A Filmmaker's Guide to the Best Performances: Laurence Olivier

Laurence Olivier is known as one of the greatest actors in human history. Known for his portrayals as leading Shakespearean characters, Olivier's most famous performance as Hamlet, Prince of Denmark really set the bar for other actors who have tried and failed to best Olivier's portrayal. Olivier was a serious actor, taking his job as seriously as he possibly could and had a massive fear of failure. When working, he would often know all of his lines before production began. In one instance where he worked with Marilyn Monroe on The Prince and the Showgirl, he noted absolutely hating her for her lack of ability to act. I find that a bit pompous, but if you're Laurence Olivier, you're allowed to say something like that. Monroe, he said, would turn up not knowing her lines or her character traits. He was justified, but had a bit of a temperament when it came to his job - which, in the end, is why he was so good.

Background

Olivier was born in Surrey in 1907 to a reverend and his wife. The youngest of three children, Olivier grew up in a middle to upper class household. He was also raised particularly religious because of his father's job and his family's history within the church. He would often move house and so, he never stuck around long enough to make any friends. When the family finally settled, Olivier became devoted to his mother - but not to his father, who he found cold and calculating.

Olivier got into a prestigious preparatory school and yet, he still didn't make any friends as an outsider to the rest of the students. The ten year old Olivier went on to play Brutus in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, a production put on by his school. He was noted by some as already being a great actor. When his brother moved to India, Olivier said he would follow - but his parents told him to pursue the stage instead.

Olivier was told by his father that he must gain a scholarship to The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art. He did just that and one of the people in his class was Peggy Ashcroft who described him as being an outsider but good fun as well. Olivier went on then to join the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and one of his roles of Shakespeare was in All's Well That Ends Well. After this, he went to work at the Royal Theatre.

And we can definitely say that the rest is history...

In his later life during the 1980s, Olivier was miraculously still acting and appeared as Lord Marchmain in the 1981 adaptation of "Brideshead Revisited" alongside a young Jeremy Irons. His final film appearance was in Derek Jarman's War Requiem (1989).

For the final 22 years of his life, Olivier had been suffering with illnesses and he died on the 11th of July, 1989 - aged 82. He was cremated and his ashes scattered in the Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey.

Olivier was by no means a perfect actor, but he was one of the best at developing technique. Later on in his life, he got rid of this technique and began acting almost more naturally. Even his later performances have great criticisms without a single bad word to say about them. Well, then I would like to correct my previous statement - maybe Olivier is a perfect actor after all.

Olivier was knighted in 1947.

So now, we're going to take a look at the ten greatest performances in film by Olivier. This is not going to be about filmed stage performances, just feature films. It was so hard to pick the ten greatest performances of a man who is normally considered as one of the most talented actors to ever live. Let us get on with this then...

The Top Ten Performances in Film by Laurence Olivier

10. Wuthering Heights (1939)

9. Oh! What a Lovely War (1969)

8. 21 Days (1940)

7. Dracula (1979)

6. Bunny Lake is Missing (1965)

5. Henry V (1944)

4. Spartacus (1960)

3. As You Like It (1936)

2. Richard III (1955)

1. Rebecca (1940)

So there we go then, the greatest performances on film by Laurence Olivier. He was truly one of history's greatest actors and remains in the minds of many who have studied drama and go on to act in theatre and film.