Vivien Leigh
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.
Photos
Movies (80)
Charmed Lives: A Family Romance
2028 · Self (archive footage)
Faye
2024 · Self - Actress: 'A Streetcar Named Desire' (archive footage)
Black Star
2022 · Self (archive footage)
Vivien Leigh, autant en emporte le vent
2021 · Self (archive footage)
Gone with the Wind – Makeup and Wardrobe Tests
2020 · Self (archive footage)
Churchill and the Movie Mogul
2019 · Self (archive footage)
Scotty y La historia secreta de Hollywood
2018 · Self (archive footage)
The Vivien Leigh Archive at the V&A
2016 · Self (archive footage)
The Greats: Vivien Leigh
2016 · Self (Archive footage)
Jornal Português (1938-1951)
2015 · Self (archive footage)
Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave a Damn
2015 · Self (archive footage)
The Selznick Studios Retrospective Backlot Tour
2014 · (in "Gone with the Wind") (archive footage)
Before She Was Scarlet O'Hara: An Interview with Anne Edwards
2013 · Self (archive footage)
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
2009 · Self (archive footage)
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
2006 · Self (archive footage)
A Streetcar in Hollywood
2006 · Self (archive footage)
Desire and Censorship
2006 · Self (archive footage)
An Actor Named Brando
2006 · Self (archive footage)
North and the Music of the South
2006 · Self (archive footage)
A Streetcar on Broadway
2006 · Self (archive footage)
Melanie Remembers: Reflections by Olivia de Havilland
2004 · Herself (archive footage)
Restoring a Legend: Gone with the Wind
2004 · Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" (archive footage)
The Prince, The Showgirl and Me
2004 · Self (archive footage)
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
2001 · Self (archive footage)
Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel
2001 · Self (archive footage)
Sir John Mills' Moving Memories
2000 · Self (archive footage)
Vivien Leigh: A Delicate Balance
2000 · Self (archive footage)
Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood
1999 · Self (archive footage)
Glorious Technicolor
1998 · Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful
1996 · Self (archive footage)
Elia Kazan: A Director's Journey
1995 · Self (archive footage)
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
1995 · Self (archive footage)
Legends in Light: The Photography of George Hurrell
1995 · Self (archive footage)
That's Entertainment! III
1994 · (archive footage) (uncredited)
Korda: I Don't Grow on Trees: Part One
1993 · Self
Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond
1990 · Self (archive footage)
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
1988 · Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
1988 · (archive footage) (uncredited)
All-Time Movie Greats
1988 · Self (archive footage)
Marilyn Monroe
1986 · archive footage
That's Dancing!
1985 · Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983 · Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Laurence Olivier: A Life
1982 · Self ( Archive footage )
That's Entertainment, Part II
1976 · (archive footage)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975 · Self (archive footage)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
1972 · Self (archive footage)
The Extraordinary Seaman
1969 · Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Ivanov
1966 · Anna Petrovna
Ship of Fools
1965 · Mary Treadwell
Tovarich
1963 · Tatiana
Antony and Cleopatra
1962 · Cleopatra
Hollywood: The Selznick Years
1961 · Self (uncredited)
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
1961 · Karen Stone
The Skin of Our Teeth
1959 · Lily Sabina
Small World: Vivien Leigh
1958 · Self
The Deep Blue Sea
1955 · Hester Collyer
Elephant Walk
1954 · Ruth Wiley (Wide shots) (Uncredited)
A Streetcar Named Desire
1951 · Blanche DuBois
The Screen Director
1951 · Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Rebecca
1950 · Mrs. de winter
Anna Karenina
1948 · Anna Karenina
Caesar and Cleopatra
1946 · Cleopatra
British Pathé: Vivien Leigh & Laurence Olivier
1946 · Self
That Hamilton Woman
1941 · Emma, Lady Hamilton
Private Lives
1940 · Amanda Prynne
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
1940 · Self
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
1940 · Self
Waterloo Bridge
1940 · Myra
21 Days
1940 · Wanda
Gone with the Wind
1939 · Scarlett O'Hara
British Pathé Newsreels: Gone with the Wind
1939 · Self (archive footage)
St. Martin's Lane
1939 · Liberty
A Yank at Oxford
1938 · Elsa Craddock
Storm in a Teacup
1937 · Victoria Gow
Dark Journey
1937 · Madeleine Goddard
Fire Over England
1937 · Cynthia
Look Up and Laugh
1935 · Marjorie Belfer
Gentlemen's Agreement
1935 · Phil Stanley
The Village Squire
1935 · Rose Venables
Things Are Looking Up
1935 · Unnamed Schoolgirl
