English actor and director Laurence Olivier was BOTD in 1907. Born in Dorking, Surrey, the son of an Anglican vicar, he began acting from his early school days. After studying at the Central School of Dramatic Art, he began his professional career at the Birmingham Repertory Company, making his West End debut in 1929. He became a theatrical star in a 1937 production of Shakespeare‘s Hamlet, praised for his muscular, physically transformative performance. Later that year, he appeared in Alexander Korda’s film Fire Over England, having an affair with and later marrying his co-star Vivien Leigh. Lured to Hollywood, he became a star playing tortured romantic heroes in William Wyler’s Wuthering Heights and Alfred Hitchcock‘s Rebecca. After serving in the Royal Navy during World War Two, he starred and directed in the hugely popular 1944 film of Shakespeare’s Henry V, earning him an honorary Oscar for his “outstanding achievement as actor, producer and director.” He repeated the hat-trick in 1948’s Hamlet, winning Oscars for Best Picture and best actor, followed by successful adaptations of Richard III and Othello. He became a titanic force in post-war British theatre, running the Old Vic Theatre for many years and becoming a founding director of the Royal National Theatre. Eager to stay relevant in the age of kitchen sink drama, he played a fading music hall performer in John Osborne’s play and film The Entertainer. Less successfully, he clashed with his co-star Marilyn Monroe in the 1957 comedy film The Prince and the Showgirl, apparently jealous of Monroe’s effortless command of the screen. His marriage to Leigh was tempestuous, beset with mutual infidelities, competing careers and Leigh’s struggle with mental illness. During the making of the film of Tennessee Williams‘ A Streetcar Named Desire, both Olivier and Leigh are reported to have had affairs with Leigh’s co-star Marlon Brando. Olivier had longer relationships with Noël Coward (who described him as “the most staggeringly beautiful creature I ever saw in my life”) and Danny Kaye. After his divorce from Leigh, Olivier married the actress Joan Plowright in 1961, remaining together until his death. In later life, he gave striking performances in films The Boys From Brazil and Marathon Man (famously telling his Method Actor co-star Dustin Hoffman “Why don’t you just try acting?”) and a celebrated TV adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s novel Brideshead Revisited. Awarded a life peerage in 1970, he became “Lord Larry”, and was later awarded the Order of Merit. His final screen appearance was in Derek Jarman’s film War Requiem. He died in 1989, aged 82. Amid many posthumous honours, the Olivier Awards for excellence in London theatre were named in his honour.