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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
May 22, 1907
Died
July 11, 1989
Place of Birth
Dorking, Surrey, England, UK
Also Known As
- Лоуренс Оливье
- Sir Laurence Olivier
- Laurence Kerr Olivier
- Лоуренс Олівʼє
- لارنس الیویه
Laurence Olivier
1.7 Popularity
Biography
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson, Peggy Ashcroft and John Gielgud, dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. Late in his career, he had considerable success in television roles. His family had no theatrical connections, but Olivier's father, a clergyman, decided that his son should become an actor. After attending a drama school in London, Olivier learned his craft in a succession of acting jobs during the late 1920s. In 1930 he had his first important West End success in Noël Coward's Private Lives, and he appeared in his first film. In 1935 he played in a celebrated production of Romeo and Juliet alongside Gielgud and Ashcroft, and by the end of the decade he was an established star. In the 1940s, together with Richardson and John Burrell, Olivier was the co-director of the Old Vic, building it into a highly respected company. There his most celebrated roles included Shakespeare's Richard III and Sophocles's Oedipus. In the 1950s Olivier was an independent actor-manager, but his stage career was in the doldrums until he joined the avant garde English Stage Company in 1957 to play the title role in The Entertainer, a part he later played on film. From 1963 to 1973 he was the founding director of Britain's National Theatre, running a resident company that fostered many future stars. His own parts there included the title role in Othello (1965) and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice (1970). Among Olivier's films are Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940), and a trilogy of Shakespeare films as actor-director: Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948), and Richard III (1955). His later films included The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Sleuth (1972), Marathon Man (1976), and The Boys from Brazil (1978). His television appearances included an adaptation of The Moon and Sixpence (1960), Long Day's Journey into Night (1973), Love Among the Ruins (1975), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976), Brideshead Revisited (1981) and King Lear (1983). Olivier's honours included a knighthood (1947), a life peerage (1970) and the Order of Merit (1981). For his on-screen work he received four Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. The National Theatre's largest auditorium is named in his honour, and he is commemorated in the Laurence Olivier Awards, given annually by the Society of London Theatre. He was married three times, to the actresses Jill Esmond from 1930 to 1940, Vivien Leigh from 1940 to 1960, and Joan Plowright from 1961 until his death.
Known For
6.7
Henry V (archive footage)
28 Years Later
2025
4.5
Self (archive footage)
Dame Maggie Smith - A Celebration
2024
0.0
Self (archive footage)
The Bannfoot Ferry
2024
6.4
Self (archive footage)
Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story
2023
4.5
Self (archive footage)
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony
2021
7.4
Self (archive footage)
Vivien Leigh, autant en emporte le vent
2021
6.0
Self (archive footage)
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
2018
6.8
Self (archive footage)
Nothing Like a Dame
2018
7.2
Crassus (archive footage) (uncredited)
Trumbo
2015
0.0
Self (archive footage)
Iconic Couples of Hollywood
2015
Credits
28 Years Later
as Henry V (archive footage)
2025
6.7
Dame Maggie Smith - A Celebration
as Self (archive footage)
2024
4.5
The Bannfoot Ferry
as Self (archive footage)
2024
0.0
Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story
as Self (archive footage)
