As a child Olivier imitated the forceful sermons he saw his father give. Volcanic passion that ended in a marriage from hell: As Vivien Leigh's personal effects go on sales, MICHAEL THORNTON reveals how they offer a new light on her relationship with Laurence Olivier Sir Laurence Olivier was born on May 22, 1907 and died on July 11, 1989. His mother, whom he was close to, encouraged him to learn and recite dramatic speeches from plays instead. 'Larry thought he'd killed her': Laurence Olivier's secret lover of 20 years reveals how the actor confessed to a violent row with his adulterous wife Vivien Leigh (It would cause her death in 1967.) He was the youngest actor to be knighted and the first to be raised to the peerage. Celebrity Jeopardy! Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor. In Strindberg's ''Dance of Death,'' he fell to the floor in a faint with such conviction that audiences thought he had a stroke onstage. Laurence Olivier’s steamy love letters to Vivien Leigh see ... Vivien Leigh and Laurence Oliver in Atlanta for the premiere of Gone with ... still the actor's actor 25 years after his death. He was the youngest actor to be knighted and the first to be raised to the peerage. she was an overnight success and was quickly signed up by Alexander Korda for the film "Fire Over England" in which she played opposite Laurence Olivier. Leigh had developed a case of tuberculosis. Laurence Olivier, acclaimed as the greatest actor of his generation and the 20th-Century giant of the Shakespearean theater, died today. Olivier married … Olivier by now, alas, was having more serious woman trouble. Sir Laurence Olivier would have been 82 years old at the time of death or 108 years old today. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. Saturday Night Live Recommended for you She took Vivien Leigh (her husbands middle name) as her professional name and made her first West End appearance in Ashley Dukes's "Mask of Virtue" (1935). Kathie Lee, Tom Hanks, Sean Connery, Burt Reynolds - SNL - Duration: 9:45. In 1948, Leigh and Olivier went on a six-month tour of Australia and New Zealand to perform and raise funds for the theater, according to Laurence Olivier: A Biography by Donald Spoto. Olivier married … Her film debut was in "Things are Looking Up" (1935). Volcanic passion that ended in a marriage from hell: As Vivien Leigh's personal effects go on sales, MICHAEL THORNTON reveals how they offer a new light on her relationship with Laurence Olivier Laurence Olivier was born on May 22, 1907, in Dorking, Surrey, England, the third child of Gerard Kerr Olivier, a minister, and Agnes Crookenden. He was 82. Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (/ ˈ l ɒr ə n s ˈ k ɜːr ə ˈ l ɪ v i eɪ /; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson, Peggy Ashcroft and John Gielgud, dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor.