Laurence Kerr Olivier and Vivien Leigh

One of Olivier's earliest successes as a Shakespearean actor on the London stage came in 1935 when he played "Romeo" and "Mercutio" in alternate performances of "Romeo and Juliet" with John Gielgud. A young Englishwoman just beginning her career on the stage fell in love with Olivier's Romeo. In 1937, she was "Ophelia" to his "Hamlet" in a special performance at Kronberg Castle, Elsinore, Denmark. In 1940, she became his second wife after both returned from making films in America that were major box office hits of 1939. His film was Wuthering Heights (1939), her film was Gone with the Wind (1939). Vivien Leigh and Olivier were screen lovers in Fire Over England (1937), 21 Days Together (1940) and That Hamilton Woman (1941). There was almost a fourth film together in 1944 when Olivier and Leigh traveled to Scotland with Charles C. Bennett to research the real-life story of a Scottish girl accused of murdering her French lover. Bennett recalled that Olivier researched the story "with all the thoroughness of Sherlock Holmes" and "we unearthed evidence, never known or produced at the trial, that would most certainly have sent the young lady to the gallows". The film project was then abandoned. During their two-decade marriage, Olivier and Leigh appeared on the stage in England and America and made films whenever they really needed to make some money.

Vivien Leigh was a British actress best known for her iconic roles as Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" (1939) and Blanche DuBois in "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951). Born in Darjeeling, India in 1913, Leigh moved to England with her family at the age of six. She began acting in school productions and made her stage debut in 1935 in "The Mask of Virtue." However, it was her role as Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" that made her a Hollywood legend and earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress. Leigh's personal life was just as dramatic as her on-screen roles. She married fellow actor Laurence Olivier in 1940, and the couple became one of Hollywood's most glamorous and talked-about couples. However, their marriage was plagued by infidelity and eventually ended in divorce in 1960. Leigh also struggled with mental health issues throughout her life and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Despite these challenges, she continued to act in films and on stage until her death in 1967 at the age of 53. Throughout her career, Leigh was admired for her beauty, talent, and versatility as an actress. She won two Academy Awards for Best Actress, one for "Gone with the Wind" and the other for "A Streetcar Named Desire." She also received critical acclaim for her stage performances, including her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in the West End production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" and her role as Cleopatra in "Antony and Cleopatra." Leigh's legacy as an actress continues to inspire new generations of performers and movie-goers alike.