Menu
Olivia de Havilland

Olivia de Havilland

Known For Acting
Birthday Jul 01, 1916
Died Jul 26, 2020 (104)
Birthplace Tokyo, Japan
Popularity 0.9 (history)
Updated Dec 19, 2024
Entry Date Apr 13, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
Biography

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 perfo ... rmances 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".

Known For

Headshots

Profile
Profile
Profile
Profile
Profile
Profile
Profile
Profile
Profile
Profile
Profile
Filmography

The Woman He Loved

The Woman He Loved

1988

as Aunt Bessie Merryman

The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana

The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana

1982

as Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother

Murder Is Easy

Murder Is Easy

1982

as Honoria Waynflete

The Fifth Musketeer

The Fifth Musketeer

1979

as Anne d'Autriche

The Swarm

The Swarm

1978

as Maureen Schuester

Airport '77

Airport '77

1977

as Emily Livingston

The Screaming Woman

The Screaming Woman

1972

as Laura Wynant

Pope Joan

Pope Joan

1972

as Mother Superior

The Adventurers

The Adventurers

1970

as Deborah Hadley

Noon Wine

Noon Wine

1966

as Ellie Thompson

Lady in a Cage

Lady in a Cage

1964

as Mrs. Cornelia Hilyard

Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte

Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte

1964

as Miriam Deering

Light in the Piazza

Light in the Piazza

1962

as Meg Johnson

Libel

Libel

1959

as Lady Margaret Anne Loddon

The Proud Rebel

The Proud Rebel

1958

as Linnett Moore

The Ambassador's Daughter

The Ambassador's Daughter

1956

as Joan Fisk

That Lady

That Lady

1955

as Ana de Mendoza

Not as a Stranger

Not as a Stranger

1955

as Kristina Hedvigson / Kristina Marsh

My Cousin Rachel

My Cousin Rachel

1952

as Rachel Sangalletti Ashley

The Heiress

The Heiress

1949

as Catherine Sloper

The Snake Pit

The Snake Pit

1948

as Virginia Stuart Cunningham

The Well Groomed Bride

The Well Groomed Bride

1946

as Margie Dawson

The Dark Mirror

The Dark Mirror

1946

as Terry Collins / Ruth Collins

To Each His Own

To Each His Own

1946

as Miss Josephine 'Jody' Norris

Devotion

Devotion

1946

as Charlotte Brontë

Government Girl

Government Girl

1943

as Elizabeth 'Smokey' Allard

Princess O'Rourke

Princess O'Rourke

1943

as Princess Maria

The Male Animal

The Male Animal

1942

as Ellen Turner

In This Our Life

In This Our Life

1942

as Roy Timberlake

Hold Back the Dawn

Hold Back the Dawn

1941

as Emmy Brown

They Died with Their Boots On

They Died with Their Boots On

1941

as Elizabeth Bacon

The Strawberry Blonde

The Strawberry Blonde

1941

as Amy Lind

My Love Came Back

My Love Came Back

1940

as Amelia Cornell

Santa Fe Trail

Santa Fe Trail

1940

as Kit Carson Holliday

Dodge City

Dodge City

1939

as Abbie Irving

Raffles

Raffles

1939

as Gwen

Wings of the Navy

Wings of the Navy

1939

as Irene Dale

Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind

1939

as Melanie Hamilton

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

1939

as Lady Penelope Gray

Four's a Crowd

Four's a Crowd

1938

as Lorri Dillingwell

Hard to Get

Hard to Get

1938

as Margaret "Maggie" Richards

Gold Is Where You Find It

Gold Is Where You Find It

1938

as Serena Ferris

The Adventures of Robin Hood

The Adventures of Robin Hood

1938

as Maid Marian

Out Where the Stars Begin

Out Where the Stars Begin

1938

as Serena Ferris (archive footage)

Call It a Day

Call It a Day

1937

as Catherine 'Cath' Hilton

The Great Garrick

The Great Garrick

1937

as Germaine de la Corbe

It's Love I'm After

It's Love I'm After

1937

as Marcia West

A Day at Santa Anita

A Day at Santa Anita

1937

as Olivia de Havilland (uncredited)

The Charge of the Light Brigade

The Charge of the Light Brigade

1936

as Elsa Campbell

Anthony Adverse

Anthony Adverse

1936

as Angela Guiseppe

Alibi Ike

Alibi Ike

1935

as Dolly Stevens

Captain Blood

Captain Blood

1935

as Arabella Bishop

The Irish in Us

The Irish in Us

1935

as Lucille Jackson

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream

1935

as Hermia

No data available

No data available

No data available

Organization Category Movie
Academy Awards Best Actress Gentleman's Agreement Won
Academy Awards Best Actress The Heiress Nominated
Academy Awards Best Actress The Snake Pit Nominated
BAFTA Awards Best Actress The Actress Won
Television Credits

Roots: The Next Generations

as Mrs. Warner

Episodes: 7

First Aired: Feb 18, 1979

North and South

as Mrs. Neal

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Nov 03, 1985

Anastasia - The Mystery of Anna

as Dowager Empress Maria

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Dec 07, 1986

ABC Stage 67

as Ellie Thompson

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 14, 1966

The Love Boat

as Aunt Hilly

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 24, 1977

The Oscars

as Self

Episodes: 7

First Aired: Mar 19, 1953

What's My Line?

as Self - Mystery Guest

Episodes: 4

First Aired: Feb 02, 1950

The Mike Douglas Show

as Self

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Dec 11, 1961

The Merv Griffin Show

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 01, 1962

The Hollywood Palace

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 04, 1964

The Ed Sullivan Show

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jun 20, 1948

The American Film Institute Salute to ...

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Apr 02, 1973

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 01, 1962

Golden Globe Awards

as Self - Winner/Presenter

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 20, 1944

Reflets de Cannes

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Mar 25, 1954

Golden Globe Awards

as Self - Presenter

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 20, 1944

Popularity Metrics

Popularity History


Year Month Avg Max Min
2024 5 15 15 15
2024 6 15 31 9
2024 7 17 32 5
2024 8 16 37 8
2024 9 11 23 5
2024 10 9 14 5
2024 11 8 14 3
2024 12 7 12 3
2025 1 9 14 4
2025 2 6 19 1
2025 3 7 14 1
2025 4 1 1 1
2025 5 3 4 1
2025 6 1 2 1
2025 7 0 1 0
2025 8 0 0 0
2025 9 0 0 0
2025 10 0 0 0

Trending Rank


Year Month Avg Rank Max Rank
2024 5 850 850
2024 6 511 245
2025 1 781 633

Return to Top