One of the most revered actresses of her time, Olivia de Havilland is remembered for her classical beauty and iconic films like “Gone with the Wind,” “Hold Back the Dawn,” “To Each His Own,” “The Heiress ,” “The Snake Pit” and many more.
Early Life and Career
Olivia Mary de Havilland on July 1, 1916, in Tokyo, Japan, to British parents, Lilian Fontaine and Walter de Havilland. Her father, Walter Augustus de Havilland, taught English at Tokyo Imperial University and later worked as a patent attorney. Olivia’s mother, Lilian Augusta Ruse, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed as a stage actress. Her younger sister, “Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland,” became famous as the iconic actress “Joan Fontaine.” The family moved to Saratoga, California, in 1919 after her parents’ divorce, seeking better health for Joan.
Olivia started learning piano and ballet at a young age; her mother also taught her drama, music, and elocution. Olivia attended Grammar School before going to Los Gatos High School in Saratoga. She excelled in studies, oratory, and field hockey. Olivia’s also studied at Notre Dame High School in Belmont. She took ballet and piano lessons as a child, building a foundation in performance. Her education extended to amateur theater, where she debuted in Alice in Wonderland in 1933, sparking her acting career.
Olivia de Havilland On Stage
She started her acting career in amateur theatre in 1933, with local plays like “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Merchant of Venice,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “Pride and Prejudice.” Her stepfather forbade her from acting and asked her to choose between living at home or acting. She opted for the latter, and she left home, moving in with a family friend.
After graduating high school in 1934, she was also cast as Puck in a local production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where her performance was witnessed by an assistant of Austrian director Max Reinhardt. Impressed, he recommended her to Reinhardt, who gave her the second understudy position for the role of Hermia in his Hollywood Bowl production. In a curious turn of fate, both the actresses who were supposed to do the role left the project, leaving 18-year-old de Havilland to step in and excel.
Olivia de Havilland On Screen
Reinhardt then cast her in the Warner Bros. film version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935). She accepted the offer, after some hesitation and signed a five-year contract with Warner Bros.
This was the start of a prolific career that began with her stage debut and extended to an impressive array of 49 feature films. Her partnership with Errol Flynn in adventure films like “Captain Blood (1935),” “The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936),” “The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938),” “Four’s a Crowd (1938),” “Dodge City (1939),” “The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939),” “Santa Fe Trail (1940),” and “They Died with Their Boots On (1941),” cemented her status as a leading lady of her time.
De Havilland starred in Mervyn LeRoy’s historical drama “Anthony Adverse (1936),” with Fredric March and Gale Sondergaard. The film was nominated for 7 oscars winning 4, despite the universal poor reviews. She followed it by Archie Mayo’s “Call It a Day (1937),” “It’s Love I’m After (1937),” “Four’s a Crowd (1938),” “Hard to Get (1938),” and “Wings of the Navy (1939).”
Gone with the Wind and After
Perhaps in her most celebrated role, de Havilland portrayed Melanie Hamilton in the 1939 epic “Gone with the Wind” directed by Victor Fleming. The film was a Civil War epic based on Margaret Mitchell’s novel. Olivia de Havilland plays Melanie Hamilton, the gentle and loyal wife of Ashley Wilkes. Her character contrasts Vivien Leigh’s fiery Scarlett O’Hara, offering a moral anchor. The film won eight Oscars, including Best Picture. De Havilland’s performance earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination.
She the starred in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) with Bette Davis and Errol Flynn, Raffles (1939) with David Niven, My Love Came Back (1940) with Jeffrey Lynn and Eddie Albert, and Santa Fe Trail (1940) with Errol Flynn. In “The Strawberry Blonde,” a comedy of manners, de Havilland displayed her comedic timing and charm, proving her versatility across genres.
She starred in Hold Back the Dawn (1941), directed by Mitchell Leisen. Olivia de Havilland portrays Emmy Brown, a schoolteacher seduced by Romanian gigolo Georges Iscovescu, played by Charles Boyer. The film earned de Havilland a Best Actress nomination. The same year, she starred opposite Errol Flynn in Raoul Walsh’s epic They Died with Their Boots On.
In 1942, de Havilland appeared in Elliott Nugent’s The Male Animal, with Henry Fonda and she appeared with Bette Davis in John Huston’s In This Our Life (1942) with Bette Davis.
