Home> Facts and Trivia > Stars > Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh Facts
| Sign | Scorpio |
| Born |
Nov 5, 1913 Darjeeling, British India. [now India] |
| Died |
Jul 7, 1967 Belgravia, London |
| Age | Died at 53 |
| Total Facts | 58 |
Peter Finch was discovered by Laurence Olivier in 1948 when Olivier and his theatrical company, which included wife Leigh, were conducting a tour of Australia, Olivier signed the young Aussie to a personal contract and Finch became part of Olivier's theatrical company. He then proceeded to cuckold his mentor and employer by bedding Leigh. Olivier was personally humiliated but ever the trouper, he kept the talented Finch under contract after having brought him back to England, where Finch flourished as an actor. Finch and Leigh carried on a long affair, and since Leigh was bipolar and her manic-depression frequently manifested itself in nymphomania, some speculate that Olivier subconsciously might have been grateful for Finch as he occupied Leigh's hours and kept her out of worse trouble and Olivier from even worse embarrassment. Their on-again, off-again affair reportedly reached a crisis point on the movie Elephant Walk (1954), when they had renewed their affair. However, the instability of their relationship allegedly triggered a nervous breakdown in Leigh, and Olivier had to step in to take care of her.
Laurence Olivier wrote in his autobiography, "Confessions of an Actor," that sometime after World War II, Leigh announced calmly that she was no longer in love with him, but loved him like a brother. Olivier was emotionally devastated. What he did not know at the time was that Leigh's declaration -- and her subsequent affairs with multiple partners -- was a signal of the bipolar disorder that eventually disrupted her life and career. Leigh had every intention of remaining married to Olivier, but was no longer interested in him romantically. Olivier himself began having affairs (including one with Claire Bloom in the 1950s, according to Bloom's own autobiography) as Leigh's eye and amorous intentions wandered and roamed outside of the marital bedchamber. Olivier had to accompany Leigh to Hollywood in 1950 in order to keep an eye on her and keep her out of trouble, to ensure that her manic-depression did not get out of hand and disrupt the production of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). In order to do so, he accepted a part in William Wyler's Carrie (1952) that was shot at the same time as "Streetcar". The Olivie
Laurence Olivier's first wife, Jill Esmond, named Vivien as co-respondent in her February 1940 divorce from Olivier on grounds of adultery. Vivien would name Joan Plowright - Olivier's next and last wife - as co-respondent in her 1960 divorce from Olivier, also on grounds of adultery.
A heavy smoker, Leigh was smoking almost four packs a day during filming of Gone with the Wind (1939).
A lover of cats, especially Siamese.
According to legend, Myron Selznick introduced Vivien to his brother - Gone with the Wind (1939) producer David O. Selznick - with the words, "Hey, genius! Meet your Scarlett."
After Joan Crawford quit filming Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) Leigh was offered her role but she, however, turned it down. Olivia de Havilland, Leigh's co-star in Gone with the Wind (1939) was then offered and accepted the role.
After cremation at Golders Green, London, her ashes were scattered on the mill pond at her home, Tickerage Mill, at Blackboys in Sussex.
Although she was a British subject for her whole life, her ancestry was French and Irish.
As of 2008, she is only one of six actors who have a 2-0 winning record when nominated for an acting Oscar. The others are Luise Rainer for The Great Ziegfeld (1936) and The Good Earth (1937); Helen Hayes for The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931) and Airport (1970); Sally Field for Norma Rae (1979) and Places in the Heart (1984); Kevin Spacey for The Usual Suspects (1995) and American Beauty (1999); and Hilary Swank for Boys Don't Cry (1999) and Million Dollar Baby (2004).
Became pregnant twice (in 1944 and 1955) during her marriage to Laurence Olivier; she suffered miscarriages on both occasions.
Claimed that when she tested for Gone with the Wind (1939), the costume was still warm from the actress who preceded her.
Despite her legendary stature, Leigh made fewer than twenty films in her career.
Eventually, Vivien needed shock therapy to control her manic depression. Sometimes she would go on stage just hours after her treatments, without missing a beat in her performance.
Ex-stepmother of Tarquin Olivier.
Gave birth to her daughter, Suzanne Farrington, during her marriage to Herbert Leigh Holman.
Gertrude Hartley, while awaiting the birth of her child in Darjeeling, spent 15 minutes every morning gazing at the Himalayas in the belief that their astonishing beauty would be passed to her unborn child.
Godmother of actress Juliet Mills.
Great grandchildren are: Ashua, Amy, Sophie and Tessa. The great grandchildren, the girls in particular, bear a striking resemblance to Suzanne.
Had an affair with actor Peter Finch that nearly ended her marriage to Laurence Olivier. The movie The V.I.P.s (1963) is based on an incident from Leigh's and Olivier's marriage, when she was about to leave him for Finch but Olivier wooed her back.
