Laurence Olivier: A Biography - Softcover

Spoto, Donald

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0815411464 ISBN 13: 9780815411468

Publisher: Cooper Square Press, 2001

Synopsis

Widely regarded as the greatest actor of the twentieth century, Laurence Olivier (1907-1989) was as troubled as he was talented. A man desperate for affection and approval, plagued with self-doubt and self-loathing, Olivier escaped his personal conflicts on the stage, where he perfected his skills to a remarkable degree. His interpretations of Shakespeare, Chekhov, Coward and countless other playwrights on stage made theater history, and his performances in the films Wuthering Heights, Henry V, Richard III, and Spartacus are equally legendary.

Spoto's biography of the actor recalls his astounding dramatic achievements and the painful experiences that shaped his character even as his talents were developing. Spoto examines Olivier's three tumultuous marriages, his rivalries with fellow actors John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson, and his ten-year love affair with Danny Kaye.

About this title

About the Author:

Donald Spoto is the author of numerous biographies, including Blue Angel: The Life of Marlene Dietrich and Rebel: The Life and Legend of James Dean, both available from Cooper Square Press. He has also written biographies of Alfred Hitchcock, Princess Diana, and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.

From Kirkus Reviews:

Despite having conducted dozens of interviews with those who knew Olivier, Spoto (author of biographies of Hitchcock, Tennessee Williams, and others) offers little important new material--and few fresh insights--in this long, uninspired biography. Aside from lots of sexual tattle, much of it unsupported by sources, and an unconvincing minority opinion on Vivien Leigh's mental troubles, most everything here has been covered before (and, often, better) elsewhere. Like Anthony Holden (Laurence Olivier, 1988), Spoto takes a largely unfriendly view of Sir Larry--seen throughout as primarily ambitious, envious, ungrateful (to Gielgud especially), and ``emotionally inaccessible.'' Also like Holden, Spoto emphasizes Olivier's guilt-ridden nature; unlike Holden, though, Spoto links it to a struggle with bisexuality, supposedly evidenced by a ten- year affair with Danny Kaye (cf. Michael Korda's recent roman ... clef) and quasi-sexual attachments to Noel Coward, Kenneth Tynan, and others. As for women, there were brief encounters (Greer Garson, Sarah Miles, Claire Bloom, etc.) and three unhappy marriages; in Spoto's iffy version, Joan Plowright is an uncaring opportunist, Vivien Leigh a self-indulgent sensualist (rather than a manic-depressive). And his interpretation of Olivier's amazing career and art is only slightly more persuasive: the stage and film work, the rise and fall at the National Theatre, all receive conscientious attention--but Spoto's attempts at analyzing the Olivier genius largely slide into psychobabble and platitude: ``This awareness of inadequacy was suffused by a mysterious gift, enabling him to pass the single beam of his own humanity through the prism of a role--and the emerging, manifold ray reached the countless different lives of his spectators.'' Sure to be read for the gossip, and worth skimming for curious bits of interview material, but--with its flat delivery and spotty documentation--an only so-so addition to the crowded Olivier reference room. (More than 75 halftones--not seen.) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cooper Square Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0815411464
• ISBN 13: 9780815411468
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 528