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OLIVIA de HAVILLANd

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Early Life and Big Breaks

Olivia Mary de Havilland was born July 1, 1916, in Tokyo, Japan, to British parents Lilian Augusta (Ruse), a former actress, and Walter Augustus de Havilland, an English professor and patent attorney. Her parents divorced when Olivia was just three years old, and she moved with her mother and sister to Saratoga, California.

Olivia was raised to appreciate the arts, beginning with ballet lessons at the age of four and piano lessons a year later. She learned to read before she was

six, and her mother, who occasionally taught drama, music, and elocution, had her reciting passages from Shakespeare to strengthen her diction.

After graduating from high school in 1934, Olivia enrolled in Mills College in Oakland. There she performed in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and was spotted by Austrian director Max Reinhardt.

Photo by Sanfranman59

Reinhardt was so impressed that he offered her the second understudy position for the role of Hermia in his own stage production of the play. One week before the premiere, both the

understudy and lead actress left the project, leaving 18-year-old De Havilland to play Hermia. After that performance, Reinhardt offered her the part in the Warner Brothers film version of the play. Again, she was so impressive that Warner executives signed her to a seven-year contract.

In 1935, Warner Brothers cast de Havilland opposite a young and then-unknown actor—Errol Flynn—in the adventure epic Captain Blood. The film was a huge success, receiving four Academy Awards nominations, including

Best Picture. The couple’s chemistry was undeniable, and they went on to star in seven more films together. One of those was The Adventures of Robin Hood, one of the most popular adventure films in Hollywood history.

In 1939, Warner Brothers loaned De Havilland to David O. Selznick for the classic film Gone with the Wind. For her performance as Melanie Hamilton, Olivia received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her star was rising. After Gone with the Wind, Olivia returned to Warner Brothers and continued to churn out films, including Hold Back the Dawn, which resulted in her second Oscar nomination, this time for Best Actress.

There was always rivalry between Olivia and her younger sister (by 15 months) who also became an actress. She was known as Joan Fontaine because her mother favored Olivia and refused to let her use the family name. Both Olivia and Joan were nominated for Best Actress at the 1942 Academy Awards

ceremony. Though Olivia was expected to win, Joan took away the honor. The feud between the sisters began when they were children and lasted throughout their adult lives.

More SuccessDespite these successes, De Havilland questioned her time with Warner Brothers, which continued to cast her in ingénue roles. Olivia wanted meatier roles and began refusing the lighter parts

she was offered. When her contract was up, she was ready to move on. Warner had different ideas and informed her that they had added six months to her contract for the times that she refused a part.

De Havilland filed suit against the studio, and in November 1943, the Superior Court ruled in her favor. The decision was one of the most significant and far-reaching legal rulings in Hollywood, reducing the power of the studios and extending greater creative freedom to performers. That ruling, and the subsequent law, is still referred to as the De Havilland Law. Warner Brothers reacted by blacklisting the star, and as result, De Havilland did not work for nearly two years.

Unable to work, De Havilland still made good use of her time. She had become a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1941. During the war years, she joined a three-week train tour of the country, selling war bonds. Later she attended events at the

famous Hollywood Canteen, entertaining and dancing with the troops. In December 1943, De Havilland joined a USO tour that traveled throughout the United States and the South Pacific. She later remembered, “I loved doing the tours because it was a way I could serve my country and contribute to the war effort.”

When she returned to the screen in 1946, Olivia made up for lost time. She appeared in To Each His Own, which finally won her the Oscar, and The Snake Pit, which garnered her yet another nomination for Best Actress. In 1949, she appeared in only one film—The Heiress, but her performance earned her another Academy Award for Best Actress.

In 1953, the French government invited her to appear at the Cannes Film Festival. There she met Pierre Galante, who was executive editor of the French journal Paris Match. The couple was married in 1955, and De Havilland moved to Paris, where she has lived since.

