Vivien Leigh @ FashionState.Com

FashionState.Com salutes...

Lovely Legend of the Silver Screen

Vivien Leigh

1913 - 1967

Physically ethereal yet possessing vibrant energy and steely determination,
Vivien Leigh exploded onto the international cinema scene in 1939
with her legendary portrayal of fiery Southern belle Scarlett O'Hara
in "Gone With The Wind", considered by nearly every critic
to be one of the top-ten films ever made.

Considered a late-entry "dark horse" candidate to portray
Margaret Mitchell's world-popular heroine,
her casting in the role was a surprise to nearly everyone but herself.
Vivacious Vivien had her mind set on playing Scarlett
nearly immediately after reading the book,
and the rest, as they say, is history.

The lady who portrayed the cinema's most celebrated vixen
was born Vivian (with an "a") Mary Hartley in Darjeeling, India
to a British Indian Army officer and a strict yet loving Irish mother,
both who were aware early on that their daughter's remarkable loveliness
and her flair for the dramatic set her apart as somebody special.

Brought up in an atmosphere of privilege and prestige,
Vivien was convent-educated and trained to become
the perfect English rose, the consummate lady, and
an exquisite hostess.

But the rebellious spirit within her couldn't be satisfied
with notions of being simply the right man's ornament,
and she pursued a stage career. It immediately became apparent
to critics and audiences that she wasn't just a breathtaking beauty,
but a breath of fresh air with her candid performances,
and her talent and range were praised to the skies,
whether she performed light-hearted comedies, poignant dramas,
or the rigorous demands of the plays of Shakespeare.

Therefore, despite the limited level of depth or public exposure
of the characters she portrayed in her earliest movies,
she felt herself more than qualified to enter the greatest acting
sweepstakes ever known in Hollywood history - the search for Scarlett.

And her hunch and that of producer David O. Selznick paid off in spades.
"Gone With The Wind" won 8 Academy Awards, including
Best Actress for Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara.

The same drive and determination that paid off in 1939
also reinvigorated her international recognition in 1951
when she won Best Actress that year for her role
as Tennessee Williams' most tragic heroine, Blanche DuBois,
in "A Streetcar Named Desire" - another role she set
her cap on playing upon reading it and playing the role
in London, despite critics' objections and laments that their
lovely Vivien should soil herself with so "smutty" a role.

Plagued by delicate health, tuberculosis, and manic depression,
Vivien never adapted well to the exhausting demands
of being a screen idol, preferring the rewards of stage success and
being on the arm and in the presence of her greatest love -
her second husband, Laurence Olivier, fabled stage and screen actor
with whom she performed in many stage plays.

The strain and stress of her physical and mental illnesses,
as well as her ofttimes capricious nature,
played havoc with both her personal and professional lives and
caused her great unhappiness, pain, and loss.
Her performances on stage and screen became fewer and farther between
as her health deteriorated at a lamentably early age,
with tuberculosis finally claiming Vivien's life in 1967 at age 53.

But legends never die in the hearts of their devoted fans,
and on the Internet, there are many tributes to the unpredictable
yet ever-stylish lady, gracious hostess, and spirited celebrity
the press in Australia dubbed "Miss Vitamin B",
whom her loving friends called "Vivling",
and whom her faithful admirers will ever cherish in their hearts
as the fragile, tormented Blanche DuBois - and, of course,
the ultimate survivor who always looked forward to tomorrow,
the dazzling Scarlett O'Hara.

FASHIONSTATE.COM'S
VIVIEN LEIGH PHOTO ALBUM LINKS

VIVIEN - THE GLAMOROUS 30s
VIVIEN - THE GLITTERING 40s
VIVIEN - THE GLORIOUS 50s
VIVIEN - THE GOSSAMER 60s
VIVIEN - GODDESS OF THE STAGE
VIVIEN - VISION OF LOVELINESS
VIVLING & LARRY - STAGE & SCREEN'S ROYAL COUPLE

LINKS - FANSITES

Note: It is considered proper on-line protocol
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Be sure to set your browsers to enable Javascript, etc., and
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Denny Jackson's Vivien Leigh Page
A small but sweet fansite with biographical info and a few very nice photos!

Divine Viv
Chang from South Korea has a VERY comprehensive tribute site to Vivien Leigh, and chock full of goodies! Guestbook, fan reminiscences, chronology, biographies, articles, bibliography, links, quotes, audio clips - this site has it ALL for hardcore fans of Vivling!