Has three grandsons: Neville Farrington (b. December 4 1958), Jonathan Farrington (b. May 13 1961) and Rupert Farrington (b. Aug 31 1962)
Her father was a full-blooded Englishmen, while her mother was of French and Irish descent.
Her favorite role was that of Myra Lester, which she played in Waterloo Bridge (1940).
Her performance as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) is ranked #3 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
In February 1940, Jill Esmond agreed to divorce Lawrence Olivier; and Herbert Holman agreed to divorce Vivian Leigh, although they maintained a strong friendship for the rest of Leigh's life. Esmond was granted custody of Tarquin, her son with Olivier; and Holman was granted custody of Suzanne, his daughter with Leigh. On 31 August 1940, Olivier and Leigh were married in Santa Barbara, California, in a ceremony attended only by their witnesses, Katharine Hepburn and Garson Kanin.
Is portrayed by Morgan Brittany in The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980) (TV) and by Mel Martin in Darlings of the Gods (1989) (TV)
Kept Laurence Olivier's photograph beside her bed and on her dressing table even after they divorced. Until her death she was addressed as "Lady Olivier."
Laurence Olivier saw Vivian Leigh in The Mask of Virtue, and friendship developed after he congratulated her on her performance. Olivier and Leigh began an affair after acting as lovers in Fire Over England (1937), when Olivier was married to actress Jill Esmond. They began living together, as their respective spouses had each refused to grant either of them a divorce. Under the moral standards then enforced by the motion picture industry, their relationship had to be kept from public view.
Lived with John Merivale from 1959 to her death in 1967.
Married Laurence Olivier at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara on August 31st, 1940, with Katharine Hepburn as maid of honor; they honeymooned on actor Ronald Colman's yacht.
Measurements 34A/23/34.
Measurements: 32A-23-33 (during Gone with the Wind (1939)). (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine).
Mother of Suzanne Farrington.
Pictured on one of four 25¢ US commemorative postage stamps issued 23 March 1990 honoring classic films released in 1939. The stamp features Clark Gable and Leigh as Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind (1939). The other films honored were Beau Geste (1939), Stagecoach (1939), and The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Ranked #48 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
Reportedly used one of her two Oscars to doorstop her bathroom.
Returned to work sixteen months after giving birth to her daughter Suzanne Farrington in order to begin performing in the stage production entitled "The Green Sash".
Scarlett O'Hara might have been played by an actress called 'April Morn', a stage name she briefly considered before settling on Vivien Leigh.
She desperately wanted to play the second Mrs. De Winter in Rebecca (1940) opposite her husband Laurence Olivier, but producer David O. Selznick thought the role would dilute her value as a Scarlett O'Hara type and cast Joan Fontaine instead. His decision severely strained her professional relationship with Selznick; neither she nor Olivier ever appeared in one of his films again. Fontaine won her first Academy Award nomination in the role.
She died after collapsing at home from complications from an attack of tuberculosis on July 7, 1967. That evening lights of West End theater marquees were kept dark for an hour in her honor.
She has at least 3 great granddaughters: Amy, Sophie and Ashua
She took her then husband's first name (Leigh) as her last name when she began acting professionally.
She was supposed to star in the Paramount film Elephant Walk (1954) with Peter Finch and Dana Andrews, but after appearing in a few scenes she was replaced by Elizabeth Taylor. The reasons for Leigh's dismissal were rumored to be her difficult nature, having just been diagnosed as a manic-depressive. Further complications may have erupted because of an affair she had with co-star Finch while she was still married to Laurence Olivier, and Leigh and Olivier were still married in 1954.
Son-in-law's name is Robin Farrington.
Suffered from manic depression.
The most frequently cited sketch on The Carol Burnett Show was the 1976 parody, "Went with the Wind", a send-up of Gone with the Wind. Burnett, as Starlett O'Hara, descends a long staircase wearing a dress made from a green window curtain -- complete with curtain rod! The outfit, designed by Bob Mackie, is on display at the Smithsonian Institution.
The nickname Vivling was given to her by her father. It's a combination of her name and the word darling.
The producer of the 1935 play "The Mask of Virtue" suggested to her that she change the 'a' in her first name to an 'e' from "Vivian" to "Vivien."
Vivian Hartley (Vivian Leigh) made her first stage appearance at the age of three, reciting "Little Bo Peep" for her mother's amateur theatre group. Gertrude Hartley tried to instill in her daughter an appreciation of literature and introduced her to the works of Hans Christian Andersen, Lewis Carroll, and Rudyard Kipling, as well as stories of Greek mythology and Indian folklore.
Vivien Leigh was the first ever actress to win two Best Actress Academy Awards, the first for a color film (Gone with the Wind) and the second for a black-and-white film (A Streetcar Named Desire).