Winner of the Society for Theatre Research Book Prize 2020
Vivien Leigh was perhaps the most iconic actress of the twentieth
century. As Scarlett O'Hara and Blanche Du Bois she took on some of the
most pivotal roles in cinema history. Yet she was also a talented
theatre actress with West End and Broadway plaudits to her name. In this
ground-breaking new biography, Alan Strachan provides a completely new
full-life portrait of Leigh, covering both her professional and personal
life. Using previously unseen
sources from her archive, recently acquired by the V&A, he sheds new
light on her fractious relationship with Laurence Olivier, based on
their letters and diaries, as well as on the bipolar disorder which so
affected her later life and work. Revealing new aspects of her early
life as well as providing glimpses behind-the-scenes of the filming of
Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire, this book
provides the essential and comprehensive life-story of one of the
twentieth century's greatest actresses.
'A gripping new biography' - The Daily Mail
'[Vivien Leigh's] life, lived to the full at every second, will never
be better told than it is in these pages' - The Sunday Times
'One of the most revealing showbiz biographies ever' - Sir Ian
McKellen
'Enthralling' - Michael Codron
'A wonderful tribute' - Dame Penelope Keith DBE, DL
