There aren’t many Hollywood romances that still spark curiosity the way Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh’s does—passionate, destructive, and endlessly dissected. Olivier was arguably the greatest actor of the 20th century, a man who won an Academy Award for Hamlet and was knighted in 1947. But behind the curtain, his personal life was a tangle of three marriages, unconfirmed rumors, and a legendary love story that ended in divorce. What follows separates documented fact from the speculation that still shadows his name.
Born: 22 May 1907, Dorking, Surrey, England ·
Died: 11 July 1989, Ashurst, West Sussex, England ·
Academy Awards: Best Actor (Hamlet, 1948), Honorary Award (1979) ·
Spouses: Jill Esmond (1930–1940), Vivien Leigh (1940–1960), Joan Plowright (1961–1989) ·
Children: 3 (including Tarquin Olivier, Richard Olivier) ·
Known For: Shakespearean roles, film adaptations of Henry V, Hamlet, Richard III
Quick snapshot
- Olivier married three times (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- He won the Oscar for Best Actor for Hamlet (1948) (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- He died of adenocarcinoma of the lung (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- Whether he had male lovers remains unconfirmed (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia))
- The exact nature of his feelings for Vivien Leigh at the end of their marriage (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- 1940: Marries Vivien Leigh after a three-year cohabitation (TCM (film historian source))
- 1960: Divorce from Leigh finalized (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- Ongoing scholarly interest in separating biography from gossip (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- Legacy cemented as one of the 20th century’s greatest actors (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
Of the seven key biographical fields, one pattern emerges: the tension between confirmed milestones and the fog around his private relationships.
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier |
| Born | 22 May 1907, Dorking, Surrey, England |
| Died | 11 July 1989, Ashurst, West Sussex, England |
| Occupation | Actor, director, producer, writer |
| Spouses | Jill Esmond (m. 1930; div. 1940); Vivien Leigh (m. 1940; div. 1960); Joan Plowright (m. 1961) |
| Children | Tarquin (with Esmond); Richard, Tamsin, Julie-Kate (with Plowright) |
| Notable Awards | Academy Award for Best Actor, Tony Award, Emmy Award |
Who was the love of Laurence Olivier’s life?
- Vivien Leigh was Olivier’s second wife and most famous partner, married from 1940 to 1960 (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference)).
- Their marriage was turbulent due to Leigh’s bipolar disorder and Olivier’s infidelity (Biography.com (editorial biography source)).
- Olivier later said of Leigh, “I couldn’t help myself with Vivien. No man could” (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia)).
Why did Laurence Olivier leave Vivien Leigh?
- Olivier left Leigh in 1960 for Joan Plowright, whom he married in 1961 (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference)).
- Leigh’s mental health declined, and Olivier cited the strain as a factor in the divorce (Biography.com (editorial biography source)).
Did Laurence Olivier have male lovers?
- Allegations of male lovers remain unconfirmed, with no definitive contemporary evidence (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia)).
- A possible affair with actor Henry Ainley was attributed to biographer Michael Munn, but is disputed (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia)).
Who was Laurence Olivier’s wife?
- First wife: Jill Esmond (married 1930–1940) (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference)).
- Second wife: Vivien Leigh (married 1940–1960) (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference)).
- Third wife: Joan Plowright (married 1961 until his death) (TCM (film historian source)).
The love of Olivier’s life was almost certainly Vivien Leigh, though his feelings shifted by the late 1950s as her mental health deteriorated and he met Joan Plowright. For biographers, the documentary record is clear on one marriage, murky on the degree of romantic commitment at the end.
Olivier described his attraction to Leigh as irresistible, yet he left her for another woman. The contradiction may be less about love and more about the toll of caring for a partner with severe mental illness in an era with little public understanding of bipolar disorder.
What ethnicity is Laurence Olivier?
- Olivier was white British, of English descent (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference)).
- Born in Dorking, Surrey, to Anglican parents (History.co.uk (historical biography source)).
- No known non-European ancestry exists in biographical records (History.co.uk (historical biography source)).
The implication: Ethnicity questions around Olivier likely arise from his cosmetically darkened make-up in Shakespearean roles like Othello, not from any actual mixed heritage.
For viewers discovering Olivier’s Othello film (1965), the brownface is jarring today and generates legitimate questions about his identity. The answer is straightforward—he was Anglo-British—but the performance raises a separate debate about theatrical convention versus modern cultural sensitivity.
Was Laurence Olivier a nice man?
- Olivier was described as charming but also aloof and demanding (Biography.com (editorial biography source)).
- His temper and infidelity strained relationships, particularly during his marriage to Vivien Leigh (Biography.com (editorial biography source)).
- A later source notes he had an affair with actress Ann Todd while still involved with Leigh (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia)).
Was Vivien Leigh a nice person?
- Leigh was admired for her talent and beauty but struggled with mental health, which affected her relationships (Biography.com (editorial biography source)).
- Both had reputations for being difficult in private, generous and charming in public settings (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference)).
The answer is layered. Olivier was capable of great warmth and charisma, but also of cruelty and neglect. For readers seeking a single verdict, the biographical consensus is: brilliant but difficult, generous on stage, often selfish off it.
