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Olivia de Havilland

Olivia de Havilland

Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland DBE (July 1, 1916 - July 25, 2020) was a British-American actress, whose career spanned from 1935 to 1988. 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 with their mother to California in 1919. They were brought up by their mother Lilian, a former stage actress who taught them drama, music, and elocution. Olivia de Havilland made her screen debut in Reinhardt's A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1935. During her career, she often played demure ingénues 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 dramas, such as Light in the Piazza (1962), and unglamorous roles in psychological dramas including Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964). In addition to her film career, de Havilland continued her work in the theatre, appearing three times on Broadway. She also worked in television, appearing in the successful miniseries, Roots: The Next Generations (1979), and television feature films, such as Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. During her film career, de Havilland won two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two New York Film Critics Circle Awards, the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress, and the Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup. For her contributions to the motion picture industry, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For her lifetime contribution to the arts, she received the National Medal of Arts from President George W. Bush, and was appointed a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. De Havilland and Joan Fontaine are the only siblings to have won Academy Awards in a lead acting category. A lifelong rivalry between the two actresses resulted in an estrangement that lasted over three decades. De Havilland lived in Paris since 1956, and celebrated her 100th birthday on July 1, 2016. In June 2017, two weeks before her 101st birthday, de Havilland was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to drama. She was the oldest woman ever to receive the honour. In a statement, she called it "the most gratifying of birthday presents".

Personal information

Birthday

1916-07-01

Birth Place

Tokyo, Japan

Movies and TV shows :

1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

2009

7.5

Movie
A Day at Santa Anita

A Day at Santa Anita

1937

5.0

Movie
A Dream Comes True

A Dream Comes True

1935

5.5

Movie
A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream

1935

6.5

Movie
poster

ABC Stage 67

1966

6.0

TV
Airport '77

Airport '77

1977

5.6

Movie
Alibi Ike

Alibi Ike

1935

5.8

Movie
poster

Anastasia - The Mystery of Anna

1986

7.0

TV
Anthony Adverse

Anthony Adverse

1936

5.7

Movie
Bette Davis: The Benevolent Volcano

Bette Davis: The Benevolent Volcano

1983

7.3

Movie
Breakdowns of 1942

Breakdowns of 1942

1942

6.0

Movie
Breakdowns of 1944

Breakdowns of 1944

1944

6.5

Movie
Call It a Day

Call It a Day

1937

5.0

Movie
Captain Blood

Captain Blood

1935

7.2

Movie
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

1940

6.5

Movie
Devotion

Devotion

1946

6.0

Movie
Dodge City

Dodge City

1939

6.9

Movie
Errol Flynn: Portrait of a Swashbuckler

Errol Flynn: Portrait of a Swashbuckler

1983

0.0

Movie
Four's a Crowd

Four's a Crowd

1938

5.1

Movie
Gold Is Where You Find It

Gold Is Where You Find It

1938

6.9

Movie
poster

Golden Globe Awards

1944

6.8

TV
Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind

1939

7.9

Movie
Government Girl

Government Girl

1943

5.2

Movie
Hard to Get

Hard to Get

1938

6.0

Movie
Hold Back the Dawn

Hold Back the Dawn

1941

6.6

Movie
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

1983

6.5

Movie
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte

Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte

1964

7.3

Movie
In This Our Life

In This Our Life

1942

6.8

Movie
Inside 'the Swarm'

Inside 'the Swarm'

1978

10.0

Movie
It's Love I'm After

It's Love I'm After

1937

7.0

Movie
Lady in a Cage

Lady in a Cage

1964

6.2

Movie
Libel

Libel

1959

7.0

Movie
Light in the Piazza

Light in the Piazza

1962

6.2

Movie
Melanie Remembers: Reflections by Olivia de Havilland

Melanie Remembers: Reflections by Olivia de Havilland

2004

7.2

Movie
Murder Is Easy

Murder Is Easy

1982

6.4

Movie
My Cousin Rachel

My Cousin Rachel

1952

6.7

Movie
My Love Came Back

My Love Came Back

1940

5.2

Movie
Night of 100 Stars II

Night of 100 Stars II

1985

8.0

Movie
Noon Wine

Noon Wine

1966

6.8

Movie
poster

North and South

1985

7.4

TV
Not as a Stranger

Not as a Stranger

1955

6.2

Movie
Out Where the Stars Begin

Out Where the Stars Begin

1938

6.5

Movie
Pope Joan

Pope Joan

1972

5.9

Movie
Princess O'Rourke

Princess O'Rourke

1943

6.4

Movie
Raffles

Raffles

1939

6.2

Movie
poster

Reflets de Cannes

1954

0.0

TV
poster

Roots: The Next Generations

1979

7.3

TV
Santa Fe Trail

Santa Fe Trail

1940

5.7

Movie
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)

Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)

1936

6.0

Movie
Show-Business at War

Show-Business at War

1943

7.0

Movie
poster

Star Life

1990

10.0

TV
Stars on Horseback

Stars on Horseback

1943

0.0

Movie
Thank Your Lucky Stars

Thank Your Lucky Stars

1943

6.1

Movie
That Lady

That Lady

1955

6.0

Movie
The Adventurers

The Adventurers

1970

4.5

Movie
The Adventures of Errol Flynn

The Adventures of Errol Flynn

2005

7.8

Movie
The Adventures of Robin Hood

The Adventures of Robin Hood

1938

7.5

Movie
The Ambassador's Daughter

The Ambassador's Daughter

1956

4.3

Movie
poster

The American Film Institute Salute to ...

1973

6.3

TV
The Charge of the Light Brigade

The Charge of the Light Brigade

1936

6.5

Movie
The Dark Mirror

The Dark Mirror

1946

6.9

Movie
poster

The Ed Sullivan Show

1948

6.6

TV
The Fifth Musketeer

The Fifth Musketeer

1979

5.0

Movie
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies

The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies

1995

8.5

Movie
The Great Garrick

The Great Garrick

1937

5.9

Movie
The Heiress

The Heiress

1949

7.7

Movie
poster

The Hollywood Palace

1964

4.5

TV
The Irish in Us

The Irish in Us

1935

7.7

Movie
poster

The Love Boat

1977

6.3

TV
The Making of a Great Motion Picture

The Making of a Great Motion Picture

1936

5.0

Movie
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

1988

8.0

Movie
The Male Animal

The Male Animal

1942

4.1

Movie
poster

The Merv Griffin Show

1962

5.6

TV
poster

The Mike Douglas Show

1961

5.1

TV
poster

The Oscars

1953

7.0

TV
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

1939

6.2

Movie
The Proud Rebel

The Proud Rebel

1958

6.0

Movie
The Rebellious Olivia de Havilland

The Rebellious Olivia de Havilland

2021

7.5

Movie
The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana

The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana

1982

4.7

Movie
The Screaming Woman

The Screaming Woman

1972

6.6

Movie
The Snake Pit

The Snake Pit

1948

7.1

Movie
The Strawberry Blonde

The Strawberry Blonde

1941

6.9

Movie
The Swarm

The Swarm

1978

5.0

Movie
poster

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

1962

7.4

TV
The Well Groomed Bride

The Well Groomed Bride

1946

4.0

Movie
The Woman He Loved

The Woman He Loved

1988

10.0

Movie
They Died with Their Boots On

They Died with Their Boots On

1941

6.6

Movie
To Each His Own

To Each His Own

1946

6.8

Movie
poster

What's My Line?

1950

6.9

TV
Wings of the Navy

Wings of the Navy

1939

6.0

Movie