Sir Laurence Olivier
Ranked as the greatest actor of a generation, he, along with his contemporaries, Gielgud, Ashcroft, Richardson, Redgrave, and Dame Edith Evans, lead the movement to bring theater to the masses. And they succeeded. Yet, when one things of him, they think of his film roles in the classics: Hamlet, Henry V, Othello, and Richard III and his three unique marriages: First disastrously to Jill Esmond, second notoriously to Vivien Leigh, and third harmoniously to Joan Plowright.
However, pulling back the veil reveals of more diverse body of work across sixty years: Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, Pride & Prejudice, 49th Parallel, The Entertainer, Spartacus, Bunny Lake is Missing, Oh! What a Lovely War, The Battle of Britain, Nicholas and Alexandra, SLUETH, Marathon Man, A Bridge Too Far, The Boys from Brazil, Clash of the Titans, The Bounty, and sadly Wild Geese II.
Tall, handsome, and probably bisexual, let's discuss the British thespian Sir Laurence Olivier
| by Anonymous | reply 16 | May 11, 2023 12:24 PM
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Sad after 60 years of being THE actor of a century you are forced to do Wild Geese II for health insurance purposes.
| by Anonymous | reply 2 | May 10, 2023 5:41 PM
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Speaking of Nicholas and Alexandra, both Olivier and Eric Porter were in it.
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | May 10, 2023 8:44 PM
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I thought he the definitive Heathcliff, but he sounded as if he was a nightmare of a person to deal with. Maybe that's just how actors were in those days, but still....
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | May 10, 2023 8:51 PM
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Hey had a weird, nondescript and cameleon look to him. Like he blends in anywhere and everywhere. Could have been a successful spy. Maybe he was. Or maybe the required but rare glamour of a successful actor.
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | May 10, 2023 9:15 PM
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I'm sure he and Danny Kaye made a cute couple.
| by Anonymous | reply 9 | May 10, 2023 10:33 PM
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[quote]Ranked as the greatest actor of a generation
And yet, was upstaged by Marilyn Monroe in The Prince and the Showgirl.
| by Anonymous | reply 10 | May 10, 2023 11:00 PM
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I don't get Olivier. He never blew my mind like some others.
| by Anonymous | reply 11 | May 11, 2023 7:22 AM
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[quote] He never blew my mind like some others.
That's because "minds" wasn't what Larry was good at blowing, dear.
| by Anonymous | reply 12 | May 11, 2023 7:29 AM
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Peter Ustinov talks about working with Olivier and Charles Laughton on "Spartacus" and does a funny recreation of rehearsals. Starts at 8:00.
| by Anonymous | reply 13 | May 11, 2023 7:33 AM
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Not my cup of tea, although I like him better in later roles such as The Boys from Brazil and A Little Romance where he’s leaning into camp or playing character parts. He seems like such a cold and pretentious actor, and when I watch him I think I understand Katharine Hepburn’s insult about Streep (click click click).
| by Anonymous | reply 14 | May 11, 2023 7:34 AM
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He drove me crazy!!!!!!!
Granted, it was a very short drive
| by Anonymous | reply 15 | May 11, 2023 7:45 AM
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r13 thanks for posting. Ustinov was a brilliant, hilarious raconteur and this vid is priceless.
| by Anonymous | reply 16 | May 11, 2023 12:24 PM
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