|
Born to British parents in India, Vivien was sent back to England to attend boarding school at the age of 6. She immediately married and had a daughter after she graduated, but continued to follow her great dream of becoming an actress. Her first role in British movies was as Rose Venables in 1935's 'The Village Square'. Separated from her husband, she sailed to the US in 1938 to visit Laurence Olivier while he was filming 'Wuthering Heights. It was during this trip that she met the Selznick brothers and was hired for her Academy Award winning role of Scarlett in 'Gone With the Wind'. She married Olivier in 1940 and the two starred together in 'That Hamilton Woman'. During the next few years, Vivien suffered two miscarriages, had tuberculosis, and was diagnosed as a manic depressive. She came back to win a second Academy Award for 'A Street Car Named Desire', but made very few films during the rest of her life. Her final appearance on screen was in 'Ship of Fools' in 1965. After her death, her ashes were scattered out over a lake in England.
| |