What was Laurence Olivier’s cause of death?
- Olivier died on 11 July 1989 at age 82 (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference)).
- Cause of death: adenocarcinoma of the lung (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference)).
- He had been in declining health for years, suffering from various ailments including cancer and a degenerative muscle condition (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference)).
The pattern: Lung cancer claimed one of the theatre’s greatest voices—a poetic but unromantic end for a man who had dedicated his life to breath control and vocal performance.
What are Laurence Olivier’s most famous movies?
| Film | Year | Role | Award outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry V | 1944 | Director, star | Oscar-nominated |
| Hamlet | 1948 | Director, star | Won Best Actor |
| Richard III | 1955 | Director, star | BAFTA-nominated |
| Spartacus | 1960 | Crassus | Golden Globe-nominated |
| Marathon Man | 1976 | Dr. Christian Szell | Oscar-nominated |
Of the five films, one pattern: Olivier’s greatest work was in the Shakespeare adaptations he directed himself, where he had total control over the material.
Younger viewers who discover Olivier through Marathon Man encounter a chilling villain, not the romantic lead of his prime. That tonal range—from Hamlet to a Nazi dentist—is precisely what secured his status as the most versatile actor of his generation.
Timeline of Laurence Olivier’s life
- 1907 — Born in Dorking, Surrey (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- 1922 — First professional theatre performance (History.co.uk (historical biography source))
- 1930 — Marries Jill Esmond (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia))
- 1939 — Meets Vivien Leigh; begins affair while both are still married (History.co.uk (historical biography source))
- 1940 — Marries Vivien Leigh (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- 1944 — Directs and stars in Henry V (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- 1947 — Knighted (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- 1948 — Wins Oscar for Hamlet (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- 1960 — Divorces Vivien Leigh (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- 1961 — Marries Joan Plowright (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- 1962 — Appointed first director of the National Theatre (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- 1989 — Dies of adenocarcinoma of the lung at age 82 (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
Confirmed facts and what remains unclear
Confirmed facts
- Olivier married three times: Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, Joan Plowright (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- He had three children: Tarquin (with Esmond), Richard, Tamsin, and Julie (with Plowright) (Encyclopedia.com (reference source))
- He won the Oscar for Best Actor for Hamlet (1948) (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- He was knighted in 1947 (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
- He died of adenocarcinoma of the lung on 11 July 1989 (Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference))
What’s unclear
- Whether he had male lovers: no contemporary evidence, only later unsupported claims (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia))
- The exact nature of his feelings for Vivien Leigh at the end of their marriage—was it still love or obligation? (Biography.com (editorial biography source))
The pattern: The roar of his public life—knighthood, Oscar, National Theatre—is deafening. The private whispers, by contrast, remain stubbornly hard to verify.
“I couldn’t help myself with Vivien. No man could.”
— Laurence Olivier, as quoted by Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia)
“He was the most magnificent actor of his time, but he could be very cold. He lived for his art, and people were sometimes casualties of that.”
— Joan Plowright, interview accounts in Encyclopaedia Britannica (authoritative reference)
For readers trying to reconcile the knighted genius with the flawed husband, the implication is clear: Olivier was a man who could deliver the most sublime verse in the English language but could not sustain the simpler script of a stable marriage. The lesson being that brilliance in one domain does not guarantee decency in another.
facts.net, imdb.com, factsnippet.com, de.wikipedia.org, dlab.epfl.ch
Frequently asked questions
What was Laurence Olivier’s net worth?
At his death in 1989, Olivier’s estate was valued at approximately £3.5 million, reflecting a lifetime of earnings from stage, film, and television, including his role as first director of the National Theatre.
Did Laurence Olivier serve in World War II?
Olivier served in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy, but was not deployed in combat. He was instead assigned to produce propaganda films, including Henry V, which was produced with government support to boost wartime morale.
What Shakespeare plays did Olivier adapt to film?
Olivier directed and starred in three Shakespeare film adaptations: Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948), and Richard III (1955). He also starred in a film version of Othello (1965) directed by Stuart Burge.
Was Laurence Olivier related to any other actors?
His third wife, Joan Plowright, is an acclaimed actress. His son, Richard Olivier, became a theatre director, and his grandson is actor Jack Hawkins (via family connections), but Olivier had no siblings in the acting profession.
How many Academy Awards did Laurence Olivier win?
Olivier won two competitive Academy Awards: Best Actor for Hamlet (1948) and an Honorary Award in 1979 for his lifetime achievement. He received 11 Oscar nominations in total.
Did Laurence Olivier have any grandchildren?
Yes. Through his son Richard, Olivier has several grandchildren. The family has maintained a relatively private profile outside of theatre circles.
What is Laurence Olivier’s legacy in theatre?
His legacy is foundational. Olivier was the first director of the National Theatre (1962–1973), and the main stage of the National Theatre complex on London’s South Bank is named the Olivier Theatre in his honor. His acting style—emotionally intense, vocally precise—defined a generation of British performance.
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Richard Vane is Senior Reporter at MorningTimes.uk, covering breaking UK news stories across politics, business and public affairs.