Laurence Olivier was born in Dorking, Surrey, England, to Agnes Louise (Crookenden) and Gerard Kerr Olivier, a High Anglican priest, in a family with French Huguenot origin. He started his career on the London stage, playing Romeo and Mercutio in alternating performances of Romeo and Juliet with John Gielgud in 1935. Olivier's early success led to a romantic connection with a young Englishwoman, who later became his second wife.
The couple met while filming in America, where they starred in major box office hits Wuthering Heights (1939) and Gone with the Wind (1939). They went on to appear together in Fire Over England (1937),21 Days Together (1940),and That Hamilton Woman (1941). The couple's on-screen chemistry was undeniable, and they were often referred to as screen lovers.
In the 1940s, Olivier and Leigh traveled to Scotland to research a real-life story, but the film project was eventually abandoned. During their two-decade marriage, they appeared on stage in England and America and made films to supplement their income.
In the 1950s, Olivier worked on a screen adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's novel Sister Carrie, while Leigh completed work on the film version of Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire. Leigh won her second Oscar for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois, while Olivier's film Carrie was met with little fanfare.
Olivier's film career was marked by a significant decline in his star power, with more than half of his credits coming after The Entertainer (1960). The play started out in London in 1957 and moved to Broadway in 1958, where Olivier met his third wife, Joan Plowright, who took over the role of Archie Rice's daughter.
