---
name: "Vivien Leigh"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/vivien-leigh"
fi1m_id: "vivien-leigh"
imdb_id: "nm0000046"
tmdb_id: 10538
wikidata_id: "Q129429"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "5 November 1913"
died: "7 July 1967"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 75
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-20T04:28:02.619969+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Vivien Leigh

## Identity

Vivien Leigh

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/vivien-leigh
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** vivien-leigh
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000046
- **TMDB ID:** 10538
- **Wikidata ID:** Q129429
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivien_Leigh, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q129429, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000046/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10538

Actor. Born 5 November 1913 in Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency, British India [now West Bengal, India]. Died 7 July 1967.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 5 November 1913, Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency, British India [now West Bengal, India]
- **Died:** 7 July 1967
- **Active:** 1939–1965
- **Also known as:** Вів'єн Мері Гартлі, Vivian Mary Hartley, Vivian Leigh, ویوین لی, Вивиан Мэри Хартли, леди Оливье
- **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscars (2 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 75, as actor, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 74 (1), 1950s 88 (1), 1960s 62 (1)
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 3 of 3 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Romance 2, War 2, Thriller 1
- **Screen time:** 8 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $410m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivien_Leigh, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q129429, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000046/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10538

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*A Streetcar Named Desire*](https://film.one/film/a-streetcar-named-desire.md) (88), [*Gone with the Wind*](https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind.md) (74)
- **The Roku Channel:** [*Ship of Fools*](https://film.one/film/ship-of-fools.md) (62)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Vivien Leigh

> We value Vivien Leigh for the precision with which she makes selfishness absorbing. Her Scarlett O'Hara never needs to become nicer to hold our attention, though the film asks for more patience than even she can supply.

Scarlett O'Hara wants attention, and Vivien Leigh lets us see how much work she puts into getting it. In *Gone with the Wind* (1939), the character's artificiality is part of the pleasure: Leigh does not smooth it away to make her a more agreeable romantic heroine. We enjoyed Scarlett's bad behaviour because Leigh commits to her selfishness without asking us to forgive it. Even when our sympathy has run out, she keeps us interested in what this woman will demand next.

Before Scarlett, she had gained notice in British films such as *Fire Over England* (1937), and stage work remained her main commitment even after international film stardom. *Waterloo Bridge* (1940), opposite Robert Taylor, and *That Hamilton Woman* (1941), with Laurence Olivier, kept her in romantic and historical drama. Blanche DuBois in *A Streetcar Named Desire* (1951) brought a different Southern belle, far more fragile than Scarlett. Later screen appearances were fewer and tended towards character parts.

The stage background matters to how she works on screen: an expressive face, quick changes of mood and an evident care over how a character presents herself. That care can be conspicuous, and some early and stage notices found her preparation more apparent than spontaneity or depth. In Scarlett, the calculation is appropriate, because making an impression is so much of what she wants. Victor Fleming's direction gives this selfish woman's romantic troubles the weight of a war drama, and Leigh is strong enough to justify much of that attention. She does not have to make Scarlett deserving.

At 238 minutes, *Gone with the Wind* gives even this performance too much room. Its second half lets Scarlett's troubles drag, and Leigh cannot make every extension of them necessary. The woman who keeps us curious can also be exhausting company over such a stretch. Start there for Leigh, but leave a long evening free.

## Biography

Vivien Leigh was a British actress. Born Vivian Mary Hartley on 5 November 1913 in Darjeeling, India, she trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

She made her film debut in 1934 and appeared in British productions including *Fire Over England* (1937). Her breakthrough came with the role of Scarlett O'Hara in *Gone with the Wind* (1939), for which she received the Academy Award for Best Actress. She won a second Academy Award for her performance as Blanche DuBois in *A Streetcar Named Desire* (1951).

Leigh frequently collaborated with Laurence Olivier, to whom she was married from 1940 to 1960. Other notable films include *Waterloo Bridge* (1940), *That Hamilton Woman* (1941), *Anna Karenina* (1948) and *Ship of Fools* (1965). She died in London in 1967.

