Laurence Olivier

About

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...

Known for

Great PerformancesSeries • 1971OmnibusSeries • 1967ITV Saturday Night TheatreSeries • 1969RebeccaMovie • 1940Jesus of NazarethSeries • 1977SpartacusMovie • 1960Romeo and JulietMovie • 1968A Bridge Too FarMovie • 1977Clash of the TitansMovie • 1981The World at WarSeries • 1973Brideshead RevisitedSeries • 1981Sky Captain and the World of TomorrowMovie • 2004Marathon ManMovie • 1976Wuthering HeightsMovie • 1939Battle of BritainMovie • 1969The BountyMovie • 1984The Boys from BrazilMovie • 1978DraculaMovie • 1979That Hamilton WomanMovie • 1941KhartoumMovie • 1966Pride and PrejudiceMovie • 1940The Devil's DiscipleMovie • 1959The Prince and the ShowgirlMovie • 1957Bunny Lake Is MissingMovie • 1965