Vivien Leigh

Vivien Leigh (1958)

Vivien Leigh (* 5. November 1913 in Darjiling, India; † 8. July 1967 in London; actually Vivian Mary Hartley) was a British film and theatre actress.

World-wide became it admits with the role of the Scarlett O'Hara in the film of hoist blows (English: Gone with the wind).

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lives

Vivien was the daughter of Ernest Hartley, a rich Börsenmakler, and Gertrude Yackjee. It was born in India, where it theirfirst six Lebensjahre spent. Their parents loved both the literature and announced them already early with the works Rudyard Kiplings, Hans's Christian Andersens one and Lewis Carrolls . 1920 left it Darjiling, in order to return to England.

In England Vivien became for the next eight yearsinto a catholic boarding school skillfully. In the Convent OF the Sacred Heart played it in the group of theatres, cello in the school orchestra and took besides ballet and piano hours. 1928 spent it some months in another convention in San Remo to the Italian Riviera. Subsequently, it terminated theirschool training in the French Auteuil and in the Bavarian alps.

1932 became acquainted with it Leigh Holman. In the May of the same yearly it began to study to the Royal Academy OF drama TIC kind in London play. To 20. Decembers 1932 married Vivien and Leigh, and to 10.October 1933 came its daughter Suzanne to the world.

Vivien bore the housewife existence not for a long time. Already 1934 began it to work on its first film (Things of acres looking UP). In the September of the same yearly she saw for the first time to Laurence Olivier on the stageand began for it to swarms. In the next months it played in some small films and pieces of stage. Its man Leigh was not very much inspired of their “Schwärmerei for the looking plaything” and hoped, her off it would get, around their role as wife and a nut/mother fairlyto become.

1935 successfully stood for Vivien on the stage and arose in several small film productions. The film producer Alexander Korda saw it in The MASK OF four-does and offered to her a contract for ten British films. It turned of it six before it 1938 after Hollywoodwent. While the turning work to Fire over England Vivien Laurence Olivier became acquainted with personally, and the two became soon a pair. In June 1938 Vivien Leigh left its man and pulled with Laurence Olivier into a dwelling in Chelsea. Its daughter Suzanne gave itinto the Obhut of their nut/mother.

During the turning work for Twenty One Days read Vivien Leigh the novel of hoist blown from Margaret the Mitchell:

From the moment I READ of Gone With The wind, I which fascinated by the lovely wayward, tempestuous Scarlett. I felt that Iloved and understood ago, almost as though I had known ago into the flesh. When I heard that the book which tons filmed in Hollywood early in 1939 I longed tons play the partitions. (V. Leigh)

as Laurence Olivier in the autumn 1938 after Hollywood, accompanied it Leigh went, around David O. To become acquainted with Selznick. Selznick was inspired by at that time the actress still unknown in the USA. Vivien had to take language instruction, in order to learn the Southern State accent. Besides it took to singing and ballet hours, in order to improve its voice and attitude. During thatTurning work too of hoist blown the Script was constantly rewritten, which for all actresses and actors involved a large challenge was. Vivien and Laurence hardly saw themselves during this time.

In the summer 1939 the film was turned off, and the premiere in Atlanta in the autumn madeVivien Leigh over night famous. Briefly before Christmas it already began with the turning work to Waterloo Bridge. To 29. February 1940 received it the OSCAR as a best actress. After this success its man Leigh Holman consented finally to the divorce. To 31. August1940 married Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier in Santa Barbara; Katharine Hepburn was their trusting witness. After the turning work for lady Hamilton traveled the pair to London, where Vivien Leigh stood until 1943 with The Doctor's dilemma on the stage. Subsequently, Vivien at one tookRoute to the British troops part.

Neither Laurence nor Vivien had desire to return to Hollywood. During Laurence at Henry V. , signed Vivien Leigh for Caesar and Cleopatra worked. During the turning work she fell heavily, had hysterische accumulations and purged into depressions. Right after thatIt went turning work for several months into a sanatorium, in order to heal the determined Tuberkulose. Already soon it stood however for the stage. The piece of The Skin OF Our Teeth ran during nearly two years (1945/46), again and again by the illness of the Hauptdarstellerininterrupted.

