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.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0000059
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55245
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Filmography (Movies)
28 Years Later
Character:Henry V (archive footage)
Release Date:18/06/2025
Dame Maggie Smith - A Celebration
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:14/12/2024
The Bannfoot Ferry
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:22/06/2024
Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:02/06/2023
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:26/03/2021
Vivien Leigh, autant en emporte le vent
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:03/01/2021
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:27/07/2018
Nothing Like a Dame
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:02/05/2018
Trumbo
Character:Crassus (archive footage) (uncredited)
Release Date:27/10/2015
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:15/05/2012
Discovering Hamlet
Character:Hamlet (archive footage)
Release Date:01/11/2011
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:05/05/2010
Jornal Português (1938-1951)
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:12/12/2005
Revisiting Brideshead
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:15/10/2005
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Character:Dr. Totenkopf (archive footage)
Release Date:17/09/2004
Larry & Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:13/09/2001
Sir John Mills' Moving Memories
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:01/08/2000
The Filth and the Fury
Character:Richard III (archive footage)
Release Date:29/03/2000
Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:23/01/1999
Korda: I Don't Grow on Trees: Part One
Character:Self
Release Date:05/10/1993
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
Character:Superintendent Newhouse (archive footage) (uncredited)
Release Date:28/10/1991
Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:22/10/1990
War Requiem
Character:The Old Soldier
Release Date:06/01/1989
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:01/10/1988
Gregory Peck: His Own Man
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:08/03/1988
Directed by William Wyler
Character:Self
Release Date:01/05/1986
Wild Geese II
Character:Rudolf Hess
Release Date:18/10/1985
Night of 100 Stars II
Character:Self
Release Date:10/03/1985
To Be Hamlet
Character:Self
Release Date:19/01/1985
The Bounty
Character:Admiral Hood
Release Date:04/05/1984
A Voyage Round My Father
Character:Clifford Mortimer
Release Date:19/04/1984
The Ebony Tower
Character:Henry Breasley
Release Date:01/04/1984
A Talent for Murder
Character:Dr. Anthony Wainwright
Release Date:19/12/1983
The Jigsaw Man
Character:Adm. Sir Gerald Scaith
Release Date:11/11/1983
Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson
Character:Joe Halpern
Release Date:23/08/1983
King Lear
Character:King Lear
Release Date:03/04/1983
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Character:Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Release Date:25/02/1983
Laurence Olivier: a life
Character:Self
Release Date:24/10/1982
Clash of the Titans
Character:Zeus
Release Date:12/06/1981
Inchon
Character:Gen. Douglas MacArthur
Release Date:04/05/1981
At the Haunted End of the Day
Character:Self
Release Date:01/01/1981
The Jazz Singer
Character:Cantor Rabinovitch
Release Date:17/12/1980
Dracula
Character:Prof. Abraham Van Helsing
Release Date:20/07/1979
A Little Romance
Character:Julius
Release Date:27/04/1979
The Boys from Brazil
Character:Ezra Lieberman
Release Date:05/10/1978
The Betsy
Character:Loren Hardeman
Release Date:02/02/1978
Daphne Laureola
Character:Sir Joseph
Release Date:15/01/1978
Saturday, Sunday, Monday
Character:Antonio
Release Date:01/01/1978
Come Back, Little Sheba
Character:Doc Delaney
Release Date:31/12/1977
A Bridge Too Far
Character:Dr. Jan Spaander
Release Date:15/06/1977
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Character:Big Daddy
Release Date:06/12/1976
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
Character:Professor James Moriarty
Release Date:24/10/1976
The Gentleman Tramp
Character:Narrator
Release Date:10/10/1976
Marathon Man
Character:Dr. Christian Szell
Release Date:08/10/1976
The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People
Character:Self
Release Date:06/10/1976
Love Among the Ruins
Character:Sir Arthur Glanville-Jones
Release Date:12/04/1976
The Collection
Character:Harry
Release Date:01/01/1976
The Rehearsal
Character:Self
Release Date:01/01/1974
The Merchant of Venice
Character:Shylock
Release Date:07/10/1973
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Character:James Tyrone Sr.
