Vivien Leigh A Biography

Sad, fascinating. For a brief improbable moment the greatest star in the world but really a second-ranker. How unlikely that a prim well-brought up English convent girl got cast as these larger-than-life American viragos. Her descent into mani-depressive madness is touchingly told, including her writing exquisitely polite letters of apology to the friends she had attacked and shocked when in her manic fits. She clearly had great beauty and star quality, always wanted to be the legit classical actor and didn't quite have the skills. Olivier was her great love, idol and competitor, whose shadow she could not escape. A hint of hagiography in the writing but she does still captivate.

This is a reissue of the 1977 biography. Not sure why it was reissued. It was interesting enough; I knew next to nothing about Leigh and have only seen her in - surprise - Gone with the Wind. Clearly she was a serious actress, but was not taken seriously for a long time - the curse of a pretty face! Still she was mighty persistent.

Over and above that of course, was her struggle with bi-polarism. My mother led me to believe that Leigh was a garden variety drunk, but she was dead wrong about that. Alcohol was a part of her affliction, but by no means the root cause of her troubles. She had a terrible struggle for much of her life; even in the days before the bi-polarism took over her life she had the burden of a less than ideal childhood show more with which to cope. All in all it seems close to miraculous that she was able to continue acting while her disease raised pluperfect hell with her.

As for Edwards' treatment of Leigh, I can't help but feel that she stopped just short of penetrating the surface of Vivien Leigh. Some of the time there seemed to be a little too much dependence upon clothing description and the quoting of Vivien's effusive letters and notes to her many friends. Edwards seems to have missed the opportunity of making this a good biography and allows it to slide into so-so territory.

Still, Vivien Leigh comes across as a very interesting and compassionate woman and Laurence Olivier and Jack Merivale were saints. Want to see a few of her movies now. show less

This book is a wonderfully written story about an extremely interesting actress. Vivien Leigh surpassed many obstacles to become a leading actress, whose first love was the theater, and only did films for the financial benefit. I was amazed to learn of her life and the separation from her parents of a very young age. But, according to Anne Edwards, Vivien remained friendly and loyal to everyone she met. I felt that Laurence Olivier contributed to her many bouts of depression, and I really thoroughly disliked him, I felt that Edwards presented the story very convincingly and truly showed the ravages of tuberculosis and depression that Vivien suffered. My only concern was that a few of the photographs in the fist section were incorrectly show more labeled. I greatly enjoyed the first chapter and the search for Scarlett O'Hara. After reading this biography, I am interested in viewing Gone With the Wind again, and possibly reading Anne Edwards biography on Judy Garland. show less

I requested to review this book not out of some admiration for Vivien Leigh but for my love of old Hollywood and its films. As has been mentioned this is a re-issue of the biography released in the late 1970's. Often such biographies are about focusing on the times and people surrounding the celebrity, usually with an eye towards scandal. I must admit my leanings are toward such works, so that I can compare information garnered against other biographies and autobiographies. Hollywood being notorious for not having a forthright history.

Vivien Leigh: A Biography was a departure from this style of book. The author focuses mainly on two people, Leigh and her second husband Sir Lawrence Olivier. My complaint about this focus is that many show more people get mentioned through out the book without much of an explanation of who they are. The author assumes that if you are reading a book about Vivien Leigh than you automatically know who a Danny Kaye or a Peter Finch is. A reasonable assumption although a novice reader might be a bit frustrated.

Although scandal is present it is soft peddled to the reader, easily missed. I had to re-read a few paragraphs to let the innuendo sink in. Anne Edwards seems to deal with the dirty laundry the same way Vivien Leigh did by putting a clean linen over it. Still it is present but not dwelt upon. So this is volume that deals with a life of a complex person focusing on the positive for the most part . For me it gave the essence of who Vivien Leigh was.

As stated above, I'm sure there is more than one view point to the events as one reviewer has already pointed out. Still in some ways I was glad the book was not updated to reflect more information. This wasn't a tell all, this was an exploration of a life. It was a record taken at the time. As a history teacher, I've learned updated does not always mean more accurate. In the end I found this to be a good read, giving me a perspective on two personalities that up until now have been secondary players in the biographies I've read. I commend the writing style for being engaging while not dwelling on scandal. show less

I received a copy of "Vivien Leigh: A Biography" to review for librarything.com's Early Reviewers program. It hasn't been updated from the 1977 edition, although it's still an engrossing look at one of the most beautiful women of the 20th century. In the copy I received, some of the photos are mis-labeled due to page placement.

Vivien Leigh was an immensely gifted woman who suffered from bipolar disorder at a time when there were no effective treatments. Anne Edward's biography is of a woman who was extraordinarily disciplined, and as fascinating - and, due to her illness, as difficult - as Scarlett O'Hara, the role that made Leigh famous throughout the world. Family members and friends assisted Edwards with this biography, and it show more includes correspondence written by Leigh throughout her life as well as chronologies and an index I found helpful. show less

Biographer Anne Edwards gives us a look at the life of Vivien Leigh in this reissue of her 1977 book.

Vivien Leigh was a noted, accomplished actress, immortalized by her two brilliant Oscar winning performances as Scarlett O'Hara in 'Gone With The Wind' and Blanche DuBois in "A Streetcar Named Desire". Two classic Southern American women: one hard as nails and determined to get what she wanted, the other a damaged, sensitive, fragile creature living in her own world.

In life, these two distinctly different personalities defined the real Vivien Leigh.

As a child of privilege, she matured into a young woman who knew what she wanted. From her beginnings as a fledgling stage and film actress, she was determined to achieve fame and success, and show more she got whatever prize she set her sights on. She met and fell in love with Laurence Olivier when each was married to another, each with a young child. They defied the convention of the time by living together, and when Olivier was offered the role of Heathcliff in 'Wuthering Heights', Vivien followed him to Hollywood, with her goal of winning the much sought after role of Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind".

What followed was film history, and Leigh and Olivier ultimately marrying and establishing themselves as the 'First Couple' of the British theatre. They traveled the world, their fame preceding them, and for years, these two highly sensitive people managed to combine their high profile marriage with their high profile, award winning careers.

Anne Edwards' book takes us on this journey - and we see Leigh's descent into mental illness as their marriage unravels. Never in excellent health, her first major breakdown occured while filming "Elephant Walk" in 1953. Olivier, stressed and concerned about his wife, began to slowly detach, and by the end of the decade, their marriage was over, and Vivien Leigh never fully recovered.

What I took from this biography of this great actress was that her talent and brilliance came at the price of her mental and physical health. Her erratic episodes of mental breakdowns were heartbreaking to read about, and her recoveries were incredible. When feeling well, Vivien Leigh was a charming, gracious, generous woman. She died young, of tuberculosis, in 1967 at age 53.

I recommend this book for anyone interested in the life of this gifted actress, who left the world not only with a string of stage succcesses, but also a legacy of film portrayals of indelible characters: Scarlett O'Hara, Emma Hamilton, Cleopatra, and Blanche DuBois. show less

A very interesting, well-researched account of Vivien Leigh's life and career. I found the behind-the scenes account of the making of Gone With The Wind especially interesting, as well as the information about her stage career and her long love affair with Sir Lawrence Olivier. Her increasing struggles with bipolar disorder were tragic, especially since there are now several medications that may have worked for her, minimizing her suffering and the effect on her career and relationships.