Olivier, Laurence (Kerr) (1907–1989)

A picture of the US actor Marilyn Monroe and British actor Laurence Olivier in 1957 when both were involved in the production of the film The Prince and the Showgirl.

English actor and director. For many years associated with the Old Vic Theatre, he was director of the National Theatre company 1962–73. His stage roles include Henry V, Hamlet, Richard III, and Archie Rice in John Osborne's The Entertainer (1957; filmed 1960). He directed and starred in filmed versions of Shakespeare's plays; for example, Henry V (1944) and Hamlet (1948) (Academy Award). He was knighted in 1947 and created a baron in 1970.

Olivier appeared in many films, including Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940), Sleuth (1972), Marathon Man (1976), and The Boys from Brazil (1978).

The Olivier Theatre (part of the National Theatre on the South Bank, London) is named after him. He was married to the actor Vivien Leigh 1940–60, and to the actor Joan Plowright from 1961 until his death.