Laurence Olivier

AKA:

Larry

Birth Name:

Laurence Kerr Olivier

Birth Date:

May 22, 1907

Birth Place:

26 Wathen Road, Dorking, Surrey, England

Death Date:

July 11, 1989

Place of Death:

The Malthouse, Steyning, West Sussex, England

Age:

Cause of Death:

Kidney failure

Cemetery Name:

Westminster Abbey

Claim to Fame:

Show Business

Laurence Olivier was one of the most influential actors, directors and producer of the 20th century, renowned for his commanding Shakespearean performances on stage and screen. Born in 1907, he rose to prominence in British theatre in the 1930s before gaining international fame with film roles such as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (1939) and Maxim de Winter in Rebecca (1940). Olivier cemented his legacy with his film adaptations of Shakespeare, directing and starring in Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948)—for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor—and Richard III (1955). A towering figure at the Old Vic and later the founding director of Britain’s National Theatre in 1963, he helped shape modern British theatre. His later films included Spartacus (1960), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Sleuth (1972), Marathon Man (1976) and The Boys from Brazil (1978). Over his long career, he earned multiple Academy Awards, honorary titles, and a life peerage as Baron Olivier. His marriage to Vivien Leigh was one of the era’s most famous artistic partnerships. Olivier remained active in film and television into the 1970s, leaving a lasting legacy as a master interpreter of Shakespeare and a central architect of contemporary British drama.

Fun Facts

Olivier’s honours included a knighthood (1947), a life peerage (1970) and the Order of Merit (1981). For his on-screen work he received an Academy Award, five British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards in addition to nominations for a Tony Award, two British Academy Television Awards and a Grammy Award. Olivier was awarded with two non-competitive Academy Honorary Awards in 1947 and 1979, the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1983 and a BAFTA Fellowship in 1976. The National Theatre’s largest auditorium is named in his honour, and he is commemorated in the Laurence Olivier Awards, given annually by the Society of London Theatre.

Larry (as his friends called him) was married three times: to the actresses Jill Esmond from 1930 to 1940, Vivien Leigh from 1940 to 1960, and Joan Plowright from 1961 until his death, and had four children in total.

Oh … I almost forgot … he hated acting with, and directing, Marilyn Monroe in The Prince and the Showgirl, finding her thoroughly aggravating and unprofessional.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Westminster Abbey

Deans Yard

London SW1P 3PA, England,

Europe

Map:

Westminster Abbey in London, England

Grave Location:

Poets Corner, Floor Memorial

Grave Location Description

The ashes of Laurence Olivier are buried in the South Transept of Westminster Abbey in London,England in an area famously known as Poets’ Corner. The great British actor lies in front of the William Shakespeare memorial. While Olivier died in July 1989, his ashes were not buried in the Abbey until September 16, 1991. The memorial stone was unveiled by Sir John Gielgud, whose own ashes were later buried beside Olivier in 2000.

Grave Location GPS

51.49936089435393, -0.12740402869255527

Photos:

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FAQ's

Laurence Olivier was born on May 22, 1907.

Laurence Olivier was born in 26 Wathen Road, Dorking, Surrey, England.

Laurence Olivier died on July 11, 1989.

Laurence Olivier died in The Malthouse, Steyning, West Sussex, England.

Laurence Olivier was 82.

The cause of death was Kidney failure.

Laurence Olivier's grave is in Westminster Abbey

Videos Featuring Laurence Olivier:

Movie clip - Rebecca (1940)

Movie clip - Wuthering Heights

Nazi Szell Is Discovered Marathon Man

Sir Laurence Olivier on the 'Genius' of Marlon Brando | The Dick Cavett Show

John Gielgud talks Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh

Watch YouTube video titled Whatever Happened to Laurence Olivier's 4 Children?

Laurence Olivier