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Confessions of an Actor
An autobiography by the English actor discusses his theatrical and film career and offers a candid account of his personal life, focusing on his relationship with actress Vivien Leigh
348 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1982
About the author
Laurence Olivier
46 books14 followersLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. Late in his career he had considerable success in television roles.
Olivier's family had no theatrical connections, but his father, a clergyman, decided that his son should become an actor. After attending a drama school in London, Olivier learned his craft in a succession of acting jobs during the late 1920s. In 1930 he had his first important West End success in Noël Coward's Private Lives, and he appeared in his first film. In 1935 he played in a celebrated production of Romeo and Juliet alongside Gielgud and Peggy Ashcroft, and by the end of the decade he was an established star. In the 1940s, together with Richardson and John Burrell, Olivier was the co-director of the Old Vic, building it into a highly respected company. There his most celebrated roles included William Shakespeare's Richard III and Sophocles's Oedipus. In the 1950s Olivier was an independent actor-manager, but his stage career was in the doldrums until he joined the avant-garde English Stage Company in 1957 to play the title role in The Entertainer, a part he later played on film. From 1963 to 1973 he was the founding director of Britain's National Theatre, running a resident company that fostered many future stars. His own parts there included the title role in Othello (1965), and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice (1970).
Among Olivier's films are Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940) and a trilogy of Shakespeare films as actor/director: Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948) and Richard III (1955). His later films included Spartacus (1960), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Sleuth (1972), Marathon Man (1976) and The Boys from Brazil (1978). His television appearances included an adaptation of The Moon and Sixpence (1960), "Long Day's Journey into Night" (1973), Love Among the Ruins (1975), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976), Brideshead Revisited (1981) and King Lear (1983).
Olivier's honours included a knighthood (1947), a life peerage (1970) and the Order of Merit (1981). For his on-screen work he received two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. The National Theatre's largest auditorium is named in his honour, and he is commemorated in the Laurence Olivier Awards, given annually by the Society of London Theatre. He was married three times, to the actresses Jill Esmond from 1930 to 1940, Vivien Leigh from 1940 to 1960, and Joan Plowright from 1961 until his death.
Olivier's family had no theatrical connections, but his father, a clergyman, decided that his son should become an actor. After attending a drama school in London, Olivier learned his craft in a succession of acting jobs during the late 1920s. In 1930 he had his first important West End success in Noël Coward's Private Lives, and he appeared in his first film. In 1935 he played in a celebrated production of Romeo and Juliet alongside Gielgud and Peggy Ashcroft, and by the end of the decade he was an established star. In the 1940s, together with Richardson and John Burrell, Olivier was the co-director of the Old Vic, building it into a highly respected company. There his most celebrated roles included William Shakespeare's Richard III and Sophocles's Oedipus. In the 1950s Olivier was an independent actor-manager, but his stage career was in the doldrums until he joined the avant-garde English Stage Company in 1957 to play the title role in The Entertainer, a part he later played on film. From 1963 to 1973 he was the founding director of Britain's National Theatre, running a resident company that fostered many future stars. His own parts there included the title role in Othello (1965), and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice (1970).
Among Olivier's films are Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940) and a trilogy of Shakespeare films as actor/director: Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948) and Richard III (1955). His later films included Spartacus (1960), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Sleuth (1972), Marathon Man (1976) and The Boys from Brazil (1978). His television appearances included an adaptation of The Moon and Sixpence (1960), "Long Day's Journey into Night" (1973), Love Among the Ruins (1975), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976), Brideshead Revisited (1981) and King Lear (1983).
Olivier's honours included a knighthood (1947), a life peerage (1970) and the Order of Merit (1981). For his on-screen work he received two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. The National Theatre's largest auditorium is named in his honour, and he is commemorated in the Laurence Olivier Awards, given annually by the Society of London Theatre. He was married three times, to the actresses Jill Esmond from 1930 to 1940, Vivien Leigh from 1940 to 1960, and Joan Plowright from 1961 until his death.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 20, 2019
The autobiography of one of the great actors his time.Has more on his work in the British theatre,than his film career.Particularly interesting is his account of the difficulties of working with Marilyn Monroe,and his troubled marriage with Vivian Leigh.
