Olivia de Havilland was a British-American actress who rose to prominence in the mid-nineteenth century. Havilland rose to fame after starring in the action film “Captain Blood” (1935). Melanie Hamilton in the classic film “Gone with the Wind” is one of her most well-known performances (1939). She began her career in 1935 and continued for 53 years, appearing in 49 feature films, including “The Adventures of Robin Hood” (1938), “Hold Back the Dawn” (1941), “To Each His Own” (1946), “The Snake Pit” (1948), and “The Heiress” (1949). (1949).

She received numerous awards throughout her life, including the National Medal of the Arts, the Légion d’honneur, and the title of Dame Commander of the British Empire. She won two New York Film Critics Circle Awards, the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress, the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Her sister, actress Joan Fontaine, was the only sister to ever win an Academy Award for acting, and the only sister to ever win any Academy Award. Until her death on July 26, 2020, Havilland was the last significant surviving star from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema and the oldest living Academy Award recipient.

How Much was Olivia de Havilland’s Net Worth?

Olivia de Havilland earned a lot of money during her successful career as a top actress of her period. With a career that began in 1935 and lasted over 53 years, Havilland had amassed a sizable fortune through her numerous great parts and films.

At the time of her death, her net worth was believed to be over $25 million.

After signing with Warner Bros. in 1934, she began her career with a beginning salary of $200 per week. She had a starting weekly income of $500 in 1936, while she was renegotiating the contract.

What is Olivia de Havilland Famous for?

Melanie Hamilton in the classic film “Gone with the Wind” made her famous (1939).
Until her death in 2020, she was known as the oldest living Academy Award recipient.

Where was Olivia de Havilland Born?

Olivia de Havilland was born in Tokyo, Imperial Japan, on July 1, 1916. Olivia Mary de Havilland was her birth name. Her ancestors were British and American. Havilland was of Asian descent, and her zodiac sign was Cancer.

Olivia was born into a well-to-do and well-known household as one of her famous parents’ daughters. Lilian Fontaine (1886–1975) was an English actress who studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and sang with Sir Walter Parratt and the Master of the King’s Music. Walter de Havilland (1872–1968), her father, worked as an English professor at Imperial University in Tokyo before becoming a patent attorney.

Olivia’s parents met in Japan shortly after Olivia’s birth in 1913, and they later moved into a huge house in Tokyo. Joan Fontaine, her younger sister, was born a year later on October 22, 1917, and both of them became citizens of the United Kingdom by birthright. Her family sailed to England on the SS Siberia Maru in 1919, but she, her sister, and mother remained in the community of Saratoga when Joan contracted illness. Her father actually left his family and went back to his Japanese housekeeper to start a new life.

Olivia began taking ballet lessons at the age of four, as well as piano lessons, drama, music, and elocution, which her mother taught her on occasion. In 1922, she enrolled in Saratoga Grammar School, where she loved reading, writing poetry, and drawing. In 1925, her mother married George Milan Fontaine, who worked as a department store manager for O. A. Hale & Co. in San Jose.

She subsequently attended Los Gatos High School, where she excelled in oratory and field hockey, as well as being a member of the school theatrical club, eventually becoming the secretary. Her initial ambition was to become an English and speech teacher, for which she studied at Notre Dame Convent in Belmont. However, after developing an interest in acting, she made her amateur theatre debut in 1933 in “Alice in Wonderland.” She was cast as Hermia’s understudy for the second time.

On November 12, 1934, Austrian director Max Reinhardt persuaded Olivia to sign a five-year contract with Warner Bros., marking the start of a professional acting career that would last for more than 50 years.

What Year Did Olivia de Havilland Pass Away?

Olivia de Havilland died on July 26, 2020, in Paris, France, at the age of 104. After a century of life, she died quietly in her sleep of natural causes.

