Olivia de Havilland
| Olivia de Havilland | |
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Studio publicity photo, 1938
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| Born |
Olivia Mary de Havilland July 1, 1916 Tokyo, Japan |
| Residence | Paris, France |
| Other names | Livvie |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1935–1989 |
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| Parent(s) |
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| Relatives | Joan Fontaine (sister, 1917–2013) |
| Awards | See below |
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Olivia Mary de Havilland (born July 1, 1916) is a British-American actress whose career spanned from 1935 to 1990. She appeared in 49 feature films, and was one of the leading movie stars during the golden age of Classical Hollywood. She is best known for her early screen performances in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and Gone with the Wind (1939), and her later award-winning performances in To Each His Own (1946), The Snake Pit (1948), and The Heiress (1949).
Born in Tokyo to British parents, de Havilland and her younger sister, actress Joan Fontaine, moved to California in 1919. They were brought up by their mother Lilian, a former stage actress who taught them dramatic art, music, and elocution. De Havilland made her acting debut in amateur theatre in Alice in Wonderland and later appeared in a local production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which led to her playing Hermia in Max Reinhardt's stage production of the same play and a movie contract with Warner Bros.
Olivia de Havilland made her screen debut in Reinhardt's A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1935. She began her career playing demure opposite popular leading men, including Errol Flynn, with whom she made nine films. They became one of Hollywood's most popular romantic on-screen pairings. She achieved her initial popularity in romantic comedy films, such as The Great Garrick (1937), and in Westerns, such as Dodge City (1939). Her natural beauty and refined acting style made her particularly effective in historical period dramas, such as Anthony Adverse (1936), and romantic dramas, such as Hold Back the Dawn (1941). In her later career, she was most successful in drama films, such as Light in the Piazza (1962), and unglamorous roles in psychological dramas including Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964).
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