The Tragic Affair & Illness That Killed Vivien Leigh

Vivian Leigh was a British actress who remains best known for her performances in the classic films Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire. However, she also featured in many other roles in both film and on stage. In addition to her legacy as an actress, Vivian has maintained notoriety for her torrid relationship with fellow thespian Laurence Olivier. The two were married and divorced over the course of their lives, but their relationship started out as an extramarital affair. Join Facts Verse as we explore the tragic affair and illness that killed Vivian Leigh. Vivian Leigh was born Vivian Mary Hartley on November 5, 1913. When she was born, her first name was spelled with an A instead of an E. Vivian later changed the spelling when developing her stage name. Her logic for doing so was that the E spelling was less common. She was born in Darjeeling, India, to a stockbroker father of English descent and an Irish mother. She was raised in India, though her family eventually moved back to England when Vivian was six years old. In England, Vivian began to take in the culture, including plays. Her love of plays led Vivian to become interested in acting at an early age. Throughout her teen years, she was sent all around the globe to different schools. She attended school in Germany, Italy, France, and England, resulting in her being proficient in both Italian and French by the time she reached adulthood. After this, she began studying acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Her progress there was interrupted when she married a lawyer and had his child at age 19. Her husband's name was Lee Holman, and Vivian later adopted her new husband's first name as her stage last name to create Vivian Leigh. Vivian took some time off from acting pursuits to raise her newborn daughter, then began pursuing a career in entertainment once her daughter was a toddler. Her film and stage debuts came in the same year, 1935. First, she debuted in a small play called The Bash. Although it wasn't a huge success, it did allow the young actress to make some notable connections. Later that year, she was seen in the film Things Are Looking Up. Despite her inherent good looks and charm, Vivian wasn't initially taken seriously as a stage actress. However, this rejection only caused her to focus that much more adamantly on the pursuit of her studies. She soon immersed herself in Shakespearean works, performing some notable plays at the Old Vic in London. It was during this time that Vivian met and fell in love with a fellow thespian named Lawrence Olivier. Like Vivian, Lawrence was married at the time. However, this didn't stop the two from falling almost instantly in love. In addition to their electric romance, the two also worked off of each other incredibly well professionally. While Vivian was making a name for herself in Shakespearean theater, an American director named George Cukor was trying to find an actress perfectly suited for playing the role of Scarlett O'Hara in his adaptation of Gone With the Wind. Many popular actresses of the time were vying for the role, including notable figures such as Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn. Despite these stars' insistence, George was equally insistent that the role needed to go to someone not based on star power but upon their ability to fully step into the role. Vivian happened to be vacationing in America at the time and auditioned on a whim. George was blown away, and Vivian was cast. Gone With the Wind was one of the most anticipated films of its time, and many fans of the book were skeptical of the relative unknown Vivian playing Scarlett O'Hara. Although Vivian had achieved plenty of acclaim via her acting in England, she had almost none in America. Despite this initial skepticism, few in the audience could argue with George's casting choice after the film's premiere. The film lived up to its hype, becoming a massive success. One of the most popular aspects of the film was Vivian's performance. She became an overnight sensation due to her performance as Scarlett O'Hara. The film also netted 13 Academy Award nominations and 8 wins. Among those 8 wins was a Best Actress win for Vivian. Soon after the success of Gone With the Wind, both Vivian and Lawrence divorced their respective spouses and decided to make their relationship official. They tied the knot, becoming one of the most powerful couples in the industry. While it might seem like this period of Vivian's life was a massive victory, there were problems behind the scenes that were wreaking havoc on her psyche. Although she had seemingly gotten everything that she ever wanted, she was also suffering from bipolar disorder and manic depression. Although it might seem like Vivian Lee and Lawrence Olivier had finally achieved their fairytale ending, Vivian's mental turmoil began deteriorating their relationship almost immediately. This caused the two to have to take breaks sporadically between films that oftentimes spanned multiple years in order for Vivian to mentally recuperate. In 1944, Vivian was rehearsing for a play that she was set to perform in alongside Lawrence when she accidentally fell. She was pregnant at the time, and the incident caused her to have a miscarriage. This event had a drastic effect on the actress, as she gradually became more mentally unstable. In addition to her recurring mental troubles, a new respiratory issue began to arise. This was eventually diagnosed as tuberculosis. Vivian suffered throughout the 1940s, causing some damage to her personal career and reputation. However, a 1949 London production of A Streetcar Named Desire proved to be just what she needed to help regain her fame. Due to both her prestige and talent, Vivian had an easy time claiming the role of Blanche DuBois. Her performance in the play was such a huge success that she was subsequently cast to perform the same role in the film adaptation alongside Marlon Brando. This film adaptation netted Vivian her second Academy Award for Best Actress, and many claim it to be an even more powerful performance than the one that she delivered in Gone With the Wind. Many fans have speculated that Vivian's performance as Blanche drew on her struggles with mental illness. Blanche was a character with a similarly damaged psyche, and Vivian seemed to be channeling her own personal experiences while playing the character. Although some might imagine that this performance may have been therapeutic, Vivian expressed that her time performing as Blanche had a lasting effect on her mind. Shortly after Vivian's successful performance in A Streetcar Named Desire, she received some more acclaim while acting alongside her husband in a pair of plays. One of these was Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, and the other was George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra. Although both productions were gigantic, critical successes, Vivian and Lawrence's marriage didn't last much longer due to the increasing turmoil at home. Vivian suffered a second miscarriage in 1953, resulting in her breaking down worse than ever. She was scheduled to perform in a film called Elephant Walk, but had to drop out due to her increasing mental health struggles. As her struggles became worse, so did her relationship with Lawrence. In 1960, the two divorced. Lawrence eventually found a new wife and started a family, while Vivian found new romance with a young stage actor named Jack Merivale. This new life slightly rejuvenated Vivian, and she acted in a number of successful roles over the remainder of the 1960s. In 1963, Vivian's performance in the musical adaptation of Tovarich won her a Tony Award. A few years later, she could be seen in the film Ship of Fools, which won two Academy Awards. Vivian was set to start rehearsing a 1967 London production of the play A Delicate Balance when the tuberculosis that had haunted her previously became too serious for her to ignore. She passed away on July 8, 1967. She was only 53. In tribute, the London Theatre District blacked out all of its lights for an hour. Lawrence Olivier died many years later on July 11, 1989. He was 82. Although Lawrence remarried after divorcing Vivian, he never let her go from his heart. Those closest to him have recalled seeing him watching some of his and Vivian's old film performances with tears in his eyes during his final years. Now it's time to hear from you. Comment down below to share what your favorite performance from each of these classic stars was, or if you think the two should've tried harder to make it work off-screen. And before you go, make sure you give this video a like and subscribe to Facts Verse if you haven't already. Click the bell icon to stay updated on all our latest content.