Laurence Olivier worked in film at a period when the medium itself was still changing shape.
The record lists Laurence Olivier as English actor and director (1907–1989).
Laurence Olivier was born at Dorking in 1907. His recorded nationality is United Kingdom. He trained at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and St Edward's School.
The studio system was at its height in this period: contracts were long, the output was industrial, and a handful of studios decided who worked.
The record gives his roles in the industry as film actor, theatre director and film director.
Among his best-known works are Marathon Man, Wuthering Heights and Hamlet. The screen flattens effort: a performance that took months reads as a few unhurried minutes.
The awards record reads: BAFTA Fellowship (1976), Academy Award for Best Actor (1949) and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (1949).
That the work was made from United Kingdom shaped it: national industries differ in what they finance, who they cast and which audiences they can reach.
Laurence Olivier died in 1989, aged 82. The films remain, which is the only form in which a screen career survives.
Achievements
- BAFTA Fellowship — 1976
- Academy Award for Best Actor — 1949
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role — 1949
- Notable work: Marathon Man
- Notable work: Wuthering Heights
- Notable work: Hamlet
- Notable work: Richard III
- Worked as film actor, theatre director and film director