De Havilland Law
De Havilland signed a seven-year contract with Warner Bros. on May 5, 1936, at age 20. She grew frustrated with repetitive ingénue parts, seeking more challenging roles like Melanie in Gone with the Wind (1939). She declined projects she deemed unsuitable, leading to six months of unpaid suspensions. By 1943, Warner Bros. claimed she owed an additional six months, arguing the contract covered service time, not calendar years. On August 23, 1943, she sued, backed by the Screen Actors Guild. She argued that California Labor Code Section 2855 capped contracts at seven calendar years. The California Court of Appeal ruled in her favor on December 8, 1944, affirming the seven-year limit. Justice Clement Lawrence Shinn’s unanimous decision ended her contract obligations.
The ruling, dubbed the De Havilland Law, dismantled the studio’s ability to extend contracts via suspensions. It freed actors from indentured servitude, giving them control over their careers. Jack Warner tried blacklisting her and succeeded for the time. But she soon signed with Paramount, winning her first Best Actress Oscar for To Each His Own (1946). The decision weakened the studio system, paving the way for the 1948 Supreme Court ruling against studio-owned theaters. The law remains a cornerstone of entertainment labor rights, influencing today’s high salaries and creative freedom.
Comeback of Olivia de Havilland
To Each His Own (1946), directed by Mitchell Leisen, tells a poignant wartime love motherhood story. Olivia de Havilland plays Jody Norris, a single mother who gives up her son for adoption and later reconnects with him. Her journey spans decades, blending joy and sorrow. The film secured de Havilland her first Best Actress Oscar. Her performance stands out for its emotional depth and aging makeup. Interestingly, the 1969 Hindi blockbuster film “Aradhana” was loosely based on “To Each His Own.”
Directed by William Wyler The Heiress (1949), was an adaptation of Henry James’s Washington Square. Olivia de Havilland stars as Catherine Sloper, a plain heiress manipulated by suitor Morris Townsend, played by Montgomery Clift. Her transformation from timid to resolute drives the plot. The film won de Havilland a Best Actress Oscar.
De Havilland’s portrayed a schizophrenic patient at a mental hospital in “The Snake Pit (1948)” directed by Anatole Litvak. The film was based on the autobiographical novel by Mary Jane Ward. Her performance in “The Snake Pit” was groundbreaking for its time, shedding light on the conditions of mental health institutions and earning her critical acclaim. Its a rare film which holds a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was nominated for 6 Oscars including Best Actress for De Havilland and Best Picture.
Later Career
She starred opposite Richard Burton in My Cousin Rachel (1952), directed by Henry Koster. Th film was an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel. Olivia de Havilland stars as Rachel Sangalletti Ashley, a mysterious widow suspected of murder.
In the 50s, she significantly cut down her work and starred only in handfuil of film. Some of her later work include That Lady (1955), Not as a Stranger (1955), The Ambassador’s Daughter (1956), The Proud Rebel (1958), Libel (1959), Light in the Piazza (1962), and Lady in a Cage (1964). In 1964, she starred with Bette Davis in Robert Aldrich’s psychological horror thriller “Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte.” The film was critical and comercial success and earned seven Oscar nominations.
Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986), a TV miniseries directed by Marvin J. Chomsky, investigates the Romanov mystery. Olivia de Havilland plays Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, the skeptical mother of the lost princess. Her regal presence anchors the historical drama. The series won de Havilland an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress.
Personal Life
De Havilland’s off-screen life was as eventful as her on-screen one. She moved to Paris in the 1950s and received numerous honours, including the National Medal of the Arts, the Légion d’honneur, and an appointment to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire at the age of 101.
Olivia dated Howard Hughes, James Stewart, and John Huston before marrying Marcus Goodrich in 1946. They had son Benjamin, who died in 1991 of Hodgkin’s disease. She divorced Goodrich in 1952. She married Pierre Galante, editor of Paris Match, in 1955, having daughter Gisele. They divorced in 1979 but remained close until his 1998 death. She moved to Paris in 1955, retiring quietly. Olivia held a pilot’s license and flew her own plane. She painted in her spare time and advocated for animal rights.
Olivia de Havilland’s passing on July 26, 2020, at the age of 104, marked the end of an era. She was the oldest living and earliest surviving Academy Award winner at the time of her death and was widely regarded as the last major star from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.
Olivia de Havilland on IMDB