September 29, 2013
Added 9/29/13.
This book was very readable because Olivier seems to be talking directly to the reader. It was interesting getting his perspective of the theater world. He mentions the many classic plays he acted in, so many of which I had never even heard of. His interactions with the theater world and the film world made interesting reading. Of course there were people I had heard of but there were also many names that were new to me.
He tells about the period in his life when he suffered from "stage fright". Who would have guessed!
To me it seemed that some of the sentences in the book were clumsily put together. Perhaps it indicates that he wrote from the heart and didn't go through an editor.
It's his personal story. I'm glad I read it. It includes his marriages to Vivien Leigh and Joan Plowright, as well as his work with Marilyn Monroe.
What a busy life he led!
This book was very readable because Olivier seems to be talking directly to the reader. It was interesting getting his perspective of the theater world. He mentions the many classic plays he acted in, so many of which I had never even heard of. His interactions with the theater world and the film world made interesting reading. Of course there were people I had heard of but there were also many names that were new to me.
He tells about the period in his life when he suffered from "stage fright". Who would have guessed!
To me it seemed that some of the sentences in the book were clumsily put together. Perhaps it indicates that he wrote from the heart and didn't go through an editor.
It's his personal story. I'm glad I read it. It includes his marriages to Vivien Leigh and Joan Plowright, as well as his work with Marilyn Monroe.
What a busy life he led!
May 20, 2013
"We had never before been made to face the extent to which our lives together had been supported and bolstered up by the companionship of our friends and the glitter of our position."
The heart of this book is the rise and fall of the marriage of Laurence and Vivien Leigh. From Leigh's falling out of love, manic depression, nervous breakdowns, and ultimately to shock treatment.
He's worked beside so many Hollywood legends; made me wish he could shed more light on them than simply the word "lovely."
There is much of value from the master of the craft, but too much information: stuck on straight chronology with casts and roles, set decorators, fashion designers, asst producers, etc--mostly forgotten.
I was amused to see somebody take a few shots at American Lee Strasberg Method Acting.
"2.5% work. 97.5% do not. The profession has always been overcrowded. . . but the theatre arts possess a fatal fascination for too many people, and there seems to be no effective way of scaring them off." - Laurence Olivier
"The Merchant of Venice" is horrid, cruel . . . what it more, it is thought to be eminently suitable for schoolchildren!
The heart of this book is the rise and fall of the marriage of Laurence and Vivien Leigh. From Leigh's falling out of love, manic depression, nervous breakdowns, and ultimately to shock treatment.
He's worked beside so many Hollywood legends; made me wish he could shed more light on them than simply the word "lovely."
There is much of value from the master of the craft, but too much information: stuck on straight chronology with casts and roles, set decorators, fashion designers, asst producers, etc--mostly forgotten.
I was amused to see somebody take a few shots at American Lee Strasberg Method Acting.
"2.5% work. 97.5% do not. The profession has always been overcrowded. . . but the theatre arts possess a fatal fascination for too many people, and there seems to be no effective way of scaring them off." - Laurence Olivier
"The Merchant of Venice" is horrid, cruel . . . what it more, it is thought to be eminently suitable for schoolchildren!
November 11, 2022
Sir Laurence Olivier's honest enough autobiography, very candid with his sexual shortcomings and modest with his artistic achievements, which are legion. He was in the air force, and could fly a plane--I never realized that. He regrets not having posted to battle, being deemed more worthy doing propaganda films for the war effort. And the bubble has burst: the Oliviers, half of whom was Vivien Leigh, were not the soul mates I thought them to be. That endearment goes to Joan Plowright, no raving beauty, but the much better partner for Olivier. I would have wanted to know more about the cinema, and what he thought of his co-stars, especially with his later movies--The Betsy, A Little Romance, Marathon Man...instead we get more of an in-depth review of his peers in the theatre, which was where his heart belonged, clearly. All things considered, I can't help but wonder if he was made to write this autobiography in much the same way he was obliged to do The Betsy--for the money.
