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Laurence Olivier
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Hamlet (1948) Laurence Olivier in The Taming of the Shrew Sir Laurence Olivier stands with arms crossed beside his first wife, Jill Esmond, who is wearing a polka dot dress and hat, as they arrive in New York City in 1933. Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier stand close together, looking concerned, in a black-and-white scene from the film Rebecca (1940), directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Henry V by William Shakespeare scene from Hamlet Sir Laurence Olivier sits in a cluttered office, wearing a suit and glasses, reading a script with a cigarette in his mouth, surrounded by shelves of books and files. Sir Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, both in formal evening wear, stand together at the Anna Karenina film premiere, with theater signage visible behind them. Ralph Richardson as Tiresias gestures toward Laurence Olivier as Oedipus on stage in the Old Vic Theatre Company's 1945-1946 production of Sophocles' Oedipus. Hamlet
At a Glance
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Laurence Olivier, Baron Olivier summary
Quizzes
Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema).
Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia
USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood
Pop Culture Quiz
John Barrymore and Greta Garbo in "Grand Hotel" (1932), directed by Edmund Goulding.
Hollywood Films in the 1930s Quiz
Related Questions

Laurence Olivier: References & Edit History

Additional Reading

Foster Hirsch, Laurence Olivier (1979); Anthony Holden, Laurence Olivier (1988, reissued 1990; also published as Olivier, 1988); Donald Spoto, Laurence Olivier: A Biography (1991, reprinted 1993).

Article Contributors

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Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Add new Web site: AllMusic - Laurence Olivier. Sep 18, 2026
Anniversary information added. Jul 07, 2026
Anniversary information added. May 18, 2026
Add new Web site: NPR - Laurence Olivier: One of a Kind, Twice Over. May 24, 2025
Add new Web site: BBC Sounds - The New Elizabethans - Laurence Olivier. Mar 29, 2025
Revised to update language/spelling. Mar 29, 2024
First paragraph modernization. Mar 29, 2024
Add new Web site: Live About - Sir Laurence Olivier, English Film and Shakespearean Actor. Apr 01, 2023
Add new Web site: BFI Screenonline - Biography of Laurence Olivier. Jan 06, 2023
Changed the version of Uncle Vanya that he directed from the 1963 film to the 1967 TV movie. Apr 27, 2020
Changed title from "Laurence Olivier, Baron Olivier of Brighton" to "Laurence Olivier." May 15, 2018
Add new Web site: AllMovie - Laurence Olivier. Jun 09, 2014
Add new Web site: Westminster Abbey - Biography of Laurence Olivier. Aug 05, 2013
Add new Web site: Matinee Classics - Biography of Laurence Olivier. Aug 05, 2013
Add new Web site: Turner Classic Movies - Laurence Olivier Profile. Aug 05, 2013
Add new Web site: Olivier Awards - Biography of Laurence Olivier. Aug 05, 2013
Add new Web site: Official Licensing Site of Sir Laurence Olivier. Aug 05, 2013
Added photograph. Jun 13, 2011
Article revised and updated. May 28, 2008
Added new Web site: Reel Classics - Laurence Olivier. Aug 29, 2006
Article revised. Jan 22, 2001
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
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