Laurence Olivier at Reel Classics

Laurence Olivier

Awards | Bibliography | Downloads | Image Credits | REBECCA

A classic actor in every sense of the word and one of the silver screen's finest.

A poster from William Wyler's WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939) in which Olivier played Heathcliff, a role for which he received his first Best Actor Academy Award nomination. He would go on to receive nine such Oscar nominations in the course of his career.

"Why did God give me life? What is it but hunger and pain?" --as Heathcliff in WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939).

Music Clip:

"Cathy's Theme" (clip) from WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939) by Alfred Newman (a .MP3 file).

(For help opening any of the multimedia files, visit the plug-ins page.)

With Joan Fontaine in Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's classic novel, REBECCA. Olivier's performance as Maxim de Winter, a man tortured by the memories of his dead wife as he tries to begin life anew, earned him another Best Actor nomination. Incidentally, the film itself was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and took the prize for Best Picture of the year.

Music Clip:

"Suite" (clip) from REBECCA (1940) by Franz Waxman (a .MP3 file).

A still and poster with Greer Garson in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1940).

A poster from HAMLET (1948), produced, directed by, and starring Olivier in his only Best Actor winning role. To date, he is one of only two actor/directors ever to direct himself to an acting Oscar. (Roberto Benigni for LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (1997) is the other.)

Olivier actually made many Shakespeare movies throughout his career and they could be his best-known work. In fact, just a few years earlier in 1944, Olivier produced, directed, edited, starred in, and was even given writing credit for HENRY V. In recognition of his outstanding achievement in bringing this film to the screen, the Academy awarded Olivier an honorary Oscar statuette in 1947.