Laurence Harvey was a Lithuanian actor and director who came to prominence with his performance in films such as The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Room at the Top (1959), The Alamo (1960), BUtterfield 8 (1960), Darling (1965), Walk on the Wild Side (1962), Romeo and Juliet (1954), The Running Man (1963), The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962), Life at the Top (1965), to name a few.
Born Name
Zvi Mosheh Skikne
Nick Name
Laurence Harvey, Larry
Laurence Harvey as seen in 1973 (Allan Warren / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 3.0)
Age
He was born on October 1, 1928.
Died
He passed away from stomach cancer on November 25, 1973, in Hampstead, London at the age of 45 years.
Sun Sign
Libra
Born Place
Joniškis, Aukštaitija, Lithuania
Nationality
Occupation
Actor, Director
Family
Father – Ber Skikne
Mother – Ella Zotnickaita
Siblings – He had 2 older brothers.
Build
Slim
Height
6 ft 0¼ in or 183.5 cm
Weight
67 kg or 147.5 lbs
Girlfriend / Boyfriend / Spouse
Laurence Harvey had dated –
Hermione Baddeley (1950-1952)
Terry Moore (1952-1953)
Margaret Leighton (1952-1961) – He was married to Margaret Leighton from August 8, 1957, until January 26, 1961, when their divorce was finalized.
June Haver (1954)
Mamie Van Doren (1960)
Lizabeth Scott (1963)
Linda Morand (1965-1966)
Joan Perry (1968-1972) – On October 17, 1968, Joan Perry became Harvey’s second wife. The couple was together until their divorce was finalized on February 14, 1972.Â
Jean Simmons
James Woolf
Paulene Stone (1972-1973) – In the 1960s, he pursued an affair with the English model Paulene Stone while still being married to Perry. Stone gave birth to their daughter Domino Harvey on August 7, 1969. Harvey also adopted Stone’s daughter Sophie Norris from her previous marriage. The couple finally tied the knot on December 31, 1972, and stayed married until Harvey’s sudden death on November 25, 1973.Â
Laurence Harvey and Diane Cilento as seen in the play The Small Servant in 1955 (Arthur Cantor / Wikimedia / Public Domain)
Race / Ethnicity
White
He had Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Blue
Sexual Orientation
Straight
However, he was also rumored to be ‘Gay’ albeit without any substantial proof.
Distinctive Features
Deep voice
Chin dimple
Impeccable diction
Laurence Harvey (left) and Frank Sinatra (right) filming a scene from The Manchurian Candidate (Phil Stanziola / Wikimedia / Public Domain)
Laurence Harvey Facts
He moved with his family to South Africa at the young age of 5 and later to London at the age of 18.
Harvey was among the many actors considered for the role of the suave 007 agent James Bond when the James Bond franchise was launched in 1961. However, Sean Connery eventually stepped into the role.
His only daughter Domino Harvey worked as a bounty hunter in her later life. On June 27, 2005, she died from an accidental overdose of the painkiller Fentanyl at the young age of 35 years.
He picked his stage name Harvey from the Harvey Nichols Group.
A film titled Domino, which was based on his daughter’s life, was released in 2005 starring Keira Knightley in the titular role.
While working opposite Harvey in Walk on the Wild Side (1962), actress Jane Fonda remarked that “Acting opposite Harvey is like acting by yourself–only worse!”.
He was the first ever Lithuanian actor to receive an Academy Award nomination in the ‘Best Actor’ category. He achieved this distinction for his role as Joe Lampton in Room at the Top (1959).
He worked with Elizabeth Taylor in BUtterfield 8 (1960) and Night Watch (1973). The two forged a close friendship that lasted till the end of Harvey’s life.
Featured Image by Allan Warren / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 3.0