1947 began it with the turning work to Anna Karenina. Although it was because of their illness with difficulty depressive and in psychiatric treatment, it loved the role the Anna. In the years 1948 and 1949 it stood with Laurence Olivier on the stage. The twomade a world tour, which led it until Australia. Because of their constant depressions and alcohol abuse the relationship did not run both any longer well. Laurence had some affairs. In the autumn 1949 Vivien rose in England with the piece of A Streetcar Named the Irish of threshing floor lake Williamsthe stage, and in the year following on it it played the role of the Blanche beside Marlon Brando in the Hollywood filming of the piece. Their performance in the film was so great that it received its second OSCAR for the role as a best actress.

From 1950 on stoodVivien Leigh again increases on the stage. It was however often ill and suffered several times Nervenzusammenbrüche. On Laurence Oliviers urge went it into psychiatric treatment - at the time at that time that was called Elektroschockbehandlung. The 1950er years was a heavy time for Vivien Leigh. Several timesit had to break off because of its state of health turning work. It had heavy memory problems and could therefore no longer regularly in the theatre arise.

1956 now experienced those 43jährige Vivien Leigh to their large astonishment that she was again more schwanger. It lost however the child, which it again ina heavy depression pushed. It underwent again and again of Elektroschockbehandlungen, which led however to heavy Migränen and could not their condition not improve. The relationship with Laurence Olivier worsened increasingly - there were even physical arguments between the two. 1957 began it an affair alsoPeter Finch. 1958 stood for Vivien the stage. The marriage with Laurence Olivier insisted at this time only on the paper - Laurence did not have its illness misunderstood like their physicians and was any more ready, their “hysteria” longer to accept evenly in such a way. Withthe actress Joan Plowright it began a new life. 1960 he asked Vivien for the divorce, so that he could marry Joan.

In the years 1960/61 Vivien Leigh purged ever more deeply into depressions and underwent to several shock treatments. She drank very much, stepped however stillsuccessfully on the stage up. It pulled together OF Mrs with her lover, the stage actor John Merivale and began with the turning work to The novel jumps. Stone. She received good criticisms for this film, which improved its health in such a way that her again in the theatreto arise wanted. 1963 convinced it in the musical Tovarich, for which she was honoured with the Tony Award. It was however like that exerting the appearances that she had a Burnout and again into the psychiatric hospital had. From now on she was cared for by a nurseand accompanies.

1964 had recovered so far it that she traveled after Hollywood, in order to turn Ship OF Fools - their last film -. The turning work had to be interrupted several times, because Vivien underwent again of shock treatments. Also their physical condition worsened increasingly, andit had trouble to through-be entitled the dance scenes of the film.

1965 tourte it with the piece of Ivanov of Anton P. Tschechow in England and the USA. Exhausted she visited thereafter several sanatoriums in France and Greece. In May 1967 it became again very ill: the Tuberkulosewith full Kraft had returned. To 7. July 1967 found dead to her life companion, John Merivale, it lying on the soil of their bedroom.

Only the Autopsie showed that Vivien Leigh had suffered the whole time over from a form of chronic Tuberkulose. Their heavy depressions,Changes in mood and hysterischen accumulations, which destroyed their career and their relationship with Laurence Olivier, were a well-known accompaniment of this illness.

[Work on]

films

as well as numerous theatre performances

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literature

  • Adolf Heinzlmeier: Vivien Leigh. The lady., in Adolf Heinzlmeier, Berndt Schulz, Karsten of jokes: The Unsterblichen of the cinema. Volume 2: Gloss and myth the star and of the 50's 40's. S. Fischer, Frankfurt/Main 1980, ISBN 3-596-23658-4, S. 71-76
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person data
NAME Leigh, Vivien
ALTERNATIVE NAME Vivian Mary Hartley (actually)
SHORT DESCRIPTION British film and theatre actress
DATE OF BIRTH 5. November 1913
PLACE OF BIRTH Darjiling, India
DYING DATE 8. July 1967
DYING PLACE London, Great Britain
 

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