VIVIEN LEIGH (1913–1967)

VIVIEN LEIGH (1913–1967) She stood 1.61 meters (5'3") tall.

Vivien Leigh (born Vivian Mary Hartley) was born on November 5, 1913, in Darjeeling, India, to an English stockbroker father and an Irish homemaker mother. From her early school days, young Vivien performed in theatrical productions organized at the various schools she attended in different countries. She made her stage debut in 1934, appearing in the play "The Sash." The following year, she made her British film debut in "Things Are Looking Up" (1935). A few years earlier, in 1932, she had married the lawyer Herbert Leigh Holman; she adopted his surname—which she later used as her professional name—and with him, she had her only child, Suzanne. Her stage career was further enriched by her time at the renowned Old Vic Theatre, where she first crossed paths with the Shakespearean actor Laurence Olivier; the two married in 1940. Among her admirers in America was the prominent producer David O. Selznick, who was preparing a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s novel "Gone with the Wind." After numerous auditions involving various actresses, Vivien Leigh was ultimately chosen; she perfectly embodied the now-legendary character of Scarlett O’Hara, a role for which she won an Oscar. Vivien earned her second Oscar for Best Actress for her memorable performance alongside Marlon Brando in "A Streetcar Named Desire." She appeared in three films with her husband, Laurence Olivier (with whom she had no children): "Fire Over England" (1937), "21 Days Together" (1938), and "Lady Hamilton" (1941). They ended up divorcing in 1960, by which time she was already living with the actor John Merivale. While preparing to star in a new theatrical project titled "A Delicate Balance," Vivien Leigh passed away in London from tuberculosis on July 7, 1967. She was 53 years old.