A love written in superlatives

Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh were two of the 20th century's greatest actors. Their romance became one of the most celebrated love stories of the midcentury, filled with passion, drama, and theatrical flair.

“"I love you with much more than that. I love you with, oh, everything somehow, with a special kind of soul."”

The pauper and the princess

Olivier was born in 1907 to a poor, puritanical father and a loving mother whose death at his age 12 left him obsessed with success. Leigh was born in 1913 in India to cultured parents but was sent to a convent at age six.

Two souls onstage

Vivien fell in love with Olivier when she saw him in Theatre Royal in 1933, whispering to a companion that he was the man she would marry. Two years later, Olivier saw her in The Mask of Virtue and was captivated by her beauty and poise.

“"That's the man I'm going to marry."”

A scandalous affair begins

Both were married to other people when they met on the set of Fire Over England in 1937. Their affair was an open secret in London's theater world, and they even had a tryst during their son Tarquin's christening.

Guilt and recklessness

Olivier admitted to feeling guilt and self-loathing over the affair, especially since his wife was pregnant. Yet the couple abandoned their children to flee to a country home while filming 21 Days together.

Heathcliff meets Scarlett

In 1938, Olivier went to Los Angeles to film Wuthering Heights while Leigh stayed in London. Their separation was agonizing, filled with passionate letters declaring their love and devotion.

“"I love you my dear dove: LOVE REAL LOVE TRUE LOVE BURNING HEARTS BLOOD PASSIONATE ADORATION."”

The perfect Scarlett O'Hara

Producer David O. Selznick had searched everywhere for his Scarlett O'Hara. When Olivier's agent brother brought Leigh to the Gone with the Wind set on December 10, 1938, Selznick knew he had found her.

“"Here, genius. I want you to meet Scarlett O'Hara."”

A grueling production

The Gone with the Wind shoot was frenetic and punishing. Leigh hated Los Angeles, her costar Clark Gable, and her character, and she began showing signs of instability, even accidentally overdosing on sleeping pills.

A secret rendezvous

Selznick arranged for Olivier and Leigh to meet secretly in Kansas City to revive her spirits. After their weekend together, Leigh told Selznick she was grateful and rejuvenated.

Hollywood's hottest couple

By 1940, both were nominated for Oscars. Only Leigh won. Olivier was insane with jealousy, writing that he could barely restrain himself from hitting her with the award.

“"It was all I could do to restrain myself from hitting her with it."”

A secret wedding

Finally divorced and free, Olivier and Leigh took a secret road trip to California on August 31, 1940, with screenwriter Garson Kanin and Katharine Hepburn. They quarreled the entire way to the altar.

“"It was absolutely hilarious. She was sharp-tongued, Larry was tough as hell. They were scrapping all the way to the banns."”

Wartime separation and strain

In December 1940, the patriotic couple returned to London despite the dangers of World War II. Olivier joined the military as a pilot while Leigh began showing signs of clinical depression.

Mental illness emerges

By 1948, during an Australian tour, Leigh's erratic and hypersexualized behavior pushed Olivier to the breaking point. He slapped her during a rehearsal, and she told him words he never expected to hear: she didn't love him anymore.

“"I don't love you any more."”

Bipolar disorder takes hold

Olivier called Leigh's condition that uncannily evil monster, manic depression, now known as bipolar disorder. Her mind began to wobble and her sense of self became vague as the illness destroyed her.

A psychotic break

In 1953, while filming Elephant Walk in India with her lover Peter Finch, Leigh suffered a psychotic break. She had to be restrained by Stewart Granger and David Niven as she screamed for Olivier.

“"Larry, Larry. I want Larry!"”

Electroshock and exhaustion

Leigh was hospitalized for three months in England and treated with electroshock therapy. Olivier stayed up at nights with her while she partied with others, feeling himself slip into madness.

A marriage becomes a farce

By the late 1950s, their marriage was a charade. Both had affairs, and after a brutal fight in 1957, Olivier realized each was capable of murdering the other. He began an affair with actress Joan Plowright.

The scandal and the split

In 1960, Leigh revealed to the press that Olivier was having an affair and announced their divorce. The story became an international scandal. Olivier married Plowright in 1961, but Leigh never stopped hoping he would return.

A final goodbye

Leigh died in London on July 8, 1967, often ill with tuberculosis and in and out of hospitals. Olivier came to see her and prayed for forgiveness for all the evils that had sprung up between them.

Love was the real thing

Shortly before his death in 1989, a friend found Olivier watching one of Leigh's films with tears in his eyes. He said simply: This was love. This was the real thing.

“"This, this was love. This was the real thing."”