History Creator / VivienLeigh

However, Leigh's lack of filmography can also be due to suffering from UsefulNotes/{{bipolar disorder}} (back then, diagnosed as "manic-depressive"), depression and tuberculosis. This often led to strained relationships with film crews and bipolar episodes behind the scenes, earning her a reputation as being an actress who's difficult to work with.

* ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' (1951) as Blanche

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* ''Film/FireOverEngland'' (1937)
* ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' (1939)
* ''Film/TwentyOneDays'' (1940)
* ''Film/WaterlooBridge'' (1940 remake)
* ''Film/ThatHamiltonWoman'' (1941)
* ''Film/CaesarAndCleopatra'' (1945)
* ''Literature/AnnaKarenina'' (1948)
* ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' (1951)
* ''Film/ShipOfFools'' (1965)

!!Portrayals in films

* Played by Morgan Brittany in ''Gable and Lombard'' (1976) and ''The Scarlett O'Hara War'' (1980).

Not related to Creator/JanetLeigh.

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However, Leigh's lack of filmography can also be due to suffering from bipolar disorder (back then, diagnosed as "manic depressive"), depression and tuberculosis. This often led to strained relationships with film crews and bipolar episodes behind the scenes, earning her a reputation as being a actress who's difficult to work with.

!! Filmography:

* ''Film/DarkJourney'' (1937)
* ''[[Film/StormInATeacup1937 Storm in a Teacup]]'' (1937)
* ''Film/AYankAtOxford'' (1938)
* ''[[Film/SidewalksOfLondon Sidewalks of London]]'' (1938)

* ''Waterloo Bridge'' (1940 remake of [[Film/WaterlooBridge the 1931 film]])

* ''The Deep Blue Sea'' (1955)
* ''[[Film/TheRomanSpringOfMrsStone The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone]]'' (1961)

However, Leigh's lack of filmography can also be due to suffering from bipolar disorder (back then, diagnosed as "manic depressive"), depression and tuberculosis. This often led to strained relationships with film crews and bipolar episodes behind the scenes, earning her a reputation as being a difficult actress.

* Morgan Brittany in ''Gable and Lombard'' (1976) and ''The Scarlett O'Hara War'' (1980)
* Mel Martin in ''Darlings of the Gods'' (1989)
* Robin Trudeau in ''Brando Unauthorized'' (2011)
* Julia Ormond in ''Film/MyWeekWithMarilyn'' (2011)

* ''The Deep Blue Sea'' (1955; a [[Film/TheDeepBlueSea 2011 version]] had Creator/RachelWeisz in Leigh's role)

!!Portrayals in popular culture

* Morgan Brittany in ''The Scarlett O'Hara War''
* Robin Trudeau in ''Brando Unauthorized''
* Julia Ormond in ''Film/MyWeekWithMarilyn''
* Mel Martin in ''Darlings of the Gods''.

Vivien Leigh, born Vivian Mary Hartley (5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967) was an English stage and film actress. She is best known for her performances as {{southern belle}}s as Scarlett O'Hara in ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' and Blanche [=DuBois=] in the film version of ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'', winning two Best Actress UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s for both.

As well as her SouthernBelle films, Leigh is remembered for her marriage to her second husband Creator/LaurenceOlivier. The two of them frequently appeared together on stage (some directed by Olivier) and in three films. The marriage lasted for at least 20 years and was often strained because of Leigh's mental health. When Olivier was {{knight|fever}}ed in 1947, Leigh became Lady Olivier, and was referred to this even after they divorced in 1960. Leigh died in 1967 from chronic tuberculosis at 53 years old.