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February 14, 2024Sir Laurence Olivier was amazing, charming, engaging, and treated total strangers as fast friends. Talking with him, he swept you into his orbit, as if you were buddies for life. This book perfectly encapsulates his personality and habit of speaking directly to a person as if they were the only one on earth. What a consummate actor and also a genuinely kind person. He is sorely missed!
From my journal: "I met the 1940’s Mr. Darcy—Sir Laurence Olivier—right after (high school AP English) class at an ice cream shop featuring more than 30 flavors, and I was the only one who recognized him—not by sight, but by his incredible voice. The shop was located near where he had married Vivian Leigh and I had come with friends from school who later asked me if ‘that stranger’ was bothering me. No, indeed. The charming Mr. Olivier invited me to sit and chat with him while he ate ice cream. And I was so engaged with our chat that I never did order my waffle cone! But who would care when you’re talking to one of the greatest actors in history? We discussed his movies and he said I was too young to have watched his entire catalog, but I had, which was evident to him as we talked. The experience is a cherished memory. He treated me like a dear friend and said to ‘Call me Larry.’”
From my journal: "I met the 1940’s Mr. Darcy—Sir Laurence Olivier—right after (high school AP English) class at an ice cream shop featuring more than 30 flavors, and I was the only one who recognized him—not by sight, but by his incredible voice. The shop was located near where he had married Vivian Leigh and I had come with friends from school who later asked me if ‘that stranger’ was bothering me. No, indeed. The charming Mr. Olivier invited me to sit and chat with him while he ate ice cream. And I was so engaged with our chat that I never did order my waffle cone! But who would care when you’re talking to one of the greatest actors in history? We discussed his movies and he said I was too young to have watched his entire catalog, but I had, which was evident to him as we talked. The experience is a cherished memory. He treated me like a dear friend and said to ‘Call me Larry.’”
August 8, 2018
Easy to read and informative especially on his marriages including Vivian Leigh and his movie with Marilyn Monroe,both of them horrendous experiences.It reads like he’s talking to you.Probably not of interest to modern readers who have little knowledge of British theatre in the 1920s and 30s but worthwhile on his movie career.But I realised how distant those days from 1920s are - a completely different age,so probably only of interest to oldies.It’s a little different with movies as we can still see them and appreciate their style and skill but theatrical performances are gone forever.Sad really.We’ll never know their real power.
June 4, 2012
I read this while I was in high school. Certain moments still stick in my mind: his father's reaction to seeing him play Puck in school; his first marriage; how his affair with Vivien Leigh started; how after his divorce from Leigh he and friends played savior, and the state they found in her when they entered her home; the line about worrying he'd fall in love with Marilyn Monroe when they started filming and by the end of it he wanted to kill her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2019
Olivier was one of the greatest actors of the 20th century. Perhaps the greatest, though comparison at his lofty level is folly and maybe even wrong-headed. He was also a difficult, vain, and in some ways startlingly weak man. All of this is more or less inadvertently revealed in his autobiography, which is compulsively readable, if at times petty, venal, and grasping in the extreme. He was a great man, but not a great soul. The autobiography is yet another brilliant performance, but pieced together, much like people said of his stage roles. It was as if there was no whole human being there, but one put together with a stance, a walk, a putty nose, hair and costume. By the time all the pieces were assembled, you had a semblance of a man. A brilliant man, in fact, but a construction. In the end, he was a conundrum, but one who lived to act, and maybe he was not mysterious at all, but as simple as that. Finally, you don't trust the autobiography, but it is fascinating.
