Olivier

by Philip Ziegler

A finalist for the Sheridan Morley Prize that has been called "probably the best Olivier book for general readers” ( Kirkus Reviews ), Philip Ziegler's Olivier  provides an incredibly accessible and comprehensive portrait of this Hollywood superstar, Oscar-winning director, and one who is considered the greatest stage actor of the twentieth century. The era abounded in great actors—Gielgud, Richardson, Guinness, Burton, O’Toole – but none could challenge Laurence Olivier’s range and power. By the 1940s he had achieved international stardom. His affair with Vivien Leigh led to a marriage as glamorous and as tragic as any in Hollywood history. He was as accomplished a director as he was a leading his three Shakespearian adaptations are among the most memorable ever filmed.

And yet, at the height of his fame, he accepted what was no more than an administrator’s wage to become the founding Director of the National Theatre. In 2013 the theatre celebrates its fiftieth anniversary; without Olivier’s leadership it would never have achieved the status that it enjoys today. Off-stage, Olivier was the most extravagant of generous, yet almost insanely jealous of those few contemporaries whom he deemed to be his rivals; charming but with a ferocious temper. With access to more than fifty hours of candid, unpublished interviews, Ziegler ensures that Olivier’s true character—at its most undisguised—shines through as never before.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Theatre, British Literature, Biography Memoir

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Philip Ziegler was a British biographer and historian known for his meticulously researched works on historical figures and events. After studying at Eton and New College, Oxford, he served in the British Foreign Service, with postings in Laos, South Africa, Colombia, and NATO. He later transitioned into publishing and writing, eventually becoming a distinguished biographer.
His notable works include Mountbatten: The Official Biography, Edward VIII: The Official Biography, and The Black Death. He also wrote about figures such as Lord Melbourne, Harold Wilson, and George VI. Over the years, Ziegler contributed to major publications like The Spectator, The Times, and History Today.
His personal life was marked by tragedy when his first wife was killed during a home invasion in Bogotá in 1967. He later remarried and continued his literary career until his passing in 2023 at the age of 93.

Reviews

[Clara Lamarca · Rating 3 out of 5]

RTC cuz I'm on the beach

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[F.R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A whistle-stop fan-letter guide to Lord Olivier’s life, which admits to too many of its subject’s flaws to be counted as hagiography, but clearly has come to praise Larry. Admittedly I’m coming off Mark Lewisohn’s ‘Turn On’ biography of The Beatles, which takes 840 pages to get George Harrison to the age of 19, but this often feels a particularly superficial work. Romantic affairs are alluded to and then rushed over, with no attention given to how it all played out for whichever Mrs Olivier was then affected, or for that matter for the mistress; whole years disappear in the blink of a paragraph; while the trials and strains of family life are frequently neglected in favour of writing about administrative issues at The National Theatre. I come away from this book knowing a lot more about the bare bones of Olivier’s life and the names of the plays he performed in (but not the films), but never felt the book got near the man himself.

When Olivier was filming ‘Wuthering Heights’ he was appalled at co-star David Niven’s performance as he didn’t seem to be doing anything. It was only when he saw the final film that he realised how much more effective Niven’s approach was. That’s the problem when posterity comes to judge Olivier, that most of his film and television work is imbued with a theatricality which comes across as oh so artificial. Ziegler at least recognises that and concentrates on the plays, but the true effect and impact of those performances is impossible to capture in prose – so instead we get a list of productions, nearly all of which we’re assured Olivier was excellent in (although are the people of Moscow really still talking about his performance of Othello with bated breath fifty years after it happened?) Having been to his home-town of Dorking a few times in the last year and also regularly passing his statue on The South Bank on my way to work, Olivier has been a bit on my mind recently. I just wish that when I’d found a biography of him in a remainder store it had been Spoto’s rather than this. Yes, it would have hit the lowlands of salaciousness with incredible vigour, but at least it would have tried to find the man, rather than just the man who appeared in plays.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really splendid biography of a remarkable man. He was not a good man, apparently -- he was consumed by ambition, jealousy (even of his several wives) and possessed no real depth of character -- he nonetheless conveyed an explosive energy on stage that captivated audiences fortunate enough to see him in a way few others have. I loved the comment by one actor that said of her play, once Olivier agreed to play a minor role in it: A play about a woman struggling with the betrayal of her husband became a play about a butler to a woman struggling with the betrayal of her husband. He simply took over the stage when he was on it. He also slept with most of his co-stars while married to other actresses, completely ignored his son by his first wife (who became a lesbian after living with Olivier), and regular fought (and double-crossed, if he could) anyone who threatened his supremacy on the stage. But don't let the gory details distract you from the fascinating story of a prodigious talent who was both completely human and larger than life at the same time. His journey through life seemed ultimately tragic and lonely, in spite of the extraordinary successes along the way.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is much that is impressive about this biography. Ziegler has done an enormous amount of research and this will probably long serve as the signature biography of Laurence Olivier. The reader gets a comprehensive history of British theater for most of the 20th Century, and meets along the way almost every performer of consequence. There is an abundance of anecdotes, and many conflicting quotations indicating how complex it is to write history accurately.

