Home> Facts and Trivia > Stars > Olivia de Havilland
Olivia de Havilland Facts
| Sign | Cancer |
| Born |
Jul 1, 1916 Tokyo, Japan |
| Died |
Jul 25, 2020 Paris, France |
| Age | Died at 104 |
| Total Facts | 61 |
She holds the record for the most people thanked in an Oscar acceptance speech (27) when she accepted the award for Best Actress for To Each His Own (1946).
She made a special appearance at the The 75th Annual Academy Awards (2003) (TV) and received a well-deserved standing ovation.
She was awarded the 2008 American National Medal of the Arts by President George Walker Bush in Washington D.C.
Showed flair as a writer when "Every Fenchman Has One," a lighthearted autobiographical account of her attempts at adapting to French life, was published in 1962.
The role of Lisolette Mueller in the The Towering Inferno (1974) was originally offered to her. It was eventually played by Jennifer Jones.
Trigger (then named Golden Cloud) was the horse ridden by Olivia de Havilland in Robin Hood. Roy Rogers admired the horse so much that he bought Trigger to use in his own films. This eventually made Trigger one of the most famous animals in show business.
Turned down the role of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), allegedly stating that "A lady just doesn't say or do those things on the screen". De Havilland set the record straight in a 2006 interview, saying that she had recently given birth to her son when offered the part and was unable to relate to the material.
Was offered the role of Mary Hatch Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life (1946) after Jean Arthur turned it down, but she also turned down the part. Donna Reed was cast instead and it went on to be one of her most famous performances.
Was romantically involved with James Stewart, Howard Hughes, John Huston in the late 1930s.
Was somewhat overweight when she first came to Paramount, yet Edith Head was able to design costumes with a slimming effect.
When she was 9 years old, she made a will in which she stated, "I bequeath all my beauty to my younger sister Joan [Joan Fontaine], since she has none".