Olivia de Havilland biography

Synopsis

Early Career

Born in Tokyo, Japan, actress Olivia de Havilland spent much of her youth in California. She moved there with her mother and younger sister, Joan, after her parents divorced. De Havilland caught her big break in 1933 with her stage role. Performing at the famed Hollywood Bowl, she played Hermia in a Max Reinhardt production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

De Havilland earned the chance to reprise her role in 1935 film adaptation with Dick Powell and James Cagney. Along with her coveted part, she also landed a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers. The studio soon paired her with one of her frequent co-stars Errol Flynn. The duo first appeared together in the action-adventure tale Captain Blood (1935).

Gone with the Wind

De Havilland continued to work with Errol Flynn, and they proved to be a popular on-screen couple. She played Maid Marian to his Robin Hood in 1938's The Adventures of Robin Hood. While these films were entertaining, they did little to reveal de Havilland's talents as a serious performer.

With 1939's Gone with the Wind, movie audiences had their first real experience with de Havilland as a dramatic actress. This Civil War era drama, based on the Margaret Mitchell novel, proved to one of the top films of the year and has continued to enjoy enormous popularity since its release. De Havilland played the gentle and kind Melanie Hamilton opposite Vivien Leigh's fiery Scarlett O'Hara. Both characters vied for the love of Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), and Melanie won his heart. Scarlett eventually ended up with the dashing Rhett Butler (Clark Gable).

De Havilland earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Melanie, but she lost out to her fellow cast mate Hattie McDaniels. McDaniels became the first African American to win an Academy Award. Two years later, de Havilland scored another Academy Award nomination two years later for her role in the drama Hold Back the Dawn (1941) with Charles Boyer—this time as Best Actress. This time around, de Havilland lost out to her own sister who used the stage name of Joan Fontaine.

Legal Battle with Studio

Over the years, de Havilland became increasingly frustrated with her situation at Warner Brothers. Good parts seemed to be few and far between, and she was relieved when her contract with the studio neared its end in 1943. Warner Brothers, however, subtracted time that she had been suspended while under contract and claimed that she owed them that time. Rather than comply, de Havilland battled Warner Brothers in court.

The case went all the way to the California Supreme Court in 1945, which reaffirmed a lower court ruling in favor of de Havilland.