Vivien Leigh Biography

Fast Facts

• Garnered numerous awards for her stage work, in addition to film, as she was honored with a Tony Award in 1963 for her work on "Tovarich․"
• Ranked No․ 16 on the American Film Institute's "100 Years․․․ 100 Stars" list for Female Legends
• Because of her early upbringing in South Africa, Leigh's mother insisted she receive a proper education in London and sent her to the Convent of the Sacred Heart
• First stage appearance was at the age of three when she recited "Little Bo Beep" for her mother's amateur theater group, expressed a desire to become an actress at six and was later enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London as a teen
• Quote: "People think that if you look fairly reasonable, you can't possibly act, and as I only care about acting, I think beauty can be a great handicap․"
• Quote: "Some critics saw fit to be as foolish as to say that I was a great actress․ And I thought, that was a foolish, wicked thing to say, because it put such an onus and such a responsibility onto me, which I simply wasn't able to carry․"
• Died at her home in 1967 at the age of 53 with ex-husband Laurence Olivier by her side after a long struggle with tuberculosis and mental illness
• Best known for her role as Scarlett O'Hara in the iconic 1939 film "Gone with the Wind․"
• Gained international recognition early in her career, as she landed the role of Scarlett O'Hara in 1939's "Gone With the Wind" only four years after her big screen debut
• Gravitated toward stage work while not in Hollywood, she played iconic roles such as Shakespeare's Juliet, Cleopatra and Lady Macbeth
• Well-known in her later years for rapid mood swings and turbulent relationships, as ex-husband Laurence Olivier always described a feeling of guilt as to leaving her in such a vulnerable state before marrying Joan Plowright
• After contracting tuberculosis in South Africa, suffering from two miscarriages, and diagnosed as a manic depressive, Leigh returned to filming "Caesar and Cleopatra" and "Anna Karenina" in 1945
• A romantic relationship developed between her and actor Laurence Olivier after he saw her performance in the stage production "The Mask of Virtue," and later worked together in the film "Fire Over London․"
• First British Actress to receive an Academy Award, she won Best Actress for her role as Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind․"