Laurence Olivier's biography

Laurence Kerr Olivier is 82 years old film actor born at Dorking. Laurence was born on Wednesday 22nd of May 1907. Laurence is often nicknamed as Larry, Larry-Boy, Baron Olivier, Kim, Sir Laurence Olivier, Lieutenant Laurence Olivier RNVR, Baron Olivier of Brighton, Lord Olivier. According to year of birth 1907 he belongs to Greatest Generation. Birthday on 22nd of May means Laurence is Gemini. Gemini is a dual sign of Zodiac Belt. One born with this rising sign is very dual and creative in nature with lots of verbosity. They are the most expressive people as they love talking.He was married 3 times.

Laurence is white british. He is citizen of United Kingdom. Laurence is anglican / episcopalian. His primary profession is to be film actor. You can know him also as theatrical director, film director, politician, film producer, screenwriter, character actor, stage actor, television actor, actor, director. He is recently known as dramaturge.

Laurence Olivier's dad

Laurence Olivier's father's name is Gerald Kerr Olivier.

Laurence Olivier's mom

Laurence Olivier's mother's name is Agnes Louise Crookenden.

Laurence Olivier's family

Laurence Olivier's ex spouses

Vivien Leigh

Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh have been together since 1940 for 20 years. Vivien is known as film actor. His ex spouse was born on Wednesday 5th of November 1913. His ex spouse died on Saturday 8th of July 1967 in Eaton Square. Vivien Leigh was 60 years old, when this happened.

Joan Plowright

Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright have been together since 1961 for 28 years. She is known as actor. Laurence´s ex spouse was born on Monday 28th of October 1929 in Brigg.

Jill Esmond

Laurence Olivier and Jill Esmond have been together since 1930 for 10 years. She is known as actor. His ex spouse was born on Sunday 26th of January 1908 in London. Laurence´s ex spouse died on Saturday 28th of July 1990 in Wimbledon. Jill Esmond was 83 years old, when this happened.

He has 1 son and 1 daughter

Laurence Olivier's son: Richard Olivier

Laurence Olivier's son's name is Richard Olivier. He is known as screenwriter. Laurence´s son was born on Sunday 3rd of December 1961 in Hove.

Laurence Olivier's daughter: Tamsin Olivier

Laurence Olivier's daughter's name is Tamsin Olivier. She is known as actor. Laurence´s daughter was born on Thursday 10th of January 1963.

Laurence Olivier's schools

We found 2 schools Laurence attended. Complete list of schools: Central School of Speech and Drama, St Edward's School.

Detailed informations about Laurence´s schools

Attended the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England.
Attended St. Edward's School, Oxford, a top British Boarding school.

Laurence Olivier's career

His main focus is to be film actor. Laurence is famous thanks to Hamlet (1948). You could see him also in Hamlet, The Jazz Singer, Inchon, The Moon and Sixpence, King Lear, Brideshead Revisited and many more. He is also a member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Is Laurence Olivier gay ?

Laurence is known to be bisexual.

How did Laurence Olivier die

He died on on Tuesday 11th of July 1989 when he was 82 years old at West Sussex. Laurence Oliviers death was caused by complications from a muscle disorder. It happend like natural causes.

Awards and competitions

Laurence Olivier's Awards

Knighted in the 1947 King's Birthday Honours List, made a life peer in the 1970 Queen's Birthday Honours List, awarded the Order of Merit in 1981.
Won three Best Actor Awards from the New York Film Critics Circle: as the eponymous protagonists of Shakespeare's Henry V (1944) and Hamlet (1948), and as the mystery writer in Sleuth (1972).
Was the first person to direct himself to a Best Actor Academy Award (in Hamlet (1948)).
Was awarded a life peer on June 13, 1970 in the Queen's Birthday Honours as Baron Olivier, of Brighton in the County of Sussex, the first actor to be accorded this distinction.
Was awarded a Knight Bachelor on June 12, 1947 in the King's Birthday Honours, becoming at age 40 the youngest actor so honored. Sir Cedric Hardwicke, knighted at age 41, had previously held the record.
He appeared in two Best Picture Academy Award winners: Rebecca (1940) and Hamlet (1948). He also directed the latter.
He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dr. Christian Szell in Marathon Man (1976). Kenneth Branagh was nominated for the same award for playing Olivier in My Week with Marilyn (2011).
He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6319 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.
Won a Special Tony Award in 1969 For Distinguished Achievement in Theatre.
Grammy Award Nomination - 7th Annual Grammy Awards (1964) Best Documentary, Spoken Word or Drama Recording ( Other Than Comedy) Shakespeare: Othello (Album).

Laurence Olivier's Rankings

10/97: Ranked #46 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.
2001: Ranked tenth in the Orange Film Survey of greatest British actors.
2006: His performance as Richard III in Richard III (1955) is ranked #39 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time.

Laurence Olivier's Nominations

He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for work Marathon Man in 1976
Laurence was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor
He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor
Laurence was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor
He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor
Laurence was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor
He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor
Laurence was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor
He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor
Laurence was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor
Laurence was nominated for Academy Award for Best Director
Laurence was nominated for Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor for work The Jazz Singer in 1981
He was nominated for Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor for work Inchon in 1983

What else you don't know about Laurence Olivier ?

