Leigh, << lee, >> Vivien (1913-1967), was a famous English stage and motion-picture actress known for her beauty and charm. She became famous for two film performances. The first was as the Southern belle Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939). The second was as the tragic Blanche Du Bois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). Leigh won Academy Awards as best actress for both performances.
Leigh was born on Nov. 5, 1913, in Darjiling, India, to English parents. Her real name was Vivian Mary Hartley. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, she made her movie debut in 1934 and her stage debut in 1935. Leigh was married to the great English actor Laurence Olivier from 1940 to 1960. They appeared on stage together in several classical plays, such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare.
Leigh made 19 movies in England and the United States. They included Dark Journey (1937), A Yank at Oxford (1938), Waterloo Bridge (1940), The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961), and Ship of Fools (1965). Leigh’s career was restricted late in her life by poor health and mental illness. She died on July 7, 1967.
See also Gone with the Wind ; Streetcar Named Desire, A .