Olivia de Havilland’s Career Highlights:

On October 30, 1935, Olivia de Havilland made her film debut in Dario Argento’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Other films such as “Alibi Ike” and “The Irish in America” followed.
On December 28, 1935, she featured as the primary co-actor alongside Errol Flynn in the swashbuckler action drama “Captain Blood.”
In 1936, Havilland co-starred with Fredric March in Mervyn LeRoy’s historical drama “Anthony Adverse.” The same year, she reunited with Flynn in a box office blockbuster picture, “The Charge of the Light Brigade”.
On April 14, 1936, Havilland renegotiated her contract with Warner Bros. and signed a seven-year deal.
In 1937, she received her first leading role as Catherine Hilton in Archie Mayo’s comedy “Call It a Day.”
Havilland’s next major break came in 1938, when she played Maid Marian opposite Errol Flynn in another smash film, “The Adventures of Robin Hood.” The picture is one of the most well-known adventure films of the Classical Hollywood era.
With the success of “Gone with the Wind,” a Civil War-era drama in which she played Melaine Hamilton, she gained a lot of fame.
She was nominated for another Academy Award for her performance in the drama “Hold Back the Dawn” (1941).
She became so unhappy with Warner Bros. over the years that she went to court to try to break out of the contract. Her rule, which limited the length of a contract to a maximum of seven calendar years, was established as a result of the case.
She worked in radio during her off-screen breaks and toured military hospitals to demonstrate her support for soldiers fighting in World War II.
After a long layoff, she returned to the spotlight in 1946 with “To Each His Own,” for which she received her first Academy Award for Best Actress.
She then appeared in “The Dark Mirror” in 1946, “The Snake Pit” in 1948, “The Heiress” in 1949, “That Lady” in 1955, “Not as a Stranger” in 1956, and “The Ambassador’s Daughter” in 1958.
With the release of “Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte” in 1965, she had yet another notable role in which she shared the screen with Bette Davis.
Havilland starred in the popular disaster film “Airport ’77” and the killer bee horror thriller “The Swarm” in the 1970s (1978).
She was cast in popular miniseries such as “Roots: The Next Generations” (1979) and “North and South, Book II” (1980). (1986).
She won a Golden Globe Award for her supporting part in the television movie “Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna” in 1986.

Awards and Achievements:

2 Academy Award nominations
2 Golden Globe nominations
2 nominations for the New York Film Critics Circle Awards
1 Award from the National Board of Review
Volpi Cup, 1st Venice Film Festival
On February 8, 1960, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6762 Hollywood Boulevard.
In 1988, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Hertfordshire in England.
In 2006, he was inducted into the Film Hall of Fame of the Online Film & Television Association Award.
Légion d’honneur Légion d’honneur Légion d’honneur Légion d’honneur Légion
The title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire has been conferred on her.

What was Olivia de Havilland’s husband’s name?

Olivia de Havilland married twice during her lifetime, until she died. Marcus Aurelius Goodrich, an American screenwriter and novelist of “Delilah,” was her first husband. They married on August 26, 1946, and on September 27, 1949, they welcomed their only child, Benjamin Goodrich. However, their relationship did not survive long, and they divorced in 2953.

Benjamin, their only son, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma when he was 19 years old and worked as a statistical analyst for Lockheed Missiles and Space Company in Sunnyvale, California. He died on October 1, 1991, at the age of 42, of heart disease, three weeks before his father.

De Havilland married Pierre Galante, an executive editor for the magazine Paris Match, on April 2, 1955, two years after her divorce. Their marriage didn’t last long either, and they divorced in 1962, although they stayed together for another six years to raise their only daughter, Gisèle Galante.

Olivia de Havilland’s Dating History:

Previously, she dated several handsome men including her co-star, Errol Flynn who was attracted to her as soon as he met her for the first time in 1935. After working for years, on March 12, 1937, Flynn professed her at the coronation ball for King George VI at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. However, at the time, Flynn was married to his wife, Lili Damita, so he reunited with Damita and Havilland never acted on her feelings for Flynn.

Later, in July 1938, de Havilland began dating business tycoon, aviator, and filmmaker Howard Hughes. Hughes even gave her first flying lessons. Later, in December 1939, she was in a romantic relationship with actor James Stewart, who took her to the New York premiere of Gone with the Wind at the Astor Theater on December 19.

Shortly after they began seeing each other, and in 1940, he even proposed marriage but their relationship ended in 1941 when Havilland began a romantic relationship with film director John Huston while making, “In This Our Life”.

How Tall was Olivia de Havilland?

Olivia de Havilland was a gorgeous lady with warm brown eyes and extraordinary charm when she entered Hollywood for the first time. With her marvelous acting skills and charming personality, she had managed to win millions of hearts all around the world.

She had a height of 5ft.3inch(1.60m) while her body weight was around 60kg at the time of her death.

Quick Facts About Olivia de Havilland