Hollywood Love
Hollywood Love
Dramatic, passionate and turbulent…
The Hollywood love story of Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier is remembered today as a story full of passion, romance, betrayal and heartbreak. Leigh and Olivier first met after one of the actress’ stage performances of The Mask of Virtue in London (1936). Olivier - then 28 - approached her to congratulate the rising star, then in her early twenties, on her performance. Although both were married, the couple fell head over heels for one another. ‘This is the man I am going to marry,’ she later told a close friend.
A year after they first met, they were both cast for the film Fire Over England. They spent a lot of time together on set and eventually gave in to their chemistry. Thus began their secret love affair. Many love letters went back and forth ‘O my darling, little love, I do long for you so’ wrote Oliver in one of his letters.
Both careers were blossoming, but at the same time Leigh began to show the first signs of bipolar disorder. Despite her mental struggles, Leigh played the world-famous role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. She was awarded an Oscar for the role; Leigh thus became the first British woman to win this prestigious award for best actress. Laurence and Vivien married in California in August 1940.
Vivien’s acute depression got worse and negatively impacted her career. While Laurence’s career was flourishing, she was no longer able to perform. This discrepancy caused tension in their relationship. The worst fight took place in New Zealand when Leigh refused to go on stage with Olivier. Olivier got so frustrated that he slapped her - in public. She hit him back. Later, Olivier reflected: ‘I lost Vivien in New Zealand.’
In the following years, the romance faded and several affairs followed. In the late 1950s, the couple officially split up. In 1967, Leigh died of tuberculosis. Leigh’s then husband immediately contacted Olivier who said goodbye to her at the hospital and was also involved in organising her funeral.