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Biography
Laurence Olivier (1907-1989) was created Baron Olivier of Brighton in 1979, the first actor to have been created a peer. He was, unquestionably, the finest classical actor of his age and, through his directorial work, made an indelible contribution to the development of the British theatre in the second half of the Twentieth Century. With his creativity, acting brilliance, athleticism, the timbre of his voice and his mastery of makeup and movement, he captivated audiences. I was fortunate enough to see him twice: at the Royal Court in The Entertainer (1957), with his moving, realistic portrayal of the faded entertainer Archie Rice; and at Stratford–upon-Avon in Coriolanus (1959), with his astonishing athletic leap and death scene. Both performances are unforgettable.
The major periods of his career are well-documented: matinee idol in the 1930s; brilliant classical actor in the 1940s; promoter of new dramatist in the 1950s; the first director of the National Theatre in the 1960s; and his late film and television work. This short biography concentrates, therefore, on the earliest part of his amazing career.
The third child of a clergyman, he went to the all-boys All Saints Choir School, Marylebone, where he made his acting debut, at the age of nine, playing Brutus in Julius Caesar (1916). At 14, he was Kate in the school’s production of The Taming of the Shrew (1922) that was presented at the Stratford Memorial Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon. Sybil Thorndike, who saw the production, said he was ‘the best Kate I ever saw’. After school, in 1924, he enrolled at the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, where one of his instructors was Claude Rains. While still at drama school, he played a few small roles in West End productions, including a walk-on part as First Serving Man in Henry VIII, staring Sybil Thorndike and Lewis Casson, at the Empire Theatre.
In 1926, he joined the Birmingham Repertory Company, which then provided the best training ground for young actors. He stayed with the company for two years, playing a large variety of roles, including in 1927, Tony Lumpkin in She Stoops to Conquer and the title role in Uncle Vanya. His last performance with the Birmingham Rep was in June 1928 when he played Gerald Arnwood in Drinkwater’s Bird In Hand at the Royalty Theatre, London. Also in the cast was a beautiful twenty-year-old actress, Jill Esmond.
After this production, he agreed to take the lead part of Stanhope in a two-show tryout of R. C. Sherriff’s Journey’s End (December, 1928) presented by the Stage Society production at Apollo Theatre, London. Although the few critics who arrived loved the play and, in particular, Olivier’s performance, no West End manger appeared interested in taking the show. He, therefore, readily accepted the offer of taking the lead part in Beau Geste, directed by Basil Dean at Her Majesty's Theatre, London. The show was an expensive failure: Journey’s End opened, without Olivier, on January 21, 1929, at the Savoy Theatre and ran for more than a year.
Later, in 1929, he made his film debut in the German-produced A Temporary Widow and, in a supporting role, made his Broadway debut in the unremarkable Murder on the Sixth Floor that survived for only 45 performances. Returning to England, he was cast as Victor Prynne in Noel Coward’s Private Lives (1930) that was directed by and starred Noel Coward with Gertrude Lawrence, at the Phoenix Theatre, London. Also in the cast was Jill Esmond. The show was a great success and, that summer, Olivier and Esmond - who were both recognised as being future stars - were married.
After the show closed in the West End, it moved to Broadway, opening at the Times Square Theatre on January 27, 1931. It as a spectacular success and, when it closed after 156 performances, both Laurence Olivier and Jill Esmond had signed studio contracts. Her film career took off more quickly than his. Her second film, The Skin Game (1931), brought her international stardom and she made 10 films between 1931 and 1933. He had to wait much longer. It was not until 1939, when he played Heathcliffe in Wuthering Heights (1939), that he achieved international fame but, by then, he had fallen in love with the female star of another and far more successful film that was released that year - Gone With The Wind. In 1940, Oliver was divorced from Jill Esmond and married his new love, Vivien Leigh.
| Items for Sale on Collectors' Post |
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| 012289 |
Theatre: Programs (UK) - post 1939 | CAPTAIN CARVALLO (by Denis Cannan) with PETER FINCH |
| 012550 |
Theatre: Programs (UK) - post 1939 | THE RECRUITING OFFICER by George Farquhar with LAURENCE OLIVIER |
| 014507 |
Theatre: Programs (UK) - post 1939 | LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (by Eugene O'Neill) with LAURENCE OLIVIER & CONSTANCE CUMMINGS |
| 008937 |
Theatre: Other Documents - Signed | ANTHONY BUSHELL - signed menu card |
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