Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson, Peggy Ashcroft and John Gielgud, dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing mo ... re than fifty cinema roles. Late in his career, he had considerable success in television roles. His family had no theatrical connections, but Olivier's father, a clergyman, decided that his son should become an actor. After attending a drama school in London, Olivier learned his craft in a succession of acting jobs during the late 1920s. In 1930 he had his first important West End success in Noël Coward's Private Lives, and he appeared in his first film. In 1935 he played in a celebrated production of Romeo and Juliet alongside Gielgud and Ashcroft, and by the end of the decade he was an established star. In the 1940s, together with Richardson and John Burrell, Olivier was the co-director of the Old Vic, building it into a highly respected company. There his most celebrated roles included Shakespeare's Richard III and Sophocles's Oedipus. In the 1950s Olivier was an independent actor-manager, but his stage career was in the doldrums until he joined the avant garde English Stage Company in 1957 to play the title role in The Entertainer, a part he later played on film. From 1963 to 1973 he was the founding director of Britain's National Theatre, running a resident company that fostered many future stars. His own parts there included the title role in Othello (1965) and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice (1970). Among Olivier's films are Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940), and a trilogy of Shakespeare films as actor-director: Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948), and Richard III (1955). His later films included The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Sleuth (1972), Marathon Man (1976), and The Boys from Brazil (1978). His television appearances included an adaptation of The Moon and Sixpence (1960), Long Day's Journey into Night (1973), Love Among the Ruins (1975), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976), Brideshead Revisited (1981) and King Lear (1983). Olivier's honours included a knighthood (1947), a life peerage (1970) and the Order of Merit (1981). For his on-screen work he received four Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. 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. He 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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Laurence Olivier, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
| Organization | Category | Movie | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Director | Henry V | Nominated |
| Academy Awards | Best Actor | Henry V | Nominated |
| Academy Awards | Best Director | Hamlet | Won |
| Golden Globes | Best Actor | Hamlet | Won |
| Golden Globes | Best Actor | The Competition | Nominated |
The World at War
as Narrator
Episodes: 26
First Aired: Oct 31, 1973
Brideshead Revisited
as Alexander Flyte, Lord Marchmain
Episodes: 11
First Aired: Oct 12, 1981
Wagner
as Pfeuffer
Episodes: 10
First Aired: Oct 03, 1983
Lost Empires
as Harry Burrard
Episodes: 7
First Aired: Oct 24, 1986
Jesus of Nazareth
as Nicodemus
Episodes: 4
First Aired: Mar 27, 1977
Peter the Great
as King William III of Orange
Episodes: 4
First Aired: Feb 02, 1986
The Last Days of Pompeii
as Gaius
Episodes: 3
First Aired: May 06, 1984
Laurence Olivier Presents
as Big Daddy
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Dec 05, 1976
Laurence Olivier Presents
as Doc Delaney
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Dec 05, 1976
Laurence Olivier Presents
as Antonio
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Dec 05, 1976
Laurence Olivier Presents
as Sir Joseph
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Dec 05, 1976
Great Performances
as Harry
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 28, 1971
Male of the Species
as Self - Presenter
Episodes: 3
First Aired: Feb 01, 1969
The Oscars
as Self
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Mar 19, 1953
Tony Awards
as Self
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Apr 01, 1956
The Mike Douglas Show
as Self
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Dec 11, 1961
ABC Stage 67
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 14, 1966
Talking Pictures
as Self (archive footage)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 05, 2013
The Ed Sullivan Show
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jun 20, 1948
The Carol Burnett Show
as Self - Audience Member
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 11, 1967
Tony Awards
as Self - Recipient
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Apr 01, 1956
Omnibus
as Self (archive footage)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 13, 1967
The Dick Cavett Show
as Self - Guest
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jun 06, 1968
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Winner
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 20, 1944
Great Performances
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 28, 1971
Iconic Couples
as Self (archive footage)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: May 04, 2015
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Nominee
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 20, 1944
ABC Stage 67
as Self (archive footage)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 14, 1966
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Cecil B. DeMille Award Recipient
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 20, 1944
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| 2024 | 6 | 20 | 51 | 8 |
| 2024 | 7 | 26 | 39 | 11 |
| 2024 | 8 | 22 | 43 | 12 |
| 2024 | 9 | 17 | 30 | 8 |
| 2024 | 10 | 14 | 39 | 7 |
| 2024 | 11 | 10 | 23 | 6 |
| 2024 | 12 | 15 | 24 | 9 |
| 2025 | 1 | 22 | 46 | 7 |
| 2025 | 2 | 12 | 32 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 0 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Trending Rank
| Year | Month | Avg Rank | Max Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5 | 320 | 320 |
| 2024 | 6 | 589 | 195 |
| 2025 | 1 | 808 | 670 |
| 2025 | 3 | 612 | 587 |
| 2025 | 7 | 789 | 789 |