Vivien Leigh: Award-winning actress best remembered for 'Gone with the Wind,' 'Streetcar Named Desire'
Academy Award-winning actress Vivien Leigh of 鈥�Gone with the Wind鈥� and 鈥�A Streetcar Named Desire鈥� was born on Nov. 5, 1913 and so would have celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday.聽
Leigh was born in India with the name Vivian Hartley and made her film debut in 1935 when she starred in 鈥淭hings Are Looking Up,鈥� 鈥淟ook Up and Laugh,鈥� and 鈥淭he Village Squire.鈥澛�
The actress was cast as heroine Scarlett O鈥橦ara in the 1939 film version of 鈥淕one with the Wind鈥� after a long search by the production company behind the film. Leigh was one of two British actors to portray the four Southern main characters, with actor Leslie Howard, who portrayed Ashley Wilkes, also hailing from England. Leigh won a Best Actress Oscar for her role in the film.
Leigh is also often remembered for her role as Blanche DuBois in the 1951 film adaptation of 鈥淎 Streetcar Named Desire.鈥� She secured a second Best Actress Oscar for this part. The actress also starred as the title character in a 1948 film version of 鈥淎nna Karenina鈥� and as Cleopatra in the 1945 film 鈥淐aesar and Cleopatra.鈥澛�
She also starred in stage productions in London and on Broadway, with appearances including starring opposite her future husband Laurence Olivier in a British production of 鈥淗amlet鈥� performed in Denmark and playing Juliet in a 1940 Broadway production of "Romeo and Juliet." She appeared again as Cleopatra on Broadway in two plays which played in repertory in 1951, a production of 鈥淐aesar and Cleopatra鈥� and a production of 鈥淎ntony and Cleopatra,鈥� respectively. Olivier starred as Caesar in the first and Mark Antony in the second.
Leigh won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1963 for her role in 鈥淭ovarich.鈥�
鈥淭he Curious Case of Benjamin Button鈥� actress Julia Ormond portrayed Leigh in the 2011 film 鈥淢y Week with Marilyn,鈥� which centered on the production of the 1957 film 鈥淭he Prince and the Showgirl.鈥� Actress Michelle Williams played Marilyn Monroe, while actor Kenneth Branagh portrayed 鈥淧rince鈥� director and star Laurence Olivier.