Release Date:10/03/1973
Sleuth
Character:Andrew Wyke
Release Date:10/12/1972
Lady Caroline Lamb
Character:Duke of Wellington
Release Date:22/11/1972
Nicholas and Alexandra
Character:Count Witte
Release Date:29/11/1971
Tree of Life
Character:Narrator
Release Date:01/01/1971
Three Sisters
Character:Dr. Ivan Chebutikin
Release Date:01/04/1970
David Copperfield
Character:Mr. Creakle
Release Date:01/12/1969
Battle of Britain
Character:Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
Release Date:15/09/1969
The Dance of Death
Character:Edgar
Release Date:01/08/1969
Oh! What a Lovely War
Character:Field Marshal Sir John French
Release Date:10/03/1969
Male of the Species
Character:Presenter
Release Date:03/01/1969
The Shoes of the Fisherman
Character:Piotr Ilyich Kamenev
Release Date:14/11/1968
Romeo and Juliet
Character:Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Release Date:02/04/1968
Great Acting: Laurence Olivier
Character:Self - Interviewee
Release Date:31/12/1966
The Legend of Marilyn Monroe
Character:
Release Date:30/11/1966
Khartoum
Character:Mahdi
Release Date:09/06/1966
Othello
Character:Othello
Release Date:15/12/1965
Bunny Lake Is Missing
Character:Supt. Newhouse
Release Date:03/10/1965
Olivier Talks About Othello
Character:Self - Host
Release Date:01/01/1965
Uncle Vanya
Character:Dr. Astrov
Release Date:20/11/1963
The Power and the Glory
Character:Priest
Release Date:31/05/1963
Term of Trial
Character:Graham Weir
Release Date:16/08/1962
Spartacus
Character:Marcus Licinius Crassus
Release Date:13/10/1960
The Entertainer
Character:Archie Rice
Release Date:25/07/1960
The Moon and Sixpence
Character:Charles Strickland
Release Date:30/10/1959
The Devil's Disciple
Character:Gen. Burgoyne
Release Date:20/08/1959
The Prince and the Showgirl
Character:The Regent
Release Date:13/06/1957
Richard III
Character:Richard III
Release Date:13/12/1955
The Beggar's Opera
Character:MacHeath
Release Date:24/08/1953
A Queen Is Crowned
Character:Narrator
Release Date:02/06/1953
The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci
Character:Narrator
Release Date:01/01/1953
Carrie
Character:George Hurstwood
Release Date:17/07/1952
The Magic Box
Character:Police Constable 94-B
Release Date:01/01/1952
Rebecca
Character:Maxim de winter
Release Date:06/11/1950
Hamlet
Character:Hamlet - Prince of Denmark / Voice of Ghost
Release Date:10/12/1948
Henry V
Character:King Henry
Release Date:24/11/1944
This Happy Breed
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:28/05/1944
The Volunteer
Character:Self
Release Date:10/01/1944
The Demi-Paradise
Character:Ivan Kouznetsoff
Release Date:18/11/1943
Malta G.C.
Character:Narrator
Release Date:01/01/1942
49th Parallel
Character:Johnnie, the Trapper
Release Date:24/11/1941
That Hamilton Woman
Character:Lord Horatio Nelson
Release Date:03/04/1941
Words for Battle
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:24/01/1941
Private lives
Character:Elyot Chase
Release Date:13/10/1940
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
Character:Self
Release Date:31/07/1940
Pride and Prejudice
Character:Mr. Darcy
Release Date:26/07/1940
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Character:Self
Release Date:29/05/1940
Rebecca
Character:Maxim de Winter
Release Date:23/03/1940
21 Days Together
Character:Larry Durrant
Release Date:07/01/1940
Wuthering Heights
Character:Heathcliff
Release Date:07/04/1939
Q Planes
Character:Tony McVane
Release Date:21/02/1939
The Divorce of Lady X
Character:Everard Logan
Release Date:15/01/1938
Fire Over England
Character:Michael Ingolby
Release Date:05/03/1937
As You Like It
Character:Orlando
Release Date:02/09/1936
Moscow Nights
Character:Captain Ivan Ignatoff
Release Date:23/12/1934
No Funny Business
Character:Clive Dering
Release Date:30/03/1933
Perfect Understanding
Character:Nicholas Randall
Release Date:15/01/1933
Westward Passage
Character:Nicholas 'Nick' Allen
Release Date:27/05/1932
The Conquest of the Air
Character:Vincent Lunardi
Release Date:01/12/1931
The Yellow Ticket
Character:Julian Rolfe
Release Date:30/10/1931
Friends and Lovers
Character:Lieutenant Ned Nichols
Release Date:03/10/1931
Potiphar's Wife
Character:Straker
Release Date:28/03/1931
Too Many Crooks
Character:The Boy
Release Date:01/08/1930
The Temporary Widow
Character:Peter Bille
Release Date:13/07/1930
Television Appearances
Iconic Couples of Hollywood
Character:Self (archive footage)
Talking Pictures
Character:Self (archive footage)
Lost Empires
Character:Harry Burrard
Peter the Great
Character:King William III of Orange
The Last Days of Pompeii
Character:Gaius
Wagner
Character:Pfeuffer
Brideshead Revisited
Character:Alexander Flyte, Marquess of Marchmain
Jesus of Nazareth
Character:Nicodemus
Laurence Olivier Presents
Character:Big Daddy
Laurence Olivier Presents
Character:Antonio
Laurence Olivier Presents
Character:Doc Delaney
Laurence Olivier Presents
Character:Sir Joseph
The World at War
Character:Narrator
Great Performances
Character:Harry
Great Performances
Character:Self
Male of the Species
Character:Self - Presenter
The Dick Cavett Show
Character:Self - Guest
Omnibus
Character:Self (archive footage)
The Carol Burnett Show
Character:Self - Audience Member
ABC Stage 67
Character:Self
ABC Stage 67
Character:Self (archive footage)
The Mike Douglas Show
Character:Self
Tony Awards
Character:Self
Tony Awards
Character:Self - Recipient
The Oscars
Character:Self
The Ed Sullivan Show
Character:Self
Golden Globe Awards
Character:Self - Nominee
Golden Globe Awards
Character:Self - Cecil B. DeMille Award Recipient
Images