The problem is that, for me anyway, it is not good reading, and it took me a long time to get through it. The endless letters to and from celebrities begin to blur. Very few people come through in any depth -- Kenneth Tynan (truly, a snake!) and Vivien Leigh certainly do, and, to a certain extent, Joan Plowright. But mostly it's like watching a parade, and little sticks in one's mind.

A more central problem is that Olivier comes through as almost totally unlikable. He is, to begin with, a real low brow. He is apolitical, reads almost nothing, and has few thoughts on anything but the theater. He is egocentric and self-absorbed, inherently conservative, a bully, a micromanager, competitive and vindictive. He's also a lousy father to his three children.

I also found myself wondering how a story of an actor could be almost totally devoid of any mention of agents. I have always thought they were responsible for many of the professional (and even personal) choices performers make. Olivier clearly had agents (two are mentioned, but only in a sentence each) but their influence is never explored.

He did have friends, many of long-standing, but he treats almost all of them badly, usually more than once. It's said somewhere in the book that he really had little feeling for others, and his relationships were as if he were an actor trying to portray normal human emotion. Richard Burton termed him " a shallow little man of mediocre intelligence," which seems accurate. Even Olivier says of himself: "I've played all these parts and I don't know who I am."

My sense is that Ziegler admires Olivier, whose professional achievements seem of the highest quality. But I was left disliking him, and it is hard to read more than 400 pages about a character who seems devoid of human feeling and is totally preoccupied with himself. I find myself regretting the time I spent reading this, since it is the man and not his achievements which linger in my memory, and the aftertaste is less than pleasant.

[Celine Godfrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems to be a lot of conflicting opinions in the reviews and folks got lots of different things out of it. I've read several Olivier bios and had just come straight from reading Vivien Leigh by Anne Edwards which I thought very good very insightful of her relationship with Olivier. That's why I went straight to this book.

I was disappointed that it didn't, for me anyway, really go into details about his relationships with all 3 wives, particularly Joan Plowright. She was barely mentioned around the time of his death.

I found it a bit heavy going on the theatre minutae and the conflicts between everyone seemingly. I would also like to have known more about his illness and how lived in those last few years. It says he and Plowright were basically living separate lives for the last 10 years before his death so I'd liked to have found out more about that.

It gives a reasonably well balanced character analysis, giving example of his jealousy (professional that is) not just of his contemporaries but even of his wives' careers. Explosive temper, his approach to becoming a character, his distance from his eldest son, his very cutting insults, his very luvvie language and effusive compliments, his physicality, his stubborness but also his drive to become more modern and move with the times (both of these often very much in conflict with other actors/directors of the Old Vic / National Theatre.

There is no question about his deserved stature as our best stage actor to date and that he was rather snobbish and condescending about movies. There were alleged affairs and he apparantly expected to bed his leading ladies but no-one other than Sarah Miles was named and even she was glossed over. I'd have liked more details of this and also how these affairs affected his marriages.

So I'd give it a 3.5 rather than 3 or 4 and if anyone wants to learn more about the softer side of him, I'd read the Vivien Leigh bio by Anne Edwards. That makes more sense of him leaving Vivien Leigh for several reasons. Of course it concludes with Leigh's death so you'll learn no more about Olivier from 1967.

It has left me wanting to know more detail about his personal life and the man himself (who the book says didn't even know himself)! So I'm left rather unsatisfied on that count.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A no-nonsense, entertaining biography of the great Sir Laurence Olivier from Philip Zeigler, author of biographies of everyone from Edward VIII to Edward Heath to Mountbatten. The book profiles Olivier's three marriages, his many famous friends, his famous stage and screen roles and, of course, his major role in creating England's National Theatre. A thoroughly enjoyable read. I recommend following this with Terry Coleman's equally excellent 2005 biography, "Olivier", which was also one of Mr. Zeigler's sources. Mr. Coleman was authorized by the Oliver estate to write his biography.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn't finish this bio. Ziegler's not the greatest biographer (though he's reasonably thorough), but the problem is I grew to dislike Olivier so much that I had no interest in finding out what happens next.

(Notes for self).

