by Alexander Walker (Author)
'I will play Scarlett O'Hara' she said, even while the novel of Gone with the Wind was being reviewed - and she did. While a barrister's wife with an infant daughter she saw a handsome actor and immediately announced 'I will marry him' - and she did. From 1940 until they divorced in 1960 Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were the 'royal' couple of the stage in two continents, yet were steadily being consumed by Vivien's manic depression which led her into follies and affairs. Drawing on the memories and anecdotes of her family, friends and fellow players, as well as on his own conversations with Vivien just before her death, Alexander Walker has written the definitive biography of Vivien Leigh.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 464
Edition: New
Publisher: Gollancz
Published: 04 Aug 1994
ISBN 10: 1857979273
ISBN 13: 9781857979275
Book Overview: Alexander Walker tells a story of love, talent, ambition, tragedy and courage to create a fascinating picture of a complex and unique woman By the bestselling author whose biographies include Vivien Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor and Stanley Kubrick The details of Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier's tortured marriage are as dramatic as any Hollywood blockbuster It is a measure of Alexander Walker's achievement that he has come closer to conveying the terrible, golden union than any previous writer. This is the best book we have had on Vivien Leigh' Boston Globe 'Lucid and informative ... Walker's biography tells a lurid and often distressing story with shrewdness and compassion' Books