2023
6.4
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony
as Self (archive footage)
2021
4.5
Vivien Leigh, autant en emporte le vent
as Self (archive footage)
2021
7.4
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
as Self (archive footage)
2018
6.0
Nothing Like a Dame
as Self (archive footage)
2018
6.8
Trumbo
as Crassus (archive footage) (uncredited)
2015
7.2
Iconic Couples of Hollywood
as Self (archive footage)
2015
0.0
Talking Pictures
as Self (archive footage)
2013
5.8
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
as Self (archive footage)
2012
7.2
Discovering Hamlet
as Hamlet (archive footage)
2011
7.0
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
as Self (archive footage)
2010
6.6
Jornal Português (1938-1951)
as Self (archive footage)
2005
0.0
Revisiting Brideshead
as Self (archive footage)
2005
0.0
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
as Dr. Totenkopf (archive footage)
2004
5.9
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
as Self (archive footage)
2001
0.0
Sir John Mills' Moving Memories
as Self (archive footage)
2000
0.0
The Filth and the Fury
as Richard III (archive footage)
2000
6.9
🎬
Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood
as Self (archive footage)
1999
7.6
🎬
Korda: I Don't Grow on Trees: Part One
as Self
1993
0.0
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
as Superintendent Newhouse (archive footage) (uncredited)
1991
7.7
Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond
as Self (archive footage)
1990
10.0
War Requiem
as The Old Soldier
1989
6.4
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
as Self (archive footage)
1988
8.0
Gregory Peck: His Own Man
as Self (archive footage)
1988
6.7
Lost Empires
as Harry Burrard
1986
4.2
Directed by William Wyler
as Self
1986
0.0
Peter the Great
as King William III of Orange
1986
8.0
Wild Geese II
as Rudolf Hess
1985
4.8
Night of 100 Stars II
as Self
1985
8.0
To Be Hamlet
as Self
1985
0.0
The Last Days of Pompeii
as Gaius
1984
7.3
The Bounty
as Admiral Hood
1984
6.7
A Voyage Round My Father
as Clifford Mortimer
1984
7.6
The Ebony Tower
as Henry Breasley
1984
0.0
A Talent for Murder
as Dr. Anthony Wainwright
1983
5.9
The Jigsaw Man
as Adm. Sir Gerald Scaith
1983
4.9
Wagner
as Pfeuffer
1983
6.3
🎬
Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson
as Joe Halpern
1983
2.7
King Lear
as King Lear
1983
6.5
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1983
6.5
Laurence Olivier: a life
as Self
1982
10.0
Brideshead Revisited
as Alexander Flyte, Marquess of Marchmain
1981
7.9
Clash of the Titans
as Zeus
1981
6.9
Inchon
as Gen. Douglas MacArthur
1981
3.4
At the Haunted End of the Day
as Self
1981
0.0
The Jazz Singer
as Cantor Rabinovitch
1980
5.9
Dracula
as Prof. Abraham Van Helsing
1979
6.4
A Little Romance
as Julius
1979
6.8
The Boys from Brazil
as Ezra Lieberman
1978
6.7
The Betsy
as Loren Hardeman
1978
4.5
Daphne Laureola
as Sir Joseph
1978
6.0
Saturday, Sunday, Monday
as Antonio
1978
0.0
Come Back, Little Sheba
as Doc Delaney
1977
7.0
A Bridge Too Far
as Dr. Jan Spaander
1977
7.2
Jesus of Nazareth
as Nicodemus
1977
7.8
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
as Big Daddy
1976
4.3
Laurence Olivier Presents
as Big Daddy
1976
7.0
Laurence Olivier Presents
as Antonio
1976
7.0
Laurence Olivier Presents
as Doc Delaney
1976
7.0
Laurence Olivier Presents
as Sir Joseph
1976
7.0
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
as Professor James Moriarty
1976
6.2
The Gentleman Tramp
as Narrator
1976
6.6
Marathon Man
as Dr. Christian Szell
1976
7.2
The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People
as Self
1976
0.0
Love Among the Ruins
as Sir Arthur Glanville-Jones
1976
6.9
The Collection
as Harry
1976
4.0
The Rehearsal
as Self
1974
4.8
The World at War
as Narrator
1973
8.3
The Merchant of Venice
as Shylock
1973
7.0
Long Day's Journey Into Night
as James Tyrone Sr.
