Laurence Olivier

Birthday: 1907-05-22
Deathday: 1989-05-01
Birthplace: Dorking, Surrey, England, UK
Gender: Male
Drafted: 0
Drafted By: Unowned
Owned By: Unowned
Owned Wins: 0
Owned Noms: 0
Win Bonus: 5
Nom Bonus: 0
Total Points: 0

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.

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Career Statisics

Season Age Movie Role Result Points
1940 33 Wuthering Heights (1939) Leading Actor Nom 0
1941 34 Rebecca (1940) Leading Actor Nom 0
1947 40 Henry V (1946) Leading Actor Nom 0
1949 42 Hamlet (1948) Leading Actor Win 0
1957 50 Richard III (1956) Leading Actor Nom 0
1961 54 The Entertainer (1960) Leading Actor Nom 0
1966 59 Othello (1965) Leading Actor Nom 0
1973 66 Sleuth (1972) Leading Actor Nom 0
1977 70 Marathon Man (1976) Supporting Actor Nom 0
1979 72 The Boys from Brazil (1978) Leading Actor Nom 0
Career 0

Transaction History

Date Location Team Receives Team Receives Team Receives

Credits

Year Title Character
1989-01-06 War Requiem The Old Soldier
1985-10-18 Wild Geese II Rudolf Hess
1984-05-04 The Bounty Admiral Hood
1984-04-19 A Voyage Round My Father Clifford Mortimer
1984-04-01 The Ebony Tower Henry Breasley
1983-12-19 A Talent for Murder Dr. Anthony Wainwright
1983-11-11 The Jigsaw Man Adm. Sir Gerald Scaith
1983-08-23 Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson Joe Halpern
1983-04-03 King Lear King Lear
1981-06-12 Clash of the Titans Zeus
1981-05-04 Inchon Gen. Douglas MacArthur
1980-12-17 The Jazz Singer Cantor Rabinovitch
1979-07-20 Dracula Prof. Abraham Van Helsing
1979-04-27 A Little Romance Julius
1978-10-05 The Boys from Brazil Ezra Lieberman
1978-02-02 The Betsy Loren Hardeman
1978-01-15 Daphne Laureola Sir Joseph
1978-01-01 Saturday, Sunday, Monday Antonio
1977-12-31 Come Back, Little Sheba Doc Delaney
1977-06-15 A Bridge Too Far Dr. Jan Spaander
1977-03-27 Jesus Of Nazareth Nicodemus
1976-12-06 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Big Daddy
1976-10-24 The Seven-Per-Cent Solution Professor James Moriarty
1976-10-08 Marathon Man Szell
1976-01-01 The Collection Harry
1975-03-06 Love Among the Ruins Sir Arthur Glanville-Jones
1973-10-07 The Merchant of Venice Shylock
1973-03-10 Long Day's Journey Into Night James Tyrone Sr.
1972-12-10 Sleuth Andrew Wyke
1972-11-22 Lady Caroline Lamb Duke of Wellington
1971-11-29 Nicholas and Alexandra Count Witte
1970-04-01 Three Sisters Dr. Ivan Chebutikin
1969-12-01 David Copperfield Mr. Creakle
1969-09-15 Battle of Britain Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
1969-03-10 Oh! What a Lovely War Field Marshal Sir John French
1969-01-03 Male of the Species Presenter
1969-01-01 The Dance of Death Edgar
1968-11-14 The Shoes of the Fisherman Piotr Ilyich Kamenev
1966-06-09 Khartoum Mahdi
1965-12-15 Othello Othello
1965-10-03 Bunny Lake Is Missing Supt. Newhouse
1963-11-20 Uncle Vanya Dr. Astrov
1963-05-31 The Power and the Glory Priest
1962-08-16 Term of Trial Graham Weir
1960-10-13 Spartacus Marcus Licinius Crassus
1960-07-25 The Entertainer Archie Rice
1959-10-30 The Moon and Sixpence Charles Strickland
1959-08-20 The Devil's Disciple Gen. Burgoyne
1957-06-13 The Prince and the Showgirl The Regent
1955-12-13 Richard III Richard III
1953-08-24 The Beggar's Opera MacHeath
1952-07-17 Carrie George Hurstwood
1952-01-01 The Magic Box Police Constable 94-B
1948-12-10 Hamlet Hamlet - Prince of Denmark / Voice of Ghost
1944-11-24 Henry V King Henry
1943-11-18 The Demi-Paradise Ivan Kouznetsoff
1941-11-24 49th Parallel Johnnie, the Trapper
1941-04-03 That Hamilton Woman Lord Horatio Nelson
1940-07-26 Pride and Prejudice Mr. Darcy
1940-03-23 Rebecca Maxim de Winter
1940-01-07 21 Days Together Larry Durrant
1939-04-07 Wuthering Heights Heathcliff
1939-02-21 Q Planes Tony McVane
1938-01-15 The Divorce of Lady X Everard Logan
1937-03-05 Fire Over England Michael Ingolby
1936-12-01 The Conquest of the Air Vincent Lunardi
1936-09-02 As You Like It Orlando
1935-11-05 Moscow Nights Captain Ivan Ignatoff
1933-03-30 No Funny Business Clive Dering
1933-01-15 Perfect Understanding Nicholas Randall
1932-05-27 Westward Passage Nicholas 'Nick' Allen
1931-10-30 The Yellow Ticket Julian Rolfe
1931-10-03 Friends and Lovers Lieutenant Ned Nichols
1931-03-28 Potiphar's Wife Straker
1930-08-01 Too Many Crooks The Boy
1930-07-13 The Temporary Widow Peter Bille