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Laurence Olivier

Laurence Olivier

43 movies on Netflix

Biography

Laurence Olivier was an English actor and director who, with John Gielgud, Michael Redgrave and Ralph Richardson, ranked among the male performers who dominated the British stage in the mid-20th century. Born in Dorking, Surrey, he trained at a London drama school and learned his craft through a series of acting jobs in the late 1920s. His first important West End role came in 1930 in Noël Coward's Private Lives, and he later co-directed the Old Vic with Ralph Richardson and John Burrell. He directed and starred in three Shakespeare films: Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948) and Richard III (1955). Other films included Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940), Spartacus (1960), Sleuth (1972), Marathon Man (1976) and The Boys from Brazil (1978). He was the National Theatre's founding director from 1963 to 1973, and his honors included an Academy Award, five British Academy Film Awards and five Emmy Awards.

82years old at death

  • Born Dorking
  • Died West Sussex
  • Star sign: GeminiThe sign runs May 21 to June 20
  • Laurence Kerr Olivier (birth name)Also credited as The Lord Olivier, Sir Laurence Olivier and Baron Olivier of Brighton

Movie Career

Films
43
Career span
84 years1937 to 2021

Genres

Photos

  • Laurence Olivier, photo 1 of 3
  • Laurence Olivier, photo 2 of 3
  • Laurence Olivier, photo 3 of 3

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  1. Big break

    John Gielgud staged Romeo and Juliet at the New Theatre in 1935, having spotted Olivier's potential in Queen of Scots and given him a major career step up. Gielgud and Olivier swapped roles after the opening weeks, with Olivier first playing Romeo and Gielgud Mercutio.

  2. A role that slipped away

    Olivier turned down the West End role of Stanhope in Journey's End, which he had created in 1928, to play Beau Geste instead; Journey's End became a long-running success while Beau Geste failed.

  3. A role that slipped away

    Olivier was replaced after two weeks of filming Queen Christina opposite Greta Garbo in 1933 because the two lacked chemistry.

  4. First role

    Olivier left the Central School in 1925 and then worked for small theatrical companies. That August, he made his first stage appearance at the Brighton Hippodrome in a sketch called The Unfailing Instinct.

  5. A first

    Olivier's Hamlet was the first film from outside America to take the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Olivier himself won Best Actor.

Laurence Olivier movies on Netflix

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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  1. Rebecca1940 Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thrilleras 'Maxim' de Winter

    IMDb rating 8.0162K votes

  2. Spartacus1960 Adventure, Drama, Historyas Marcus Licinius Crassus

    IMDb rating 7.9152K votes

  3. Marathon Man1976as Szell

    IMDb rating 7.477K votes

  4. Sleuth1972as Andrew Wyke

    IMDb rating 7.953K votes

  5. The Boys from Brazil1978as Ezra Lieberman

    IMDb rating 7.034K votes

  6. Wuthering Heights1939as Heathcliff

    IMDb rating 7.523K votes

  7. Hamlet1948as Hamlet - Prince of Denmark / Voice of Ghost

    IMDb rating 7.520K votes

  8. Bunny Lake Is Missing1965as Superintendent Newhouse

    IMDb rating 7.311K votes

Most often with

Franklin J. Schaffner directed two of these films, Guy Hamilton two and William Wyler two. Ralph Richardson appears in six of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Films together

Box office

What Laurence Olivier's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

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Combined worldwide box office

$232 million

9 of the 43 films have a worldwide figure.

Of the 43 films: 9 worldwide figure; 6 us gross only; 3 never in cinemas; 25 figure not found.

  • 9Worldwide figure
  • 6US gross only
  • 3Never in cinemas
  • 25Figure not found

Highest grossing

The eight biggest films earned 98% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

  1. 1
    Spartacus1960as Marcus Licinius Crassus
    $60M25.8% of the total
  2. 2
    $58M24.9% of the total
  3. 3
    $41M17.7% of the total
  4. 4
    Marathon Man1976as Szell
    $22M9.3% of the total
  5. 5
    The Boys from Brazil1978as Ezra Lieberman
    $19M8.2% of the total
  6. 6
    Battle of Britain1969as Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
    $13M5.6% of the total
  7. 7
    The Bounty1984as Admiral Hood
    $8.6M3.7% of the total
  8. 8
    Sleuth1972as Andrew Wyke
    $5.8M2.5% of the total
49th Parallel (1941), $5.3 million

$5.3 millionfrom the other 1 film with a worldwide figure, 2% of the total

Awards

Twelve awards and honors from 1947 to 1988, nine of them major.

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Laurence Olivier's awards and nominations, grouped by award
YearAwardFilmResult
Academy Awards
1979Honorary AwardHonorary
1949Best ActorHamletWon
1947Honorary AwardHonorary
Golden Globes
1977Best Supporting Actor – Motion PictureMarathon ManWon
1949Best Actor in a Leading RoleHamletWon
BAFTA
1970Best Actor in a Supporting RoleOh! What a Lovely WarWon
Emmy Awards
1984Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a MovieKing LearWon
1982Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a MovieBrideshead RevisitedWon
1960Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a MovieThe Moon and SixpenceWon
Other honors
1988Feltrinelli PrizeWon
1983Golden Raspberry Award for Worst ActorInchonWon
1981Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor - Razzie AwardThe Jazz SingerWon

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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