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite being 400 pages long, it felt superficial. Still, interesting and some nice illustrations.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book I have read, so far, on the life and times of Olivier. He was a fascinating actor with a multi-faceted "script" for life. The main disturbing truism that those who knew him comment on and which Olivier himself admitted was that Olivier the Man did not really exist. He had no true persona other than the characters he played. At first I thought this merely intriguing. But the more I have read of his life, the more horrific this seeming truth becomes.

[Chuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you believe Laurence Olivier's greatest achievement in the world of drama was his stewardship of the National Theater, this is the book for you. You will get chapter after chapter of backstage politics related to the management of a theater company. However, if, like me, you think that Olivier's real contribution to the world was in other endeavors—acting, let's say—you might find this book a bit of a trial.

[John Kenrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent bio

Thoroughly researched and extremely readable. The many colorful figures in Olivier's life are depicted honestly, as are the many sides of a peerless actor's complex personality. Highly recommended.

[JoJo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having watched his amazing performances many times it was interesting to read more of his life and his surrounding work in the theatre.

[Antony Beattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I shall start to address everyone as ‘old cocky’

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty comprehensive and well-researched biography

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a real slow reader of biographies and this was no exception. Perfectly fine, pretty detailed...felt a bit uncritical in places but I guess it did the job.

[Alexandra the Great · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was all over the place. It seemed as if it was being told in chunks or general periods of Olivier's life, rather than a more standard, chronological biography. It felt as if it was jumping here and there so it was a bit muddled.

I am absolutely fascinated with and smitten by this man though, so I welcome new works about him. For my part though, Terry Coleman's Olivier is the way to go.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore Olivier and the history of 20th century English theater, but this book isn't what I'd recommend for a novice in that area of interest.

It is obvious that much research and access to personal letters went into the book. But that alone doesn't make it a good book. So much minutia about every production he was involved in is written into everything that it made it a bit of a slog to get through it. I'm usually a fast reader but this book took some time for me.

Conversely, it was lacking in much detail on his personal life. Often things/events were alluded to without much explanation to what actually happened. Sometimes not much information was given on his later family at all (Joan Plowright, for example). Also, much of the conflict with his relationship with Vivian Leigh was not fleshed-out. I wonder if someone who read this without much previous knowledge would find this a confusing read.

One final nit-pick. We all know Laurence Olivier is considered to be the premier English stage actor of the 20th century, but you wouldn't necessarily know it from this book. Just as much (if not more) focused on his failures and less-than-stellar performances through the years. I don't expect a sycophantic portrayal, but this one was just too lukewarm for me.

Three stars is a bit higher than I would rate this, but two stars is too harsh, it would be more like 2.5.

[Jeff Howells · Rating 4 out of 5]

A relatively brisk but even handed assessment of Laurence Olivier's life and career. I would have liked to have read a bit more about some of his key dramatic roles (Richard III, Henry V, Othello are all dispensed with fairly quickly) but you do get a good feel of the man & his relationships. The book is best at recorded Olivier's time at the National Theatre, and it provides a good alternative view to the ones I've read in recent years in Peter Hall's biography and Michael Blakemore's memoir. I came away from the book seeing Olivier as a man with feet of clay rather than an acting Titan, but that is great credit to Philip Ziegler who could have written a gushing luvvy biography but didn't.

[A.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tremendously informative stroll through the key periods of the life of arguably Britain's greatest actor of the 20th century. It's as much about the evolution of the British stage, particularly the creation of the National Theatre, as Olivier's life itself, and while not hagiographic it does perhaps skip over some of the more fascinating (or admittedly salacious) areas of his journey, but on the whole it's illuminating and written with pace without losing some of its more elegant prose.

Worthy as a strong starting point if you want a good overview of Larry's life.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 - Book of the Week:

As the National Theatre celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, a new biography based on previously unseen letters and diaries tells the story of Laurence Olivier as he developed his craft, focusing on his career path from early school days through rep theatre to Hollywood, before returning to triumph in his greatest role ever, as the first director of the National Theatre.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really an interesting and well researched book. The relationships between Olivier and Richardson and Gielgud as well as the women in his life are fascinating. As an actor, I found the stories about his acting techniques and challenges very interesting.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous follow up to the dozen or so Lord Larry bios.. Actually, this book is super interesting and adds so much more to what already has been said. Who knew it could be done?!

[Debi · Rating 4 out of 5]

He's still on a pedestal but maybe not as high enforce I read this. Enjoyable read and full of unknown details from Olivier's life.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A welcome workday palate-cleanser. Interesting, informative, and not overly hagiographic.

[Lynn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

[Richard Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine, informative, chatty.