Olivia de Havilland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Olivia de Havilland
|
|
|---|---|
de Havilland in 1945
|
|
| Born |
Olivia Mary de Havilland
1 July 1916 |
| Died | 26 July 2020 (aged 104) Paris, France
|
| Other names | Livvie |
| Citizenship |
|
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse(s) |
Marcus Goodrich
(m. 1946; div. 1953)Pierre Galante
(m. 1955; div. 1979) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) |
|
| Relatives | Joan Fontaine (sister) Hereward de Havilland (cousin) Geoffrey de Havilland (cousin) |
| Awards | Full list |
| Signature | |
 |
|
Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (1 July 1916 – 26 July 2020) was a famous British-American actress. She had a long career in movies, from 1935 to 1988. Olivia de Havilland starred in 49 films. She was one of the most important actresses of her time.
She was the last major star from the Golden Age of Hollywood. This was a special time in movie history. She was also the oldest living Academy Award winner before she passed away. Her younger sister, Joan Fontaine, was also a famous actress.
Olivia de Havilland first became well-known for her adventure films. She often starred alongside Errol Flynn. Some of these movies include Captain Blood (1935) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). One of her most famous roles was Melanie Hamilton. She played this character in the classic movie Gone with the Wind (1939). For this role, she earned her first of five Oscar nominations.
In the 1940s, de Havilland started taking on more serious roles. She won praise for her acting in movies like Hold Back the Dawn (1941) and To Each His Own (1946). She also starred in The Snake Pit (1948) and The Heiress (1949). She was nominated for Best Actress for each of these films. She won the Oscar for To Each His Own and The Heiress.
Besides films, she also performed on stage and television. Olivia de Havilland lived in Paris from the 1950s. She received many important awards. These include the National Medal of the Arts and the Légion d'honneur. She was also made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
She acted on Broadway three times. These plays were Romeo and Juliet (1951), Candida (1952), and A Gift of Time (1962). She also appeared in popular TV shows. These include Roots: The Next Generations (1979) and Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986). For Anastasia, she won a Golden Globe Award. She also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This was for her amazing work in movies.
Contents
Family Life
Olivia de Havilland was born in Tokyo, Japan. Her parents were British. She became an American citizen in 1941. From 1956 until her death, she lived in Paris, France.
Marriages and Children
On August 26, 1946, Olivia married Marcus Goodrich. He was a Navy veteran and a writer. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1953. They had one son, Benjamin Goodrich, born in 1949. Benjamin passed away in 1991 in Paris due to health issues.
On April 2, 1955, de Havilland married Pierre Galante. He was an editor for a French magazine. This marriage led her to move to Paris. They separated in 1962 but lived in the same house for six more years. They did this to raise their daughter together. They remained close even after their divorce in 1979. Olivia cared for Pierre when he was ill before he died in 1998. They had one daughter, Gisèle Galante, born in 1956. Gisèle later became a journalist.
Relationship with her Sister
Olivia de Havilland and her sister, Joan Fontaine, both won Academy Awards. They are the only sisters to have both won Oscars for lead acting roles. Their relationship was often difficult. This started when they were very young children. Olivia found it hard to accept having a younger sister. Joan felt their mother favored Olivia.
When they were growing up, Olivia would sometimes damage clothes given to Joan. Joan would then have to fix them. Joan also had many childhood illnesses. This made their mother very protective of Joan. Their mother would often say, "Livvie can, Joan can't."
Olivia became an actress first. For a few years, Joan felt overshadowed by her sister's success. When Joan was offered a movie contract, her mother told her not to use the family name "de Havilland." This is why Joan used the name Fontaine.
In 1942, both sisters were nominated for Best Actress Oscars. Olivia was nominated for Hold Back the Dawn. Joan was nominated for Suspicion. When Joan's name was called as the winner, Olivia was happy for her. But Joan did not accept Olivia's congratulations. This made Olivia feel hurt and embarrassed.
Their relationship became even more strained in 1946. Joan made some negative comments about Olivia's new husband, Marcus Goodrich. Olivia was deeply hurt and waited for an apology, but it never came. The next year, Olivia won her first Oscar for To Each His Own. Joan tried to congratulate her backstage. But Olivia turned away from her sister. The two sisters did not speak for five years after this.
After Olivia divorced Marcus Goodrich, she reconnected with Joan. They spent Christmas together in 1961. The final break between them happened in 1975. They disagreed about their mother's cancer treatment. Olivia wanted to get other medical opinions. Joan disagreed with her. Joan later claimed Olivia did not tell her when their mother died. However, Olivia had sent a telegram, but it took two weeks to reach Joan. The sisters' disagreement ended when Joan Fontaine died on December 15, 2013. Olivia de Havilland said she was "shocked and saddened" by the news.
Death
Olivia de Havilland passed away peacefully in her sleep. She died at her home in Paris, France, on July 26, 2020. She was 104 years old.
Films
- Alibi Ike (1935)
- The Irish in Us (1935)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935 film) (1935)
- Captain Blood (1935)
- A Dream Comes True (1935 - short subject)
- Anthony Adverse (1936)
- The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
- The Making of a Great Motion Picture (1936 - short subject)
- Call It a Day (1937)
- It's Love I'm After (1937)
- The Great Garrick (1937)
- Gold Is Where You Find It (1938)
- The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
- Four's a Crowd (1938)
- Hard to Get (1938)
- A Day at Santa Anita (1939 - short subject)
- Wings of the Navy (1939)
- Dodge City (1939)
- The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
- Gone with the Wind (1939)
- Raffles (1940)
- My Love Came Back (1940)
- Santa Fe Trail (1940)
- The Strawberry Blonde (1941)
- Hold Back the Dawn (1941)
- They Died with Their Boots On (1941)
- The Male Animal (1942)
- In This Our Life (1942)
- Show Business at War (1943 - short subject)
- Princess O'Rourke (1943)
- Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943 film) (1943)
- Government Girl (1943)
- To Each His Own (1946)
- Devotion (1946)
- The Well-Groomed Bride (1946)
- The Dark Mirror (1946 film) (1946)
- The Snake Pit (1948)
- The Heiress (1949)
- My Cousin Rachel (1952)
- That Lady (1955)
- Not as a Stranger (1955)
- The Ambassador's Daughter (1956)
- The Proud Rebel (1958)
- Libel (1959)
- The Light in the Piazza (1962)
- Lady in a Cage (1964)
- Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
- The Adventurers (1970)
- Pope Joan (1972)
- Airport '77 (1977)
- The Swarm (1978)
- The Fifth Musketeer (1979)
Images for kids
-
Lundblad's Lodge, in Saratoga, where the family lived for a while
-
De Havilland in the stage play Alice in Wonderland, 1933
-
James Cagney and Olivia de Havilland in The Irish in Us (1935)
-
Publicity photo, 1935
-
Publicity photo for The Irish in Us (1935)
-
In Call It a Day, 1937
-
Publicity photo of Olivia de Havilland in 1938
-
Studio publicity portrait for Gone with the Wind, 1939
-
Santa Fe Trail (1940)
-
The Strawberry Blonde trailer (1941)
-
At the Naval Air Station in Kodiak, Alaska (March 20, 1944)
-
De Havilland with the first of her two Oscars, this one for To Each His Own, March 13, 1947
-
With Pierre Galante and daughter Gisèle, 1956
-
De Havilland at the Smithsonian Institution in 2001
-
Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 6762 Hollywood Blvd.
-
Receiving the National Medal of Arts from President George W. Bush, November 2008
See also
In Spanish: Olivia de Havilland para niños