1973
7.0
Sleuth
as Andrew Wyke
1972
7.7
Lady Caroline Lamb
as Duke of Wellington
1972
5.6
Nicholas and Alexandra
as Count Witte
1971
6.9
Great Performances
as Harry
1971
5.8
Great Performances
as Self
1971
5.8
🎬
Tree of Life
as Narrator
1971
0.0
Three Sisters
as Dr. Ivan Chebutikin
1970
3.8
David Copperfield
as Mr. Creakle
1969
5.4
Battle of Britain
as Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
1969
6.9
Oh! What a Lovely War
as Field Marshal Sir John French
1969
6.7
Male of the Species
as Self - Presenter
1969
1.0
Male of the Species
as Presenter
1969
5.5
The Dance of Death
as Edgar
1969
5.5
The Shoes of the Fisherman
as Piotr Ilyich Kamenev
1968
6.7
The Dick Cavett Show
as Self - Guest
1968
6.8
Romeo and Juliet
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
1968
7.4
Omnibus
as Self (archive footage)
1967
7.2
The Carol Burnett Show
as Self - Audience Member
1967
7.7
🎬
Great Acting: Laurence Olivier
as Self - Interviewee
1966
0.0
The Legend of Marilyn Monroe
1966
6.7
ABC Stage 67
as Self
1966
6.2
ABC Stage 67
as Self (archive footage)
1966
6.2
Khartoum
as Mahdi
1966
6.3
Othello
as Othello
1965
6.2
Bunny Lake Is Missing
as Supt. Newhouse
1965
7.2
🎬
Olivier Talks About Othello
as Self - Host
1965
0.0
Uncle Vanya
as Dr. Astrov
1963
4.0
The Power and the Glory
as Priest
1963
0.0
Term of Trial
as Graham Weir
1962
6.0
The Mike Douglas Show
as Self
1961
5.4
Spartacus
as Marcus Licinius Crassus
1960
7.5
The Entertainer
as Archie Rice
1960
6.2
The Moon and Sixpence
as Charles Strickland
1959
0.0
The Devil's Disciple
as Gen. Burgoyne
1959
6.6
The Prince and the Showgirl
as The Regent
1957
6.3
Tony Awards
as Self
1956
5.9
Tony Awards
as Self - Recipient
1956
5.9
Richard III
as Richard III
1955
7.2
The Beggar's Opera
as MacHeath
1953
4.1
A Queen Is Crowned
as Narrator
1953
7.1
The Oscars
as Self
1953
7.0
🎬
The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci
as Narrator
1953
0.0
Carrie
as George Hurstwood
1952
6.4
The Magic Box
as Police Constable 94-B
1952
6.4
Rebecca
as Maxim de winter
1950
0.0
Hamlet
as Hamlet - Prince of Denmark / Voice of Ghost
1948
7.4
The Ed Sullivan Show
as Self
1948
6.8
Henry V
as King Henry
1944
6.6
This Happy Breed
as Narrator (voice)
1944
7.2
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Nominee
1944
7.2
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Cecil B. DeMille Award Recipient
1944
7.2
The Volunteer
as Self
1944
4.8
The Demi-Paradise
as Ivan Kouznetsoff
1943
6.3
Malta G.C.
as Narrator
1942
0.0
49th Parallel
as Johnnie, the Trapper
1941
6.9
That Hamilton Woman
as Lord Horatio Nelson
1941
7.1
Words for Battle
as Narrator (voice)
1941
6.2
Private lives
as Elyot Chase
1940
0.0
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
as Self
1940
6.5
Pride and Prejudice
as Mr. Darcy
1940
6.9
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
as Self
1940
5.5
Rebecca
as Maxim de Winter
1940
7.9
21 Days Together
as Larry Durrant
1940
6.1
Wuthering Heights
as Heathcliff
1939
7.2
Q Planes
as Tony McVane
1939
5.9
The Divorce of Lady X
as Everard Logan
1938
5.9
Fire Over England
as Michael Ingolby
1937
6.2
As You Like It
as Orlando
1936
5.1
Moscow Nights
as Captain Ivan Ignatoff
1934
5.2
No Funny Business
as Clive Dering
1933
0.0
Perfect Understanding
as Nicholas Randall
1933
6.1
Westward Passage
as Nicholas 'Nick' Allen
1932
5.8
The Conquest of the Air
as Vincent Lunardi
1931
4.2
The Yellow Ticket
as Julian Rolfe
1931
4.7
Friends and Lovers
as Lieutenant Ned Nichols
1931
4.4
Potiphar's Wife
as Straker
1931
0.0
Too Many Crooks
as The Boy
1930
0.0
The Temporary Widow
as Peter Bille
1930
0.0