Olivia de Havilland

Birthday: 1916-07-01
Deathday: 2020-06-05
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
Gender: Female
Drafted: 0
Drafted By: Unowned
Owned By: Unowned
Owned Wins: 0
Owned Noms: 0
Win Bonus: 10
Nom Bonus: 0
Total Points: 0

Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland DBE (July 1, 1916 - July 25, 2020) was a British-American actress, whose career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films, and was one of the leading movie stars during the golden age of Classical Hollywood. She is best known for her early screen performances in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and Gone with the Wind (1939), and her later award-winning performances in To Each His Own (1946), The Snake Pit (1948), and The Heiress (1949).

Born in Tokyo to British parents, de Havilland and her younger sister, actress Joan Fontaine, moved with their mother to California in 1919. They were brought up by their mother Lilian, a former stage actress who taught them drama, music, and elocution.

Olivia de Havilland made her screen debut in Reinhardt's A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1935. During her career, she often played demure ingénues opposite popular leading men, including Errol Flynn, with whom she made nine films. They became one of Hollywood's most popular romantic on-screen pairings.

She achieved her initial popularity in romantic comedy films, such as The Great Garrick (1937), and in Westerns, such as Dodge City (1939). Her natural beauty and refined acting style made her particularly effective in historical period dramas, such as Anthony Adverse (1936), and romantic dramas, such as Hold Back the Dawn (1941).

In her later career, she was most successful in dramas, such as Light in the Piazza (1962), and unglamorous roles in psychological dramas including Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964). In addition to her film career, de Havilland continued her work in the theatre, appearing three times on Broadway. She also worked in television, appearing in the successful miniseries, Roots: The Next Generations (1979), and television feature films, such as Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

During her film career, de Havilland won two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two New York Film Critics Circle Awards, the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress, and the Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup. For her contributions to the motion picture industry, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For her lifetime contribution to the arts, she received the National Medal of Arts from President George W. Bush, and was appointed a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

De Havilland and Joan Fontaine are the only siblings to have won Academy Awards in a lead acting category. A lifelong rivalry between the two actresses resulted in an estrangement that lasted over three decades. De Havilland lived in Paris since 1956, and celebrated her 100th birthday on July 1, 2016.

In June 2017, two weeks before her 101st birthday, de Havilland was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to drama. She was the oldest woman ever to receive the honour. In a statement, she called it "the most gratifying of birthday presents".

Career Statisics

Season Age Movie Role Result Points
1940 24 Gone with the Wind (1939) Supporting Actress Nom 0
1942 26 Hold Back the Dawn (1941) Leading Actress Nom 0
1947 31 To Each His Own (1946) Leading Actress Win 0
1949 33 The Snake Pit (1948) Leading Actress Nom 0
1950 34 The Heiress (1949) Leading Actress Win 0
Career 0

Transaction History

Date Location Team Receives Team Receives Team Receives

Credits

Year Title Character
1988-04-03 The Woman He Loved Aunt Bessie Merryman
1982-09-20 The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother
1982-01-02 Murder Is Easy Honoria Waynflete
1979-04-06 The Fifth Musketeer Anne d'Autriche
1978-07-14 The Swarm Maureen Schuester
1977-03-11 Airport '77 Emily Livingston
1972-08-16 Pope Joan Mother Superior
1972-01-29 The Screaming Woman Laura Wynant
1970-03-25 The Adventurers Deborah Hadley
1966-11-23 Noon Wine Ellie Thompson
1964-12-15 Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte Miriam Deering
1964-06-10 Lady in a Cage Mrs. Cornelia Hilyard
1962-02-07 Light in the Piazza Meg Johnson
1959-10-23 Libel Lady Margaret Anne Loddon
1958-07-01 The Proud Rebel Linnett Moore
1956-07-26 The Ambassador's Daughter Joan Fisk
1955-07-01 Not as a Stranger Kristina Hedvigson / Kristina Marsh
1955-03-05 That Lady Ana de Mendoza
1952-12-25 My Cousin Rachel Rachel Sangalletti Ashley
1949-10-06 The Heiress Catherine Sloper
1948-11-04 The Snake Pit Virginia Stuart Cunningham
1946-10-17 The Dark Mirror Terry / Ruth Collins
1946-05-17 The Well Groomed Bride Margie Dawson
1946-04-05 Devotion Charlotte Brontë
1946-03-12 To Each His Own Miss Josephine 'Jody' Norris
1943-11-05 Government Girl Elizabeth 'Smokey' Allard
1943-10-23 Princess O'Rourke Princess Maria
1943-04-23 Stars on Horseback
1942-05-08 In This Our Life Roy Timberlake
1942-03-12 The Male Animal Ellen Turner
1941-11-20 They Died with Their Boots On Elizabeth Bacon
1941-09-26 Hold Back the Dawn Emmy Brown
1941-02-21 The Strawberry Blonde Amy Lind
1940-12-20 Santa Fe Trail Kit Carson Holliday
1940-07-13 My Love Came Back Amelia Cornell
1939-11-11 The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex Lady Penelope Gray
1939-11-11 Raffles Gwen
1939-04-08 Dodge City Abbie Irving
1939-03-12 Gone with the Wind Melanie Hamilton
1939-02-11 Wings of the Navy Irene Dale
1938-11-05 Hard to Get Margaret "Maggie" Richards
1938-08-04 Four's a Crowd Lorri Dillingwell
1938-05-13 The Adventures of Robin Hood Maid Marian
1938-02-12 Gold Is Where You Find It Serena Ferris
1937-10-30 The Great Garrick Germaine de la Corbe
1937-10-08 It's Love I'm After Marcia West
1937-05-22 A Day at Santa Anita Olivia de Havilland (uncredited)
1937-04-17 Call It a Day Catherine 'Cath' Hilton
1936-10-20 The Charge of the Light Brigade Elsa Campbell
1936-08-26 Anthony Adverse Angela Guiseppe
1936-04-15 The Making of a Great Motion Picture
1935-12-26 Captain Blood Arabella Bishop
1935-10-09 A Midsummer Night's Dream Hermia
1935-07-31 The Irish in Us Lucille Jackson
1935-06-15 Alibi Ike Dolly Stevens