*Sources: britannica.com, en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, biography.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *Ship of Fools* (1965), Fi1m 62, as Mary Treadwell — [page](https://film.one/film/ship-of-fools.md)
- *A Streetcar Named Desire* (1951), Fi1m 88, as Blanche DuBois — [page](https://film.one/film/a-streetcar-named-desire.md)
- *Gone with the Wind* (1939), Fi1m 74, as Scarlett O'Hara — [page](https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind.md)

## Complete filmography (31)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *1939: Secrets of Hollywood's Golden Year* (2023), series, Actor
- *The Selznick Studios Retrospective Backlot Tour* (2014), as (in "Gone with the Wind") (archive footage)
- *Restoring a Legend: Gone with the Wind* (2004), as Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" (archive footage)
- *That's Entertainment! III* (1994), as (archive footage) (uncredited)
- *Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies* (1988), as (archive footage) (uncredited)
- *That's Entertainment, Part II* (1976), as (archive footage)
- *Ivanov* (1966), as Anna Petrovna
- *Ship of Fools* (1965), as Mary Treadwell — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/ship-of-fools.md)
- *Tovarich* (1963), as Tatiana
- *Antony and Cleopatra* (1962), as Cleopatra
- *The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone* (1961), as Karen Stone
- *The Skin of Our Teeth* (1959), as Sabina
- *The Deep Blue Sea* (1955), as Hester Collyer
- *A Streetcar Named Desire* (1951), as Blanche DuBois — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/a-streetcar-named-desire.md)
- *Rebecca* (1950), as Mrs. de winter
- *Anna Karenina* (1948), as Anna Karenina
- *Caesar and Cleopatra* (1945), as Cleopatra
- *That Hamilton Woman* (1941), as Emma, Lady Hamilton
- *Private Lives* (1940), as Amanda Prynne
- *Waterloo Bridge* (1940), as Myra
- *21 Days* (1940), as Wanda
- *Gone with the Wind* (1939), as Scarlett O'Hara — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind.md)
- *St. Martin's Lane* (1938), as Liberty
- *A Yank at Oxford* (1938), as Elsa Craddock
- *Dark Journey* (1937), as Madeleine Goddard
- *Fire Over England* (1937), as Cynthia
- *Storm in a Teacup* (1937), as Victoria Gow
- *Gentlemen's Agreement* (1935), as Phil Stanley
- *Look Up and Laugh* (1935), as Marjorie Belfer
- *Things Are Looking Up* (1935), as Unnamed Schoolgirl
- *The Village Squire* (1935), as Rose Venables

## Gallery

- ![Vivien Leigh](https://film.one/media/person/103497/gallery-a8cfd0589daf.jpg) Vivien Leigh — Fawcett Publications, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Vivien_Leigh_Scarlet.jpg/1280px-Vivien_Leigh_Scarlet.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![A Streetcar Named Desire poster (1951)](https://film.one/media/person/103497/gallery-0968ad590f66.jpg) A Streetcar Named Desire poster (1951) — Bill Gold, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/A_Streetcar_Named_Desire_%281951%29.jpg/1280px-A_Streetcar_Named_Desire_%281951%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Press publicity photo of Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh in Streetcar Named Desire, 1951](https://film.one/media/person/103497/gallery-53689929f966.jpg) Press publicity photo of Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh in Streetcar Named Desire, 1951 — Press photo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Brando_-_Leigh_-_1951.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Montage of Golden Hollywood (2010)](https://film.one/media/person/103497/gallery-5b7e585282c7.png) Montage of Golden Hollywood (2010) — Self made based upon work by the authors shown above, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Golden_Age_of_Hollywood.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Vivien Leigh](https://film.one/media/person/103497/gallery-b09a524b7fa7.jpg) Vivien Leigh — Image via TMDB
- ![Vivien Leigh](https://film.one/media/person/103497/gallery-e9bc121e1e60.jpg) Vivien Leigh — Image via TMDB
- ![Vivien Leigh](https://film.one/media/person/103497/gallery-963cd02ac93a.jpg) Vivien Leigh — Image via TMDB
- ![John Merivale and Vivien Leigh in 1961](https://film.one/media/person/103497/gallery-b0bcfdd0060a.jpg) John Merivale and Vivien Leigh in 1961 — United Press International, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/John_Merivale_and_Vivien_Leigh_in_1961.jpg/1280px-John_Merivale_and_Vivien_Leigh_in_1961.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire publicity still. (1951)](https://film.one/media/person/103497/gallery-79e320b90f83.jpg) Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire publicity still. (1951) — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Marlon_Brando_and_Vivien_Leigh_in_A_Streetcar_Named_Desire.jpeg/1280px-Marlon_Brando_and_Vivien_Leigh_in_A_Streetcar_Named_Desire.jpeg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Vivien Leigh](https://film.one/media/person/103497/gallery-f2ca0fd2bd67.jpg) Vivien Leigh — Image via TMDB
- ![Vivien Leigh](https://film.one/media/person/103497/gallery-6c18a6bc2eda.jpg) Vivien Leigh — Image via TMDB
- ![Vivien Leigh](https://film.one/media/person/103497/gallery-1c20ee41c4fa.jpg) Vivien Leigh — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 2 won

- 1952: Best Actress (won), for *A Streetcar Named Desire*
- 1940: Best Actress (won), for *Gone with the Wind*

### Other awards — 1 won

- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical 1963: Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/vivien-leigh