Jack Merivale, in 'Ivanov', in 1966, her health declined markedly, and she died of tuberculosis in London on 8th July 1967.