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Olivia de Havilland

Photo still of Olivia de Havilland.

Olivia Mary de Havilland (born July 1, 1916 in Tokyo, Japan), is a US film actress.

She is the daughter of British parents, patent attorney Walter de Havilland, and actress Lillian Fontaine. Her sister is the actress Joan Fontaine (born 1917), from whom she is famously estranged.

De Havilland's career began in Alibi Ike in 1935. She appeared as Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), and played opposite Errol Flynn in such highly popular films as Captain Blood and The Charge of the Light Brigade (both 1936), and as Maid Marian to Flynn's Robin Hood in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). She played Melanie Wilkes in Gone With The Wind (1939) and received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination for her performance.

De Havilland and her sister Fontaine, were each nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1942. Fontaine won for her role in Alfred Hitchcock's Suspicion (1941) over de Havilland's nomination for Hold Back the Dawn (1941). Biographer Charles Higham has described the events of the award ceremony, stating that as Fontaine stepped forward to collect her award, she had pointedly rejected de Havilland's attempts at congratulating her, and that de Havilland was both offended and embarrassed by her behavior. He records that the sisters had an uneasy relationship, and though each has refused to comment, Higham has stated that this event was the catalyst for what would become a lifelong fued. The sisters have remained estranged since this time.

Also by this time De Havilland was becoming increasingly frustrated by the roles being assigned to her. She felt that she had proven herself to be capable of playing more than the demure ingenues and damsels in distress that were quickly typecasting her, and began to reject scripts that offered her this type of role. The law allowed for studios to suspend contract players for rejecting a role, and for the period of suspension to be added to the contract period. In theory this allowed a studio to maintain indefinite control over an uncooperative contractree. Most accepted this situation, while a few tried to change the system; Bette Davis had mounted an unsuccessful lawsuit against Warner Brothers Studios in the 1930s. De Havilland mounted a lawsuit in the 1940s and was successful, thereby reducing the power of the studios and extending greater creative freedom to the performers. The decision was one of the most significant and far reaching legal rulings until that time in Hollywood. Her courage in mounting such a challenge, and her subsequent victory, won her the respect and admiration of her peers.

The quality and variety of her roles began to improve. She won Best Actress Academy Awards for To Each His Own (1946) and The Heiress (1949), and was also widely praised for her Academy Award nominated performance in The Snake Pit (1948). This was one of the earliest films to attempt a realistic portrayal of mental illness, and de Havilland was lauded for her willingness to play a role that was completely devoid of glamour and, which confronted such controversial subject matter.

De Havilland appeared sporadically in films after the 1950s, and attributed this partly to the growing permissiveness of Hollywood films of the period. She was reported to have declined the role of Blanche du Bois in A Streetcar Named Desire, citing the unsavoury nature of the some elements of the script, and saying there were certain lines she could not allow herself to speak. She continued acting until the 1980s.

A resident of Paris since the 1950s, de Havilland lives in retirement and makes appearances rarely. She is reported to be working on an autobiography. Her most recent public appearance was as a presenter at the 75th Annual Academy Awards in 2003.

Trivia

  • De Havilland attended Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, California as a teen. Subsequently, the school's theater is named after her.
  • De Havilland was good friends with actress Bette Davis.

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She is reported to be working on an autobiography. Her most recent public appearance was as a presenter at the 75th Annual Academy Awards in 2003. In a 2004 poll, readers of FHM magazine voted that she had the best looking bottom in show business. A resident of Paris since the 1950s, de Havilland lives in retirement and makes appearances rarely. Her dimensions are: Bust 90cm, Waist 54cm, Hips 86cm (35"/21"/34"). She was reported to have declined the role of Blanche du Bois in A Streetcar Named Desire, citing the unsavoury nature of the some elements of the script, and saying there were certain lines she could not allow herself to speak. She continued acting until the 1980s. Electra is now married to musician Dave Navarro, formerly a member of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers and currently a member of Jane's Addiction. De Havilland appeared sporadically in films after the 1950s, and attributed this partly to the growing permissiveness of Hollywood films of the period. Electra achieved considerable notoriety during her on-again, off-again marriage to basketball star Dennis Rodman.

She won Best Actress Academy Awards for To Each His Own (1946) and The Heiress (1949), and was also widely praised for her Academy Award nominated performance in The Snake Pit (1948). This was one of the earliest films to attempt a realistic portrayal of mental illness, and de Havilland was lauded for her willingness to play a role that was completely devoid of glamour and, which confronted such controversial subject matter. She also regularly performs with the dance revue The Pussycat Dolls. The quality and variety of her roles began to improve. Electra has appeared in several films, such as The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human and the horror spoof Scary Movie. Her courage in mounting such a challenge, and her subsequent victory, won her the respect and admiration of her peers. This led to an increasing role as a television personality on various shows, including regular roles on MTV's Singled Out and Baywatch. The decision was one of the most significant and far reaching legal rulings until that time in Hollywood. In 1995, Electra started appearing in television programs such as Nickelodeon's All That and then in May of 1996 she appeared in Playboy magazine.

De Havilland mounted a lawsuit in the 1940s and was successful, thereby reducing the power of the studios and extending greater creative freedom to the performers. Her singing career was both short-lived and unsuccessful. Most accepted this situation, while a few tried to change the system; Bette Davis had mounted an unsuccessful lawsuit against Warner Brothers Studios in the 1930s. Soon after, she signed a recording contract with Paisley Park Records, Prince's company. In theory this allowed a studio to maintain indefinite control over an uncooperative contractree. In 1992, Electra moved to Los Angeles and within one week met singer Prince. The law allowed for studios to suspend contract players for rejecting a role, and for the period of suspension to be added to the contract period. Her birth name was Tara Leigh Patrick. (She is not related to adult film actress Tera Patrick, whose real name is Linda Hopkins Shapiro.).

She felt that she had proven herself to be capable of playing more than the demure ingenues and damsels in distress that were quickly typecasting her, and began to reject scripts that offered her this type of role. She was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Also by this time De Havilland was becoming increasingly frustrated by the roles being assigned to her. Carmen Electra (born April 20, 1972) is an American model, television personality, actress and singer. The sisters have remained estranged since this time. He records that the sisters had an uneasy relationship, and though each has refused to comment, Higham has stated that this event was the catalyst for what would become a lifelong fued.

Biographer Charles Higham has described the events of the award ceremony, stating that as Fontaine stepped forward to collect her award, she had pointedly rejected de Havilland's attempts at congratulating her, and that de Havilland was both offended and embarrassed by her behavior. Fontaine won for her role in Alfred Hitchcock's Suspicion (1941) over de Havilland's nomination for Hold Back the Dawn (1941). De Havilland and her sister Fontaine, were each nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1942. She played Melanie Wilkes in Gone With The Wind (1939) and received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination for her performance.

She appeared as Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), and played opposite Errol Flynn in such highly popular films as Captain Blood and The Charge of the Light Brigade (both 1936), and as Maid Marian to Flynn's Robin Hood in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). De Havilland's career began in Alibi Ike in 1935. Her sister is the actress Joan Fontaine (born 1917), from whom she is famously estranged. She is the daughter of British parents, patent attorney Walter de Havilland, and actress Lillian Fontaine.

Olivia Mary de Havilland (born July 1, 1916 in Tokyo, Japan), is a US film actress. De Havilland was good friends with actress Bette Davis. Subsequently, the school's theater is named after her. De Havilland attended Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, California as a teen.