From that point on, she made few appearances on the screen but appeared on Broadway and television. In 1964, however, she returned to feature films to appear in two psychological thrillers—Lady in a Cage and Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte. The latter was

with her close friend Bette Davis. The film earned seven Academy Award nominations.

Her last screen appearance was in The Fifth Musketeer in 1979, and her last career appearance was in the TV movie The Woman He Loved in 1988.

On July 1, 2019 Olivia will be 103 years old. Her sister Joan died on 12/15/2013 and so, in terms of longevity, Olivia wins the contest.

A Bit of Trivia• During her career, De Havilland won two Academy

Awards (To Each His Own and The Heiress), two Golden Globe Awards (The Heiress and Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna), two New York Film Critics Circle Awards (The Snake Pit and The Heiress), the National Board of Review Award, and the Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup (The Snake Pit), plus a Primetime Emmy Award nomination (Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna).

• Olivia married twice, had two sons (one from each marriage), and dated a number of famous men including Howard Hughes, John Huston, and Jimmy Stewart.

• In 2003, De Havilland made a special appearance at the 75th Annual Academy Awards. She received a standing ovation that lasted over six minutes.

• De Havilland’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is at 6764 Hollywood Boulevard in case you ever decide to visit.

• Sibling rivalry has long been a theme in De Havilland’s life. When she was nine years old, she made a will in which she stated, “I bequeath all my beauty to my younger sister, since she has none.”

• De Havilland enjoys citizenship in three countries. She is British by birthright, American by naturalization, and French by marriage and residence.

• Olivia de Havilland’s thought on dying: “I would prefer to live forever in perfect health, but if I must at some time leave this life, I would like to do so ensconced on a chaise longue, perfumed, wearing a velvet robe and pearl earrings, with a flute of champagne beside me and having just discovered the answer to the last problem in a British cryptic crossword.”

• Once asked what she wanted out of life, De Havilland replied, “Respect for difficult work well done.” She has certainly received that. In 2008, she received the National Medal of the Arts, the highest honor conferred upon an individual artist on behalf of the people of the United States.

• In 2010, French President Nicolas Sarcozy appointed De Havilland a Chevalier (knight) of the Legion d’honneur, the highest decoration in France. Sarcozy said, “You honor France for having chosen us.”

• In 2017, De Havilland was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She is the oldest woman ever to receive the honor. In a statement, she called it “the most gratifying of birthday presents.”

Intermission• Do you have a favorite Olivia de Havilland role? If so, what is it and why is

it your favorite?

• In 2017, De Havilland filed a lawsuit against the FX network for inaccurately portraying her in the series Feud: Bette and Joan. In her suit, she claimed, “Studios, which choose to chronicle the lives of real people, have a legal and moral responsibility to do so with integrity. They have a duty not to steal the value of an actor’s identity for profit.” Although she initially won her case in court, an appeals court later affirmed the right of filmmakers to embellish the historical record and decided that such portrayals are protected by the First Amendment. What is your opinion?

Intermission• De Havilland’s mother named her Olivia after the heroine in William

Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Do you know the origin of your name?

• Mexican actor and director Emilia Fernandez lived in Mexico City on a street with no name. He received permission to name the street “Dulce Olivia,” Spanish for “Sweet Olivia,” after her. What is something that might be named for you? Explain.

• Olivia de Havilland is descended from the Haverlands of Normandy, one of whom (the Lord of Haverland) accompanied William the Conqueror in his invasion of England in 1066. What do you know about your own ancestry?

Can You Guess?1. De Havilland won an Oscar for her role in

To Each His Own and was nominated for her role in The Snake Pit. Both of these roles were turned

down by another popular actress who later wrote, “It seemed Olivia knew a good thing when she saw

it. Perhaps Olivia should thank me for such poor judgment.” Who was that actress?

Answer:Ginger Rogers

Can You Guess?

2. De Havilland starred in eight films that were Best Picture nominees.

One of them took the statue home. Can you guess which one?

Answer:Gone with the Wind

Can You Guess?

3. De Havilland was a popular guest on what

kind of TV shows?

Answer:Game shows

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