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

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by Anonymous

reply 16

May 11, 2023 12:24 PM

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

Speaking of Nicholas and Alexandra, both Olivier and Eric Porter were in it.

by Anonymous

reply 4

May 10, 2023 8:44 PM

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

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

I'm sure he and Danny Kaye made a cute couple.

by Anonymous

reply 9

May 10, 2023 10:33 PM

[quote]Ranked as the greatest actor of a generation

And yet, was upstaged by Marilyn Monroe in The Prince and the Showgirl.

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by Anonymous

reply 10

May 10, 2023 11:00 PM

I don't get Olivier. He never blew my mind like some others.

by Anonymous

reply 11

May 11, 2023 7:22 AM

[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

Peter Ustinov talks about working with Olivier and Charles Laughton on "Spartacus" and does a funny recreation of rehearsals. Starts at 8:00.

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by Anonymous

reply 13

May 11, 2023 7:33 AM

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

He drove me crazy!!!!!!!

Granted, it was a very short drive

by Anonymous

reply 15

May 11, 2023 7:45 AM

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