Laurence´s middle name is Kerr.

What Laurence Olivier has done for a first time

Was the first person to direct himself to a Best Actor Academy Award (in Hamlet (1948)).
When Olivier first arrived in Hollywood in 1932, his height was measured at exactly five feet ten inches and his weight at 145 lbs.
Was director John Frankenheimer's first choice for the lead in Seconds (1966), but the producers did not want Olivier as he was not a box office draw. Rock Hudson was cast instead.
Was awarded a life peer on June 13, 1970 in the Queen's Birthday Honours as Baron Olivier, of Brighton in the County of Sussex, the first actor to be accorded this distinction.
Was the first actor to have won both an Oscar and a Razzie, having won the Oscar for Best Actor for Hamlet (1948) and the Razzies for Worst Supporting Actor for The Jazz Singer (1980) and Worst Actor for Inchon (1981).
The actor's first success of any kind, was during his time at the Birmingham Rep in the late 1920s.

Laurence Olivier's quotes

Acting is illusion, as much illusion as magic is, and not so much a matter of being real.
Without acting, I cannot breathe.
Of all the things I've done in life, directing a motion picture is the most beautiful. It's the most exciting and the nearest than an interpretive craftsman, such as an actor can possibly get to being a creator.
If I wasn't an actor, I think I'd have gone mad. You have to have extra voltage, some extra temperament to reach certain heights. Art is a little bit larger than life - it's an exhalation of life and I think you probably need a little touch of madness.
Work is life for me, it is the only point of life - and with it there is almost religious belief that service is everything.
[In 1979] You must have - besides intuition and sensitivity - a cutting edge that allows you to reach what you need. Also, you have to know life - bastards included - and it takes a bit of one to know one, don't you think?
[the only acting advice he would give] What is acting but lying and what is good lying but convincing lying?
Acting is a masochistic form of exhibitionism. It is not quite the occupation of an adult.
I'm England, that's all.
[on Method acting] All this talk about the Method, the Method! WHAT method? I thought each of us had our OWN method!
[to a young actress who complained she was not taken seriously because she was a blonde] But my dear, it was your decision!
[January 1970] I don't know what is better than the work that is given to the actor - to teach the human heart the knowledge of itself.
[first address to the House of Lords, 1971] I believe in the theater; I believe in it as the first glamorizer of thought. It restores dramatic dynamics and their relations to life size.
[first address in the House of Lords, 1971] I believe that in a great city, or even in a small city or a village, a great theater is the outward and visible sign of an inward and probable culture.
Surely we have always acted; it is an instinct inherent in all of us. Some of us are better at it than others, but we all do it.
We have all, at one time or another, been performers, and many of us still are - politicians, playboys, cardinals and kings.
The actor should be able to create the universe in the palm of his hand.
I often think that could we creep behind the actor's eyes, we would find an attic of forgotten toys and a copy of the Domesday Book.
My stage successes have provided me with the greatest moments outside myself, my film successes the best moments, professionally, within myself.
[May 1958, on playing Macbeth at age 30 and age 48] When you're a young man, Macbeth is a character part. When you're older, it's a straight part.
I like to appear as a chameleon. So all my career I've attempted to disguise myself.
I'm afraid I probably outrage the Method people.
[upon seeing Dustin Hoffman's "method" acting technique of not sleeping and making a mess of himself to get into character while shooting Marathon Man (1976)] Dear boy, it's called acting.
[When asked by Barry Norman why he had taken on the role of the Mahdi in Khartoum (1966), for which he was so obviously ill-suited] One doesn't do everything for artistic reasons, dear boy.
[to 1979 Academy Awards show writer Buz Kohan, after receiving his honorary Oscar] God, I mucked that up. I had no idea what I was saying but I didn't want to stop.
[1989] Time I was gone. Time I was dead.
[on ex-wife Vivien Leigh] We were like brother and sister, just as she always wanted. But fortunately, occasional incest was allowed.
[on Spencer Tracy] I've learned more about acting from watching Tracy than in any other way.
[on Vivien Leigh] Parts seem to haunt more actresses than actors. Poor darling Vivien was very much haunted. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) didn't do her any good at all.
[on actress Ann Harding] The pretty and highly regarded Ann Harding, a woman of great charm, integrity and beauty.
[on Charles Laughton] The only actor of genius I've ever met.
[on Michael Caine] Wonderfully good company, ceaselessly funny and a brilliant actor.
[on Marilyn Monroe] A professional amateur.
[on needing to reshoot their torture scene in Marathon Man (1976) because Method actor Dustin Hoffman had gotten excessively drunk the first time so he'd look really out of it] Oh, why doesn't he just *act*?
[on Marlon Brando] Brando acted with an empathy and an instinctual understanding that not even the greatest technical performers could possibly match.
[on Marilyn Monroe] Look at that face - she could be five years old.
[to a female costar] If I get an erection I apologize. If I don't get an erection I apologize.

Laurence Olivier's height, body shape, eye color

Lets describe how Laurence Olivier looks. We will focus on Laurence´s height, body shape, eye color and hair color. He is tall as 5' 10" (178 cm). Body build is athletic. His eyes are tinted grey. Laurence´s hair is shade of brown - dark.

Laurence Olivier