26 moments

1. Birth in Darjeeling

   1913-11-05 · Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency, British India

   Vivian Mary Hartley, later Vivien Leigh, was born in Darjeeling in the Bengal Presidency of British India. Coordinates represent central Darjeeling; the specific birth building is not identified.

2. Childhood stay at Ootacamund

   1917-01-01 · Ootacamund (Ooty), Madras Presidency, British India

   After her father was transferred to Bangalore, Leigh remained with her mother at Ootacamund in southern India. Coordinates represent Ootacamund town.

3. Drama training at RADA

   1931-01-01 · Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London, England

   After her family returned to Britain, Leigh began formal dramatic training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. The article supports enrollment in 1931 but does not give an exact enrollment date.

4. Birth of daughter Suzanne

   1933-10-12 · London, England

   Leigh gave birth to her daughter Suzanne Holman in London. Coordinates represent central London; the birth location is not specified.

5. Meeting Laurence Olivier at the Savoy Grill

   1935-01-01 · Savoy Grill, London, England

   Leigh was introduced to Laurence Olivier at the Savoy Grill, an encounter preceding their professional and personal partnership. The source gives autumn 1935, not a specific day.

6. Ophelia at Elsinore

   1937-01-01 · Kronborg Castle, Helsingør (Elsinore), Denmark

   Leigh performed Ophelia opposite Laurence Olivier in Tyrone Guthrie's Hamlet production at Elsinore. Coordinates represent Kronborg Castle, the customary Elsinore Hamlet venue.

7. Travel to Los Angeles for Gone with the Wind

   1939-01-01 · Los Angeles, California, United States

   

   Leigh went to Los Angeles to join Olivier and press her case for the role of Scarlett O'Hara. The source gives no month or specific Los Angeles venue.

8. Marriage to Laurence Olivier

   1940-08-31 · San Ysidro Ranch, Montecito, California, United States

   Leigh and Laurence Olivier married privately at San Ysidro Ranch near Santa Barbara.

9. Return to London during wartime

   1941-01-01 · London, England

   

   Leigh returned from California to London with Olivier and took part in wartime charitable activities. Coordinates represent central London.

10. The Doctor's Dilemma at the Haymarket

    1941-01-01 · Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, England

    Leigh appeared as Jennifer Dubedat in a wartime revival of George Bernard Shaw's The Doctor's Dilemma. The source places the production in the wartime period; 1941 is supported by the accompanying dated photograph caption.

11. Old Vic Spring Party in North Africa

    1943-01-01 · North Africa

    Leigh joined the Old Vic Spring Party revue, entertaining British and American troops across North Africa during the war. Coordinates are a representative point for the broad North Africa tour area.

12. Wartime letter from Tunis

    1943-01-01 · Tunis, Tunisia

    During the North African tour, Leigh wrote Olivier from Tunis about performing for troops who had recently been fighting. The exact date of the Tunis letter is not supplied.

13. The Skin of Our Teeth in London

    1946-01-01 · London, England

    After illness, Leigh resumed stage work in a successful London production of Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth. The theatre is not specified; coordinates represent central London.

14. Olivier's investiture at Buckingham Palace

    1947-01-01 · Buckingham Palace, London, England

    Leigh accompanied Laurence Olivier to Buckingham Palace when he received his knighthood, after which she became Lady Olivier. The precise investiture date is not stated.

15. Old Vic performance in Christchurch

    1948-01-01 · Christchurch, New Zealand

    During the Australasian Old Vic tour, Leigh went onstage in Christchurch after an altercation backstage. The source does not give a specific Christchurch theatre or date.

16. Old Vic visit to Sydney

    1948-07-21 · Public Library of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    During the Old Vic's Australian and New Zealand tour, Leigh and Olivier visited the Shakespeare Tercentenary Memorial Library in Sydney. Coordinates represent the former Public Library of New South Wales area in central Sydney.

17. Arrival at Whenuapai from Sydney

    1948-09-06 · Whenuapai, Auckland, New Zealand

    Leigh and Olivier arrived in New Zealand from Sydney with the Old Vic Company for its New Zealand tour. Coordinates represent Whenuapai Airport.

18. London opening of A Streetcar Named Desire

    1949-10-12 · Aldwych Theatre, London, England

    

    Leigh opened as Blanche DuBois in Laurence Olivier's London production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

19. Cleopatra repertory at St James's Theatre

    1951-01-01 · St James's Theatre, London, England

    Leigh played Cleopatra with Olivier in the London repertory pairing of Caesar and Cleopatra and Antony and Cleopatra. The former St James's Theatre was demolished; coordinates represent its historic site.

20. Cleopatra repertory on Broadway

    1951-01-01 · Ziegfeld Theatre, New York City, New York, United States

    Leigh and Olivier brought their alternating Cleopatra productions to Broadway with the Old Vic company. The engagement continued into 1952. The Ziegfeld Theatre was demolished; coordinates represent its former site.

21. Elephant Walk filming trip to Ceylon

    1953-01-01 · Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

    Leigh traveled to Ceylon to begin filming Elephant Walk with Peter Finch. The article does not identify the Ceylon filming site; coordinates are a representative point for Sri Lanka.

22. Filming The Deep Blue Sea at Shepperton

    1955-01-01 · Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, England

    Leigh filmed Anatole Litvak's The Deep Blue Sea at Shepperton Studios while Olivier was working there on Richard III. The source gives the production year but no more precise filming date.

23. Shakespeare season at Stratford-upon-Avon

    1955-01-01 · Stratford-upon-Avon, England

    Leigh and Olivier performed a Shakespeare season including Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and Titus Andronicus at Stratford-upon-Avon. The source does not specify which Stratford theatre; coordinates represent central Stratford-upon-Avon.

24. Twelfth Night tour stop in Wellington

    1962-02-27 · Opera House, Wellington, New Zealand

    On her final major international tour, Leigh appeared with the Old Vic Company in Wellington as Viola in Twelfth Night.

25. Tovarich opens on Broadway

    1963-03-18 · Broadway Theatre, New York City, New York, United States

    Leigh was in the original cast of Tovarich when the musical opened at the Broadway Theatre in New York. Leigh subsequently won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for this production.

26. Death at Eaton Square flat

    1967-07-08 · Eaton Square, London, England

    Leigh died at the Eaton Square flat she shared with John Merivale after tuberculosis resurfaced. The death certificate gave 8 July 1967, although the article notes she may have died before midnight on 7 July.