Vivien Leigh
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- November 5, 1913
- Died
- July 7, 1967 (aged 53)
- Birthplace
- Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency, British India [now West Bengal, India]
Biography
Vivien Leigh (November 5, 1913 – July 8, 1967) was an English actress renowned for her roles in Hollywood and British theater. She won two Academy Awards for Best Actress, portraying Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), both performances that solidified her place among the greatest actresses of classic cinema. Leigh was the only child of Ernest Hartley, a British broker, and Gertrude Yackjee, who had Anglo-Indian and Armenian ancestry. She spent her childhood between England and Europe, attending convent schools before enrolling at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London in 1932, setting the stage for her acting career. Her film debut came in Things Are Looking Up (1934), followed by roles in British films such as Fire Over England (1937), where she starred alongside Laurence Olivier. Their professional collaboration soon became a high-profile romance, capturing public fascination. Leigh’s breakthrough role was Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939), a part for which she beat hundreds of actresses in a legendary casting search. The film became one of the most celebrated in cinematic history, and her performance earned international acclaim, securing her first Academy Award. Leigh continued to star in films such as Waterloo Bridge (1940) and That Hamilton Woman (1941), frequently working with Olivier, whom she married in 1940. Their union lasted 20 years, during which they became one of the most revered couples in theater and film, starring together in Shakespearean productions and three films. In 1951, she won her second Academy Award for A Streetcar Named Desire, where her portrayal of Blanche DuBois was deeply personal, reflecting her own struggles with mental health. Leigh suffered from bipolar disorder, which profoundly affected her career and personal relationships. She also battled chronic tuberculosis, first diagnosed in the mid-1940s, which ultimately led to her death on July 8, 1967, at the age of 53. After divorcing Olivier in 1960, she found companionship with actor John Merivale, who remained by her side until her passing. Despite periods of career instability, Leigh remains one of the most celebrated actresses of her time. In 1999, the American Film Institute (AFI) ranked her as the 16th greatest female movie star of classic Hollywood cinema. She also won a Tony Award for Tovarich (1963), proving her talent extended beyond film. Her beauty, talent, and dedication made her an enduring icon, and her performances continue to be studied and celebrated worldwide.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Charmed Lives: A Family Romance
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Faye
Movie · as Self - Actress: 'A Streetcar Named Desire' (archive footage)
1939: Secrets of Hollywood's Golden Year
TV · 1 ep
Black Star
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Vivien Leigh, autant en emporte le vent
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Gone with the Wind – Makeup and Wardrobe Tests
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Churchill and the Movie Mogul
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The Vivien Leigh Archive at the V&A
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The Greats: Vivien Leigh
Movie · as Self (Archive footage)
Jornal Português (1938-1951)
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave a Damn
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Iconic Couples of Hollywood
TV · as Self (archive footage) · 1 ep
The Selznick Studios Retrospective Backlot Tour
Movie · as (in "Gone with the Wind") (archive footage)
Before She Was Scarlet O'Hara: An Interview with Anne Edwards
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
A Streetcar on Broadway
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
A Streetcar in Hollywood
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Desire and Censorship
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
An Actor Named Brando
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
North and the Music of the South
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Melanie Remembers: Reflections by Olivia de Havilland
Movie · as Herself (archive footage)
The Prince, The Showgirl and Me
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Restoring a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Movie · as Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" (archive footage)
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Sir John Mills' Moving Memories
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Vivien Leigh: A Delicate Balance
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Glorious Technicolor
Movie · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Legends in Light: The Photography of George Hurrell
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Elia Kazan: A Director's Journey
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
That's Entertainment! III
Movie · as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Korda: I Don't Grow on Trees: Part One
Movie · as Self
Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
Movie · as (archive footage) (uncredited)
All-Time Movie Greats
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Marilyn Monroe
Movie · as archive footage
That's Dancing!
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Movie · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Laurence Olivier: A Life
Movie · as Self ( Archive footage )
That's Entertainment, Part II
Movie · as (archive footage)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The Extraordinary Seaman
Movie · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Ivanov
Movie · as Anna Petrovna
Ship of Fools
Movie · as Mary Treadwell
Tovarich
Movie · as Tatiana
Antony and Cleopatra
Movie · as Cleopatra
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
Movie · as Karen Stone
Hollywood: The Selznick Years
Movie · as Self (uncredited)
The Skin of Our Teeth
Movie · as Lily Sabina
Small World: Vivien Leigh
Movie · as Self
Small World
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Deep Blue Sea
Movie · as Hester Collyer
Elephant Walk
Movie · as Ruth Wiley (Wide shots) (Uncredited)
A Streetcar Named Desire
Movie · as Blanche DuBois
The Screen Director
Movie · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Rebecca
Movie · as Mrs. de winter
The BAFTA Awards
TV · as Self - Host · 1 ep
Anna Karenina
Movie · as Anna Karenina
The Ed Sullivan Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Caesar and Cleopatra
Movie · as Cleopatra
British Pathé: Vivien Leigh & Laurence Olivier
Movie · as Self
That Hamilton Woman
Movie · as Emma, Lady Hamilton
Waterloo Bridge
Movie · as Myra
21 Days
Movie · as Wanda
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
Movie · as Self
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Movie · as Self
Private Lives
Movie · as Amanda Prynne
Gone with the Wind
Movie · as Scarlett O'Hara
St. Martin's Lane
Movie · as Liberty
British Pathé Newsreels: Gone with the Wind
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
A Yank at Oxford
Movie · as Elsa Craddock
Fire Over England
Movie · as Cynthia
Dark Journey
Movie · as Madeleine Goddard
Storm in a Teacup
Movie · as Victoria Gow
The Village Squire
Movie · as Rose Venables
Things Are Looking Up
Movie · as Unnamed Schoolgirl
Look Up and Laugh
Movie · as Marjorie Belfer
Gentlemen's Agreement
Movie · as Phil Stanley