Contents
Laurence Olivier
Shakespeare on stage and screen and founding Britain’s National Theatre company.
Henry V · Hamlet
- Born
- 22 May 1907
- Birthplace
- Dorking
- Died
- 11 July 1989
More people
Laurence Olivier
English actor and director whose career joined theatre leadership with major film roles over six decades.
Early life
Drama training
The son of a clergyman, attended drama school in London with his father’s encouragement and learned through acting jobs in the 1920s.
Career
- 1930
West End success
Appeared in Noël Coward’s Private Lives.
- 1940s
Old Vic leadership
Co-directed the company with Ralph Richardson and John Burrell.
- 1957
The Entertainer
Renewed his stage career in John Osborne’s play.
- 1963–1973
National Theatre
Served as founding director.
Selected work
Henry V
Directed and starred in a Shakespeare film.
Hamlet
Directed and played the title role in the Oscar-winning adaptation.
Beyond work
Family and honours
Married fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh and Joan Plowright at different stages of his life. Received a knighthood in 1947 and a life peerage in 1970.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and career ↗Biographical references ↗Original photograph. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
Photo: Allan warren. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.