Laurence Olivier

by Anthony Holden

Traces the life of the great British actor, describes his major roles on the stage and in films, and attempts to depict his complex personality

Genres: Nonfiction, Theatre

504 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Anthony Holden is an English writer, broadcaster and critic, particularly known as a biographer of artists.

Reviews

[Jan Eadie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting follow up to my recent read about British actors. This authors style is run one and many clauses making it difficult to follow. I didn’t love it but I learned o lot. While I certainly admire Laurence Olivier’s acting he came off as a bit of an asshole.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 3 out of 5]

For anyone who idolized Olivier this writing has a significant amount of detail. A bit too much for me though I did enjoy the book.

[Ralph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am only about half-way through this book, but it is just an excellent document (a long one) on acting in the theater, especially in England but also in America, in the 20th Century. It is well researched, easy to read, and doesn't seem to pull too many punches. Although it was written during Olivier's lifetime, Mr. Holden is quite fair and not in awe of his subject. Unfortunately, Laurence Olivier was not quite the man he would have liked to be - and certainly not the man he presented to the public. In fact, he was a rotter, sacrificing everything and everyone in his life to his huge ego and his ambitions. No wonder Vivien was nuts; you'd be too if you had to put up with this cad. Ralph Richardson comes off as by far the better person - and thought by many to be a superior actor.

An excellent book about one man's quest for success, what he would do to achieve it, and the consequences.

Likes the book a lot, the man a lot less.

Update:

I just finished this book. While Lord Olivier has been acclaimed one of the greatest stage actors in the history of the theater, it seems he sacrificed everything else to his art - and paid a heavy price. His enormous ego and "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" attitude alienated his family, his friends and his peers. One wonders, are all these sacrifices necessary to become a legend? John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson didn't think so, but Olivier either ignored or had no interest in the opinions of others.

Some fascinating insights into the turmoil of his marriage and on-going relationship with Vivien Leigh - and with the "cocky and forceful" Joan Plowright (his third wife).

Everything you wanted to know about a wonderful actor and a less-than-wonderful man. Extremely well written and researched.

[Lynn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this biography of one of our greatest actors of the 20th century. It did not shy from the negative aspects of his character and gave a rounded view of the man and the actor.