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!!Tropes associated with Vivien Leigh's work include:
* ActorInspiredElement: [[invoked]] Many of her characters wore HighClassGloves because Leigh was ashamed of her own large hands.
* BillingDisplacement: [[invoked]] As she was the least-famous of the four leads in ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'', she got billed fourth despite being the clear protagonist.
* DawsonCasting: [[invoked]] A justified example for ''Gone with the Wind''. Leigh was twenty-six playing Scarlett O'Hara at sixteen. But the film covers roughly about ten years, matching their ages by the end.
* FakeAmerican: [[invoked]] One of the most famous examples when she played Scarlett O'Hara. There was outrage at an English actress playing an iconically American character. And again as Blanche [=DuBois=] in ''Film/AStreetcarNamedDesire''.
* IAmNotSpock: [[invoked]] She was turned down for many parts because the studios didn't want to ruin her image as Scarlett O'Hara. This likely played a factor in casting her as Blanche in ''A Streetcar Named Desire''.
* {{Jossed}}: [[invoked]] Newspapers circulated rumors that she and Clark Gable didn't get along. The two found the rumors so ridiculous that their joke on set became "how are you not getting on today?"
* MagnumOpusDissonance: [[invoked]] Her favourite role was not Scarlett or Blanche - but Myra in ''Waterloo Bridge''.
* TheOtherMarty: [[invoked]] She had started to film her scenes for ''Elephant Walk'' when she was replaced by Creator/ElizabethTaylor for apparently manic behaviour on set, as well as having an affair with co-star Peter Finch.
* RealitySubtext: [[invoked]]
** Scarlett's infatuation with Ashley has extra merit because Creator/LeslieHoward was Leigh's favourite actor.
** Blanche's SanitySlippage eerily parallels Leigh's own when she was diagnosed as manic depressive.
* StarMakingRole: [[invoked]] Put it this way: After ''Gone with the Wind'' proved a success, the BillingDisplacement mentioned above was reversed and she was given prominent billing on subsequent posters.
* TypeCasting: [[invoked]] She often played determinators who would go to great length to achieve their desires. She's often associated with the SouthernBelle, despite only playing two of them (though she won Oscars for both).
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[invoked]]
** She considered 'April Morn' as a StageName briefly before settling on Vivien Leigh.
** Laurence Olivier wanted her for the female lead in ''Film/{{Rebecca}}'', but the studio went with Creator/JoanFontaine. He was so annoyed about this that he treated the latter horribly on set.
** They offered her the supporting role of Isabella in ''Literature/WutheringHeights'', but she held out in the hopes of getting the lead role of Cathy. She also hoped to play Lizzie Bennett in ''Film/PrideAndPrejudice''.
** She was one of the actresses asked to play Miriam in ''Film/HushHushSweetCharlotte'' after Creator/JoanCrawford dropped out. It went to her ''Gone with the Wind'' co-star Creator/OliviaDeHavilland.

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Leigh began her film career with ''Film/FireOverEngland'' in 1937. She was later chosen by Hollywood to be leading lady Scarlett O'Hara in ''Gone With the Wind'' and this performance made her become an American household name almost immediately. Despite the new hype and fame, she made a few appearances in films and mostly acted in theatre. In 1951, she starred alongside Creator/MarlonBrando in ''A Streetcar Named Desire'', which brought her back into the hype and critical praise that Scarlett O'Hara had given her years before. Both {{star making role}}s gave her some controversy, mostly because she was a FakeAmerican who had played iconic characters in American literature, which was a slight problem for her to appear in films after these performances without being type-casted as one or suffering from IAmNotSpock.

!!Portrayals in popular culture
* Morgan Brittany in ''The Scarlett O'Hara War''
* Robin Trudeau in ''Brando Unauthorized''
* Julia Ormond in ''Film/MyWeekWithMarilyn''
* Mel Martin in ''Darlings of the Gods''.

* TheOtherMarty: [[invoked]] She had started to film her scenes for ''Elephant Walk'' when she was replaced by Elizabeth Taylor for apparently manic behaviour on set, as well as having an affair with co-star Peter Finch.

** Scarlett's infatuation with Ashley has extra merit because Leslie Howard was Leigh's favourite actor.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vivien_leigh.jpg]]

Vivien Leigh, born Vivian Mary Hartley (5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967) was an English stage and film actress. She won two UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s for Best Actress for her performances as Scarlett O'Hara in ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' and Blanche [=DuBois=] in the film version of ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'', a role she had also played on stage in London's West End in 1949.

After her drama school education, Leigh appeared in small roles before progressing to the role of lead actress in ''Film/FireOverEngland'' (1937), but despite her fame as a screen actress, Leigh was primarily a stage performer. Later in life, she played character roles in a few films.

To the public at the time, Leigh was strongly identified with her second husband Creator/LaurenceOlivier, to whom she was married from 1940 to 1960. Leigh and Olivier starred together in many stage productions, with Olivier often directing, and in three films. She earned a reputation for being difficult to work with, as for much of her adult life she suffered from bipolar disorder as well as recurrent bouts of chronic tuberculosis, first diagnosed in the mid-1940s, which ultimately claimed her life at the age of 53.

Vivien Leigh has been portrayed on screen by Morgan Brittany in ''The Scarlett O'Hara War'', Robin Trudeau in ''Brando Unauthorized'', Julia Ormond in ''Film/MyWeekWithMarilyn'' and Mel Martin in ''Darlings of the Gods''.

Vivien Leigh, born Vivian Mary Hartley (5 November 1913 -- 8 July 1967) was an English stage and film actress. She won two UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s for Best Actress for her performances as Scarlett O'Hara in ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' and Blanche [=DuBois=] in the film version of ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'', a role she had also played on stage in London's West End in 1949.

Vivien Leigh (born Vivian Mary Hartley; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967) was an English stage and film actress. She won two UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s for Best Actress for her performances as Scarlett O'Hara in ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' and Blanche [=DuBois=] in the film version of ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'', a role she had also played on stage in London's West End in 1949.

* ''Film/SidewalksOfLondon'' (1938)

* ''Film/WaterlooBridge'' (1940)