November 12, 2020
What an interesting man. In this autobiography he certainly writes very transparently in quite a few areas. He saw himself as he was. That didn't always mean that he worked on changing, but he was very honest. I do not think he was ever an easy man, but he certainly was a gifted one. His account of his marriage to Vivien Leigh was something to behold - she was really quite sadly mentally ill. Also a book read for my class.
January 15, 2023
I liked this book. It has some quite amusing sections. There is also some insight and personal reflection on Vivian Leigh. I guess it’s written from his own journals and I wonder if it was ghost written today whether it would be a multi-book series. Glad I found this book.
March 27, 2024
I would’ve liked to have heard more about Vivien Leigh and their relationship, it seemed as if he almost talked about Marilyn Monroe more, whom he only made one film with.
March 18, 2020
Δεν μου ήταν γνωστός σαν προσωπικότητα. Παρ' όλ' αυτά, βρήκα εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρουσες τις προσωπικές εξομολογήσεις του γνωστού ηθοποιού, και τις εμπειρίες του, από την δική του σκοπιά. Μπήκα στο πνεύμα μια εποχής και περιόδου που δεν γνώριζα, και πλέον μου είναι πολύ πιο κατανοητή η εξέλιξη του κινηματογράφου. Μου κέντρισε αρκετά το ενδιαφέρον ώστε να αναζητήσω ταινίες του και να δω πως πραγματικά ήταν. Τα στιγμιότυπα από τη ζωή του που μας μεταφέρει είναι πιστεύω με σεβασμό προς τους ανθρώπους που τον πλαισίωναν. Εντόπισα τις στιγμές που μετάνιωσε και τις προσωπικές του αποτυχίες, αλλά διέκρινα και τον εγωισμό του, και την ικανότητά του με υπερηφάνια να αναγνωρίζει τα λάθη του.
Θα πρότεινα το βιβλίο οπωσδήποτε σε ανθρώπους που ασχολούνται με τον κινηματογράφο, την ηθοποιία και το θέατρο.
Θα πρότεινα το βιβλίο οπωσδήποτε σε ανθρώπους που ασχολούνται με τον κινηματογράφο, την ηθοποιία και το θέατρο.
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January 14, 2020More than an autobiography, it is a history of the English stage in the 20th century.. Well written, insightful and sometimes tragic story of his life and marriage to Vivien Leigh.
October 13, 2009
[These notes were made in 1984:]. Olivier's autobiography is full of satisfying detail and even more satisfying name-dropping. Instead of adopting the usual self-justificatory tone, he inverts it to one of deep humility - a rather self-conscious humility, at that: no doubt the consequence of growing up a minister's son. If there is one habit he has that really irks me, it's that of adding "ie" on to everyone's name - "Ralphie," "Willie Walton," "Noelie." The two real standouts from thais rule are Vivien Leigh and Peter Finch, with whom she had an affair just before the end of her marriage to Olivier. I must say that Olivier manages to slide rather well over the apparent meanness of divorcing a mentally ill woman on her way to death. He is, in that respect, a persuasive enough writer. But I feel much happier when he is telling cheerful anecdotes about the making of Henry V or rehearsing and improvising in Private Lives.
December 20, 2015
Po Fryově místy až nestydaté otevřenosti se mi Olivierův uhlazený styl vypravování zdál falešně skromný. Alespoň první polovinu knihy. Bylo těžké si najít cestu k mladíčkovi, který ač to rozhodně lehké neměl, působí místy vychloubačně a tam kde se mu nedaří teatrálně. S každou další stránkou ale Olivier získával na opravdovosti a v závěru knihy jsem měla pocit, že na mě ze stránek mluví obyčejný člověk, který dokázal neobyčejné věci. Může to být i tím, že poslední část knihy se zabývá něčím, k čemu mám blíž a co si už dokážu představit konktétněji. Není to jen záplava neznámých jmen a míst. Je zvláštní číst Olivierovy zmínky o mladých členech souboru - Meggie Smith, Derek Jacobi, Ronald Pickup, když mně se pod těmi jmény vybaví stárnoucí legendy své profese. Není tajemstvím, že miluji divadlo, ale jen jako divák, který vše sleduje z povzdálí. Olivierův životopis pro mě byla smršť informací, které netuším jak zpracovat. Je jich příliš mnoho. Láká mě zjišťovat víc, ale není čas.
