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Vivien Leigh: Laurence Olivier
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Vivien Leigh was living at 54 Eaton Square, Belgravia, London. She was married to Sir Laurence Olivier for twenty years. They divorced in 1960. Leigh, a diagnosed manic depressive, contracted tuberculosis in 1945. Strange, because this disease was all but obliterated in this century. Bedridden for 4 weeks because of a recurrence, she was found dead in her bedroom on the evening of July 7th, 1967.
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Vivien Leigh was a great film actor. She and Laurence Olivier had one of the most romantic celebrity marriages of their time. And one of the most troubled. She suffered unspeakably from manic depressive illness (which is now called bipolar disorder).
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Vivien Leigh, the star of classic movies such as Gone with the Wind and A Street Car Named Desire, was repeatedly electroshocked, leaving burns on her temples. Husband Sir Lawrence Olivier was devastated by the changes in her personality: "She was now more of a stranger to me than I could ever have imagined possible." In actuality, Leigh suffered from tuberculosis (TB) and her prescribed medication for thisnot her "mental illness"caused mental confusion and toxic psychosis.
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Vivien followed Waterloo Bridge with Romeo and Juliet on stage in New York with Olivier directing and co-starring. This was thought to have a good potential for profit - neither of them having made much money with their recent film roles. However, Romeo and Juliet on Broadway didn't do well, and it ended up running for only 35 performances. After a brief summer holiday, Vivien returned to Hollywood and began preparing for her new role as Lady Hamilton, a film that was thought as a suitable propaganda vehicle for US-Britain. Enough time had passed, and as soon as both their divorces became absolute, Vivien and Olivier could finally marry. The ceremony took place at the San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara on August 31st, 1940, with Katharine Hepburn as the maid of honour and a subsequent honeymoon on actor Ronald Colman's yacht.
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In 1940, Leigh and Olivier starred in Romeo and Juliet in New York, but they did not get good reviews. The disappointment was forgotten a few months later when the couple finally wed in August. That December they sailed for wartorn England where Olivier served in the Royal Navy and Leigh worked for the equivalent of the American USO. The couple made the film That Hamilton Woman in 1941. According to the Times, Leigh had "hoped to join the Old Vic Company (a highly respected repertory company) on her return to England…. the director was of the opinion that her new celebrity would make it impossible for her to fit in."
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To everyone's surprise, Vivien found out she was pregnant in the summer of 1956, now in her 43rd year. The baby was expected for late December and hoped for a girl to be named Katherine. Most unfortunately, she suffered a miscarriage on August 12th. The following months were spent quietly at home while Olivier worked on The Entertainer, and The Prince and The Showgirl with Marilyn Monroe. A European tour began in 1957, showcasing Titus Andronicus, and Vivien's illness once again returned. While in France as part of the tour, she received the Legion of Honour from the Minister of Cultural Relations.
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