The Tragic Love Story of Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier

The love story of Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier is a true Hollywood drama, full of passion, ambition and painful jealousy. Their romance, which began as something magical, eventually led to deep personal tragedies. This is the story of two people whose feelings turned out to be too bright and destructive to stand the test of time.

It all began in 1935, when the young actress Vivien Leigh first saw Laurence Olivier on stage. He was already a famous stage actor, known for his roles in Shakespearean plays. Vivien, then still an aspiring actress, immediately felt that this was the man she wanted to spend her life with. Soon after, their paths crossed on the set of Fire Over England (1936), where they played lovers. The spark that flared between them on screen quickly grew into real passion.

But there were serious obstacles on the lovers' path to happiness: both Vivien and Lawrence were already married. Vivien was married to lawyer Herbert Leigh Holman, with whom she had a daughter, Susanna. Lawrence was married to actress Jill Esmond, and they had a son, Tarquin. But neither marriage nor the presence of children could keep them from their feelings. Their mutual attraction was so strong that they decided to fight for their love, despite public condemnation.

Their affair was stormy and passionate. They could not hide their feelings for long, but divorces were not approved at that time. The spouses of Lawrence and Vivienne refused to break their marriage bonds for a long time. But Vivienne and Lawrence did not give in. Despite all the prohibitions, the lovers moved in together and started a new life. But their happiness did not last long. Soon Lawrence left for America to play the role of Heathcliff in the film Wuthering Heights (1939), and Vivienne remained in London.

When Vivienne learned that Lawrence had injured his leg while filming in America, she dropped everything and went to her beloved. But she had no idea that fate had something more in store for her. In Los Angeles, Vivienne met the brother of a producer who was looking for an actress to play Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind. Vivienne realized that this was her chance and decided to try her hand. She beat out 1,400 applicants and got the role, which became life-changing for her.

The role of Scarlett brought Vivienne worldwide fame and her first Oscar. But along with success came problems in her relationship with Lawrence. He was initially against her participation in this project, but he was unable to influence Vivienne's decision. When the film was released, Olivier felt depressed. He found it difficult to accept the fact that his beloved's star had shone brighter than his own.

The recent patron who supported Vivienne at the beginning of her career, Laurence Olivier now found himself in the shadow of her fame. Jealousy and a sense of inferiority began to eat away at him from within. The lovers quarreled more and more often, and once, during yet another scandal, Vivienne even threw her Oscar statuette out the window.

Despite the conflicts and difficulties, Vivien and Lawrence decided to legalize their relationship. Their wedding took place on August 30, 1940 in Santa Barbara. The ceremony was almost secret, with only close friends of the couple present – actress Katharine Hepburn and screenwriter Garson Kanin. The newlyweds hoped that marriage would strengthen their union and help them overcome all difficulties. Soon after the wedding, they starred together in the film Lady Hamilton, which was highly praised by critics. But even this success could not smooth out the growing tension in their relationship.

Soon after their wedding, Vivien noticed that she was having health problems. In 1944, the actress was diagnosed with tuberculosis, which undermined her strength. But the worst thing was that Vivien began to have nervous breakdowns that she could not control. Her moods changed so drastically that Lawrence did not know how to cope with them. The couple quarreled more and more often, and Olivier spent less and less time with his wife, immersing himself in work or finding solace in the company of other women.

In 1947, Lawrence was knighted and Vivienne became a lady. They toured Australia and New Zealand to raise funds for London's Old Vic Theatre. But the tour, which was supposed to strengthen their union, only exacerbated the problems. Vivienne was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and the tension between the couple became so obvious that it could no longer be hidden behind closed doors. Scandals broke out in public, and it began to destroy their reputation as a couple.

When Vivien accepted the role of Blanche DuBois in the theatre production of A Streetcar Named Desire, she could not have imagined how much this role would affect her life. Despite the doubts of critics who did not believe that the "cold Englishwoman" could convincingly play a passionate southerner, Vivien coped with the role brilliantly. Her performance received worldwide recognition, and the film version of this play brought her a second Oscar. But the role of Blanche turned out to be fatal for Vivien. The actress immersed herself in the character so much that it finally undermined her mental health. After filming, she was forced to undergo treatment in a psychiatric clinic, which was the last straw for Lawrence.

In 1953, Vivien went to Ceylon to shoot the film Elephant Walk. Lawrence refused to participate in this project, and Peter Finch took his place. Vivien suffered from separation from her husband, her tuberculosis worsened again, and she could not withstand the stress of filming. The director was forced to send the actress back to London, where she was immediately placed in a clinic.

The treatment and depression changed Vivien greatly. Lawrence, feeling that she had become a stranger to him, began an affair with a young actress, Joan Plowright. In 1960, he decided to divorce Vivien. He sent her a telegram asking for a divorce and gave her a Rolls-Royce as a parting gift. Shortly after the divorce, Lawrence married Joan, and she bore him three children.

But despite the separation, Vivienne was never able to forget Lawrence. She kept his photograph on her nightstand for the rest of her days and never married again, although she received proposals. Her heart remained with Lawrence forever, and she continued to love him until the very end.

Laurence Olivier outlived Vivienne by 22 years, but he felt guilty all his life for failing to save their relationship. He often thought of Vivienne and asked himself, "What went wrong?" In his later years, whenever he watched Vivienne's films, especially The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, he would cry and regret the love he had lost.

Vivien Leigh died in 1967 from another bout of tuberculosis. Until her death, she retained the title of lady, which she received thanks to her marriage to Laurence Olivier. Despite all the difficulties, their love story left a deep mark on the history of cinema and in the hearts of those who knew them. Their love was full of passion and ambition, and it was this that made them what they remained in people's memories. It was a love that brought them both the greatest happiness and the greatest pain.

This story reminds us that true love is not always a cakewalk. It can be complicated, confusing, and sometimes devastating. But it is stories like these that stay with us forever, inspiring us and making us think about what it means to love and be loved.