| Vivien Leigh Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 3 in |
| Weight | 54 kg |
| Date of Birth | November 5, 1913 |
| Zodiac Sign | Scorpio |
| Eye Color | Ice Blue |
Vivien Leigh was a British film actress who won the “Best Actress” award twice at the Academy Awards for her memorable performances – in 1939 for Gone with the Wind and in 1951 for A Streetcar Named Desire. She also earned considerable acclaim for her work in the world of theatre where she played iconic Shakespearean characters such as Ophelia, Cleopatra, Juliet, and Lady Macbeth. She worked in numerous film and theatre productions with acclaimed actors and her 2nd husband Laurence Olivier. In 1999, she was ranked at number 16 in the American Film Institute’s list of “Greatest Female Movie Stars”.
Born Name
Vivian Mary Hartley
Nick Name
Lady Olivier, Viv, V, Vivling
Age
Vivien was born on November 5, 1913.
Died
She died on July 8, 1967, due to tuberculosis in Belgravia, London, United Kingdom. She was 53 years old at the time of her death.
Sun Sign
Scorpio
Born Place
Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency, British India
Nationality
Education
Vivien attended the Loreto Convent in Darjeeling, India as a school student. When her parents moved back to England, she attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart in London.
As her parents traveled across Europe, she also studied at schools in Dinard (France), Biarritz (France), and at the Sacred Heart in San Remo (Italy). Upon her return to England, she enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, in 1931 but quit the course after her first marriage in 1932.
Occupation
Actress
Family
- Father – Ernest Richard Hartley (Broker, Cavalry Trainer)
- Mother – Gertrude Mary Frances (née Yackjee)
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 3 in or 160 cm
Weight
54 kg or 119 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
Vivien had dated –
- Peter O’Toole
- Herbert Holman (1932-1940) – Vivien Leigh and barrister Herbert Holman got married in 1932. They had one daughter together named Suzanne Holman (b. October 12, 1933).
- Alexander Korda (1935)
- Richard Burton
- Laurence Olivier (1936-1960) – Vivien Leigh and famous actor Laurence Olivier got married on August 31, 1940. After 2 decades of marriage, they got divorced on December 2, 1960.
- Justin Mitchell (1939)
- Rex Harrison
- Peter Finch (1948-1953)
- Elia Kazan (1951)
- Orson Welles (1951)
- Marlon Brando (1951)
- Warren Beatty (1961) – Rumored
- John Merivale (1961-1967)
Race / Ethnicity
Multiracial (White and Asian)
She was of Scottish descent on her father’s side and of Irish, Armenian, and Indian ancestry on her mother’s side.
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Eye Color
Ice Blue
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Raised Right eyebrow
- Cryptic, ethereal smile
- Smoldering eyes
- Neck-length frizzy hair
Religion
Roman Catholicism
Vivien Leigh Favorite Things
- Pets – Dogs, Cats
- Author – Charles Dickens
- Cuisine – French
Vivien Leigh Facts
- Vivien made her first stage appearance at the age of just 3 when she performed in her mother’s amateur theatre group.
- Owing to her schooling in France and Italy, Vivien became fluent in both Spanish and Italian.
- Vivien won the “Best Leading Actress in a Musical” at the Tony Awards for her work in the theatre musical Tovarich (1963).
- Through much of her adult life, Vivien suffered from bipolar disorder. She was also diagnosed with chronic tuberculosis in the mid-1940s, which ultimately became the cause of her demise.
- In 1985, she was honored by the British Government which included her in a series of postage stamps to commemorate ‘British Film Year’.
- In 1994, the National Library of Australia bought an album that belonged to Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. It contained pictures from the couple’s 1948 visit to Australia. The album is now preserved as part of the historical record of the performing arts in Australia.
- She was also included in the ‘Centenary of Cinema’ stamp issue in 1996 as well as in a 2013 series of stamps that celebrated her 100th birth anniversary. This gave her the unique distinction of being the first non-royal to feature on British stamps on more than 2 occasions.
- Vivien was known to have a near-photographic memory. She could memorize all lines from her scripts after just one or two readings.
Featured Image by Trailer screenshot / Wikimedia / Public Domain