Jeffrey Edmond's Shrine
A mini-shrine with some decent screen captures of Vivien from GWTW. Would like to see this site updated!

Meredy's Vivien Leigh Trivia Mania
Test your knowledge of vivacious Vivien! Meredy also invites trivia buffs to help themselves to her small but nice collection of photos for their PC wallpaper.

The Portrait of a Lady - Vivien Leigh & the Stage
Award-winning site primarily dedicated to Vivling's stage career, which was even more impressive than her film career. Stage credits, bio, link page, reviews and articles of Miss Leigh's performances, and for those who couldn't do without a Viv page without it - a GWTW link!

Tragic Vixen: The Vivien Leigh Fanlisting
Kavy's fanlisting - nearly 200 entries so far!

Vivien-Leigh.Com
Maintained by Leigh Mills, "Vivien Leigh's biggest fan". LOTS of info on Vivien, stage and screen facts, a guestbook, a FAQ, and photo galleries.

Vivien Leigh - A Lass Unparallel'd
Irina's website features a stunning array of candid photographs, a big thumbnailed photo gallery, a collection of magazine covers, a well-written bio and reviews, film and play lists, and a guestbook. Lovely!

Vivien Leigh - The Magic of Her World
Many reminiscences and anecdotes from those in Vivien's circles, bios on Vivien and her family, a newsletter, a guestbook, links, many photos, a questionnaire, and lots and lots of info at Sylwia's fan-friendly site!

The Vivien Leigh Pages
This site ranks very high with fans of Vivien! Sections on her life, films, her theater work, articles, MANY great GWTW links, a FAQ, multi-photo galleries, and more!

The Vivien Leigh Section
Bio and information, bibliography, TV schedule, guestbook, quotes and letters about and from Vivien. Has not been updated for quite some time, and there's no longer a photo gallery, but the essays are nicely written and the TV schedule links to a site that is updated month by month.

Vivien Leigh - The Fanlisting
Carrie's fansite is in English and Polish! Info, graphics, list of Vivien's awards, guestbook, a photo gallery, and a fanlist. Small but recently-started site - perhaps fans can join her fanlist and offer her encouragement!

Vivien Leigh - The French Site
As advertised! Very popular site. Beautiful photos of Vivien, biography, the site owner's collections, and guestbook.

Vivien Leigh: The Star of "Gone With The Wind"
Dejana's very nice, well-designed tribute site features biographical info, quotes, and a charming little photo gallery. What distinguishes her site is an info and photos section on the theaters where Vivien performed!

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh
En espanol! Visit this site, you'll see why I applied this name to it. :) Contains biographical info, quotes, personal info about Vivien, some really super photos, and a link to a subsite on Vivling and Larry - also in Spanish! Excelente!

Wen's Yard
A Chinese language website dedicated to Vivien!

LINKS - SPECIAL INTEREST

Gone With The Wind Garments Message Board
A message board at Yahoo! for "Windies", fans of GWTW costume designer Walter Plunkett, or Civil War era Southern dress in general! Included on this list because Vivien just made those costumes look marvelous! Site includes a "Garment Of The Month" photo (from "Gone With the Wind", naturally!). Restricted membership, so you'd best be a big GWTW fan and on your best-bred genteel behavior to expect approval from the Admin to join. (And there's nothing wrong with good manners!)

GWTW Collectibles
Collectibles for hardcore fans of Gone With The Wind. Lots inside!

The Hartley Surname
From the official Hartley family genealogical website in England, info on Vivien in the Hartley Hall of Fame!

Newline Cinema
Of special interest to "Windies" - Newline Cinema's special website dedicated to your favorite movie! Highlighting the film's re-release and re-mastering in 1998, the site features a historical timeline, virtual tours, and a special treat - how would GWTW be made today? The entries are hilarious!

Royal Shakespeare Company
The official site of arguably the greatest repertoire acting company in Great Britain. Search their site, you will find info and several terrific (copyrighted!) photos of Vivien in a range of roles she played while performing for RSC.

Vivien Leigh 1913 - 1967: The Avoidable Tragedy
An interesting short study on how Vivien's tuberculosis may have contributed to her manic depression.

Vivien Leigh: The Last Press Conference
Of special interest to Vivien fans - a one-woman play starring Marcy Lafferty as the spectacularly talented and tormented actress.

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