The flip side of Vivien Leigh's fame: What ruined the family and film career of a Hollywood star

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

November 5 marks the 106th anniversary of the birth of the famous English actress Vivien Leigh. "Gone with the Wind" and "A Streetcar Named Desire" brought her an Oscar and world fame, her beauty and talent were admired by millions of viewers, she became the standard of femininity and grace for thousands of fans. But then a misfortune happened to her, which instantly destroyed both her personal happiness and professional success, and became the reason for her premature departure at 53 …

She received the name Vivien Leigh at 22, and before that she was known as Vivian Mary Hartley. At a monastery school in the suburbs of London, where she spent 8 years, and then in Catholic schools in Europe, she was given a good education, but they could not teach humility. From her youth, Vivian was distinguished by a rebellious character. After completing her studies, she exclaimed: ""

Vivian spoke several languages, played the violin and piano, knew history and literature well, but from her youth she dreamed only of acting. Therefore, the question of choosing a further path was not for her - she continued her education at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her parents feared that, because of their obstinate nature, their daughter would not be able to marry successfully, and often took her with them to social events in the hope of finding a spouse for her. Therefore, when at the age of 19 Vivian married lawyer Herbert Lee Holman and gave birth to a daughter, their happiness knew no bounds. But they did not rejoice for long. The birth was very difficult, and after that she vowed that she would never have children again. In addition, the role of a housewife assigned to her by her husband categorically did not suit Vivian, and soon she, entrusting the upbringing of her daughter to a nanny, began her theatrical career.

At the age of 22, Vivien Leigh made her film debut - since then she has presented herself only by this name. "Vivien" instead of "Vivian" appeared by accident, due to a typist mistake in the theater program, and "Lee" was part of her husband's name. After the first role of the actress, film critics announced the birth of a new British star in the press.

Vivien Leigh always got what she wanted. Her first husband had a bride before meeting her, but the actress was not embarrassed by this fact. When she met the famous actor Laurence Olivier, he was also married. But neither this obstacle, nor her own marriage stopped her this time either. They played movie lovers, and the on-screen romance quickly grew into a real one. In 1937, the actress left her husband, leaving the care of her daughter to her grandmother. She and Lawrence settled in a rented apartment together, having not yet received a divorce from the spouses.

When Olivier left to conquer Hollywood, she went after him - she was invited to audition for the film "Gone with the Wind." She managed to bypass 1,400 competitors who applied for the role of Scarlett. It was her finest hour - "Gone with the Wind" received 8 "Oscars", and Vivien Leigh gained worldwide fame.

Vivien Leigh's success overshadowed all the creative achievements of Laurence Olivier, and he was jealous of her fame. This was the first reason for their quarrels. And then there was another reason for disagreement. All colleagues and acquaintances of the actress spoke of her intolerable character and claimed that she suffered from manic-depressive psychosis. She plagued her chosen one, directors and actors with her sharp mood swings and unstable behavior.

In 1940, when both Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were finally able to get a divorce, they got married, but their family happiness was short-lived. After 4 years, doctors diagnosed the actress with tuberculosis. After a 2-month course of treatment, she returned to the set. During the filming of the film "Caesar and Cleopatra" Vivien Leigh became pregnant, but lost her child due to the fact that in one of the episodes she stumbled and fell. After that, the actress began to have severe depression.

Vivien Leigh's uncontrollable fits of rage became more frequent when she threw herself at her husband and banged her head against the wall, and the next day she did not remember anything. Soon, scandals between the spouses began to happen not behind the closed doors of their house, but in public. Later it turned out that the mental health of the actress was affected by her treatment for tuberculosis - the drugs had a side effect.

Despite mental problems, the actress continued to perform on the stage and act in films for some time, although she received less and less offers from directors after 35 years - her beauty faded, and rumors of inappropriate behavior frightened off. The last high-profile success of Vivien Leigh before the end of her film career was the film "A Streetcar Named Desire", for which she received her second Oscar. But this role finally undermined her health and led to physical and mental exhaustion.

After 40 years, the actress played only 3 movie roles. In an interview, she admitted: "".

In 1953 she was forced to go to a psychiatric clinic. In those days, manic-depressive psychosis was fought only with the help of electroshock therapy. She had to cope with her illness alone - her husband had another woman, although he asked for a divorce only 7 years later. At the age of 47, one of the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood was left alone, alone with a serious illness and lack of roles in theater and cinema. In the last 7 years of her life, Vivien Leigh found oblivion in alcohol and smoked several packs of cigarettes a day, which only aggravated her condition.

"", - the actress often repeated. She, like a straw, clutched at all the offers that occasionally came to her. When she was offered to take part in a Broadway musical, she did not hesitate to leave London overseas, despite the strict ban of doctors. "", - stubbornly insisted Vivienne.

In May 1967, her attending physician informed her that both lungs were affected by tuberculosis. The situation was critical, the actress urgently needed to go to the hospital, but she flatly refused hospitalization - she was too tired of the treatment that seemed useless to her. On July 7, 1967, Vivien Leigh was found dead in her bedroom. The next day, all London theaters turned off their ramp lights for one hour in memory of the legendary actress. She was only 53 years old.

Her most famous film heroine was as if copied from herself: Vivien Leigh and Scarlett O'Hara.