September 1, 2023
The epigraph I believe is something along the lines of, “forgive me, reader, for I have sinned.”
At least Olivier is self aware. It is absolutely a sin for him to have such incredible mastery of language and yet still write an autobiography that reads like a pretentious 19th century textbook. You’d think that with such an interesting life and extensive vocabulary something would’ve come up.
Alack, hundreds of pages of “I went to X at X times. I married Y. Z and I had a lackluster marriage.” Even his commentary about relationship with Vivien Leigh felt like… like he was ticking off a checklist.
There’s some insights and good lines here, though. And if you have great interest in theater and it’s technicalities, you’d probably like this more.
At least Olivier is self aware. It is absolutely a sin for him to have such incredible mastery of language and yet still write an autobiography that reads like a pretentious 19th century textbook. You’d think that with such an interesting life and extensive vocabulary something would’ve come up.
Alack, hundreds of pages of “I went to X at X times. I married Y. Z and I had a lackluster marriage.” Even his commentary about relationship with Vivien Leigh felt like… like he was ticking off a checklist.
There’s some insights and good lines here, though. And if you have great interest in theater and it’s technicalities, you’d probably like this more.
December 20, 2011
This book does not give much away about his 'preferences' because it is an autobiography so for potential PR reasons some things may not have been written about and understandably so. I read this book more to learn about his side of stories of him working with Marilyn in my all time favourite Marilyn Monroe film The Prince and the Showgirl and to get a more detailed description of vivien leigh's struggle with her mental health. This book was very interesting. More detail on his time with these legends would have been better. Learnt more about his love of theatre and preference to theatre of films. His love of shakespeare is clear too. Good book.
July 10, 2012
This book was enlightening to me. I had for some reason always assumed that Laurence Olivier was more like the characters he acted in his movies and plays -- dark, brooding, moody types. But it turns out he was quite the opposite. He enjoyed playing pranks and trying to get his fellow actors to laugh in the middle of a play. His writing also shows a sense of humor.
July 31, 2010
It's far from being the best autobiography ever - at times it felt like a listing of the stage plays he was in; but there's also some interesting information in it, so I'd recommend it to Laurence Olivier-fans nonetheless.
November 30, 2008
Uhhhh....this book is Fabulous, with a capital "F". For all of you out there who love a trashy novel about someone real: this is your hot ticket. Loved it!
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September 23, 2008Very sweet autobiography that is also insightful about one of the greatest actors ever acting methods.
May 10, 2009
An entertaining and enlightening view of a great actor's life. I found the self-deprecating humor soothing.
March 13, 2009
This book made Olivier feel like an old friend. I appreciated his emotional honesty and intimacy in the writing.
March 22, 2011
Some extremely minor details clouded the revelations that varied in significance but also revealed the author/actor's great intelligence.
May 7, 2011
I read this mainly to get Olivier's perspective on Vivien Leigh. It was good though, for being autobiographical.
March 26, 2021
A little bit pedantic, but still interesting. Unless the publishers of this edition cut a lot out, there was very little about his life with Vivien Leigh, which I found disappointing.
June 16, 2014
Stunningly written, witty and thought provoking.
July 15, 2015
A fascinating and honest review of the great lord acto's life.
April 11, 2017
I love the man on the screen and behind the camera.... just not with a pen. I do not know the theatre or 98% of the names he dropped. I found the personal details often rambling, confusing and perfunctory.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews