Laurence Olivier: Often hailed as the greatest British actor of all time.
The name of Olivier defines the very essence of acting. No one before or since, has been associated with the English stage on the same level. After a few unsuccessful films in Hollywood during the early 1930s, Laurence Olivier made the vital career move of training to become a classical actor. As they say, the rest is history.
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- DirectorLaurence OlivierStarsLaurence OlivierRobert NewtonLeslie BanksIn the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
- DirectorLaurence OlivierStarsMarilyn MonroeLaurence OlivierRichard WattisAn American showgirl becomes entangled in political intrigue when the Prince Regent of a foreign country attempts to seduce her.Entertaining film, despite a troubled production.
- DirectorTony RichardsonStarsLaurence OlivierBrenda de BanzieRoger LiveseyArchie Rice, an old-time British music hall performer sinking into final defeat, schemes to stay in show business.Successfully evolving with the times.
- DirectorLaurence OlivierStarsLaurence OlivierJean SimmonsJohn LauriePrince Hamlet struggles over whether or not he should kill his uncle, whom he suspects has murdered his father, the former king.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsLaurence OlivierMichael CaineAlec CawthorneA man who loves games and theater invites his wife's lover to meet him, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.
- DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsDustin HoffmanLaurence OlivierRoy ScheiderAfter the shocking murder of his older brother, a New York history student finds himself inexplicably hounded by shadowy government agents on the trail of a Nazi war criminal who is trying to retrieve smuggled diamonds.Gripping and disturbing.
- DirectorJohn BadhamStarsFrank LangellaLaurence OlivierDonald PleasenceIn 1913, the charming, seductive and sinister vampire Count Dracula travels to England in search of an immortal bride.The film is very good but Olivier really hams it up!
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsLaurence OlivierJoan FontaineGeorge SandersA self-conscious woman juggles adjusting to her new role as an aristocrat's wife and avoiding being intimidated by his first wife's spectral presence.
- DirectorMichael PowellStarsLeslie HowardLaurence OlivierRichard GeorgeA World War II U-boat crew are stranded in northern Canada. To avoid internment, they must make their way to the border and get into the still-neutral U.S.
- DirectorTim WhelanArthur B. WoodsStarsLaurence OlivierRalph RichardsonValerie HobsonA quirky British Secret Service Agent named Major Hammond tries to discover who is using a secret weapon to steal experimental planes.Richardson takes centre stage.
- DirectorAlexander KordaStarsVivien LeighLaurence OlivierAlan MowbrayThe story of courtesan and dance-hall girl Emma Hamilton, including her relationships with Sir William Hamilton and Admiral Horatio Nelson and her rise and fall, set during the Napoleonic Wars.
- DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsGregory PeckLaurence OlivierJames MasonA Nazi hunter in Paraguay discovers a sinister and bizarre plot to rekindle the Third Reich.
- DirectorRichard FleischerSidney J. FurieStarsLaurence OlivierNeil DiamondLucie ArnazThe son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of being a popular singer.
- DirectorPeter R. HuntStarsScott GlennBarbara CarreraEdward FoxA group of mercenaries is hired to spring Rudolf Hess from Spandau Prison in Berlin.Olivier should have left well alone!
- DirectorRobert Z. LeonardStarsGreer GarsonLaurence OlivierMary BolandThe arrival of wealthy bachelors in town causes an uproar when families with single daughters aggressively seek engagements, including the Bennet family, with five eligible daughters.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsMerle OberonLaurence OlivierDavid NivenA servant in the house of Wuthering Heights tells a traveler the unfortunate tale of lovers Cathy and Heathcliff.
- DirectorBasil DeanStarsVivien LeighLeslie BanksLaurence OlivierAfter Larry accidentally kills his lover Wanda's estranged blackmailing husband, someone else is arrested for the crime. Larry and Wanda nervously await the verdict: if the innocent suspect is found guilty then Larry will give himself up.
- DirectorTim WhelanStarsMerle OberonLaurence OlivierBinnie BarnesDivorce lawyer Everard Logan thinks the woman who spent the night in his hotel room is the erring wife of his new client.
- DirectorDelbert MannStarsRichard AttenboroughCyril CusackEdith EvansThe legendary novel by Charles Dickens comes to life in this colorful interpretation directed by Delbert Mann.
- DirectorDaniel PetrieStarsLaurence OlivierRobert DuvallKatharine RossThe aging, retired founder of an auto giant comes out of retirement to try to develop a safe, fuel-efficient car.
- DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsMichael JaystonJanet SuzmanRoderic NobleTsar Nicholas II, the inept last monarch of Russia, insensitive to the needs of his people, is overthrown and exiled to Siberia with his family.
- DirectorGuy HamiltonStarsMichael CaineTrevor HowardHarry AndrewsIn 1940, the British Royal Air Force fights a desperate battle to prevent the Luftwaffe from gaining air superiority over the English Channel as a prelude to a possible Axis invasion of the U.K.
- DirectorRichard AttenboroughStarsSean ConneryRyan O'NealMichael CaineOperation Market Garden, September 1944: The Allies attempt to capture several strategically important bridges in the Netherlands in the hope of breaking the German lines.
- DirectorStuart BurgeStarsLaurence OlivierFrank FinlayRobert LangGeneral Othello's marriage is destroyed when vengeful Ensign Iago convinces him that his new wife has been unfaithful.
- DirectorJohn SichelStarsLaurence OlivierJoan PlowrightJeremy BrettShylock, a Jewish moneylender, demands his due of a pound of flesh for a forfeited loan.
- DirectorRobert MooreStarsLaurence OlivierMaureen StapletonJack HedleyThe story of conflicts, power plays and secrets in a wealthy Mississippi family.
- DirectorSilvio NarizzanoStarsLaurence OlivierJoanne WoodwardCarrie FisherAn emotionally remote recovering alcoholic and his dowdy, unambitious wife face a personal crisis when they take in an attractive lodger.
- DirectorMichael ElliottStarsColin BlakelyLeo McKernRobert LindsayAging King Lear invites disaster when he abdicates to his two disloyal and obsequious daughters while rejecting the one who truly loves him.
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsKeir DulleaCarol LynleyLaurence OlivierA woman reports that her young daughter is missing, but there seems to be no evidence that she ever existed.
- DirectorRichard AttenboroughStarsWendy AllnuttColin FarrellMalcolm McFeeThe working-class Smiths change their initially sunny views on World War I after the three boys of the family witness the harsh reality of trench warfare.
- DirectorBasil DeardenEliot ElisofonStarsCharlton HestonLaurence OlivierRichard JohnsonIn the Sudan, in 1884 to 1885, Egyptian forces led by British General Charles "Chinese" Gordon (Charlton Heston) defend Khartoum against an invading Muslim Army led by a religious fanatic, Mohammed Ahmed el Mahdi (Sir Laurence Olivier).
- DirectorFranco ZeffirelliStarsLeonard WhitingOlivia HusseyJohn McEneryWhen two young members of feuding families meet, forbidden love ensues.
- DirectorPeter GlenvilleStarsLaurence OlivierSimone SignoretRoland CulverA British high-school girl becomes infatuated with her English teacher, but after he rejects her amorous advances, she goes to the police and accuses him of indecent assault.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsLaurence OlivierJennifer JonesMiriam HopkinsA young girl from a provincial town learns the bitter reality of a big city and great love.
- DirectorJohn BoultingStarsRobert DonatMaria SchellRenée AshersonA chronicle of the life of William Friese-Greene, a British inventor and early pioneer in cinema.
- DirectorAlan BridgesStarsJoan PlowrightMaggie WellsFrank FinlayOne Saturday evening, Rosa Priore (Dame Joan Plowright) is preparing a magnificent Sunday lunch for her family and their friends. By Sunday afternoon, her life and marriage are in ruins.
- CreatorSheldon EppsStarsScott YooJulie AndrewsPlácido DomingoFilmed and televised versions of theater productions, such as plays, musicals, operas, ballets, and concerts from around the world.
- StarsRobert PowellOlivia HusseyLaurence OlivierBeginning before the Nativity and extending through the Crucifixion and Resurrection, this mini-series brings to life all of the sweeping drama in the life of Jesus, as told by the Gospels.
- DirectorHerbert RossStarsAlan ArkinVanessa RedgraveRobert DuvallTo treat his friend's cocaine induced delusions, Watson lures Sherlock Holmes to Sigmund Freud.
- DirectorCharles JarrottAnthony PageStarsPaul ScofieldMichael CaineAnna Calder-MarshallNever trust a man whoever he is. This is the bitter lesson learned by Mary MacNeil in her relationships with three different men: her father, a mendacious womanizer; a smooth-talking office flirt, Cornelius; and an aging barrister, Emlyn, who is enchanted by Mary's youthful vitality and charm. Only one of these men will win her heart in the end.
- DirectorStuart BurgeStarsMichael RedgraveRobert LangMax AdrianRetired Professor Alexander Serebryakov has returned to his estate to live with his beautiful young wife, Yelena. The estate originally belonged to his first wife, now deceased. Her mother and brother still live there and manage the farm. For many years, the brother, Uncle Vanya, has sent the farm's proceeds to the professor, while receiving only a small salary himself. Sonya, the professor's daughter, who is about the same age as his new wife, also lives on the estate. The professor is pompous, vain, and irritable. He calls Dr. Astrov to treat his gout, only to send him away without seeing him. Astrov is an experienced physician who performs his job conscientiously, but has lost all idealism and spends much of his time drinking. The presence of Yelena introduces a bit of sexual tension into the household. Astrov and Uncle Vanya both fall in love with Yelena. She spurns them both. Meanwhile, Sonya is in love with Astrov, who fails even to notice her. Finally, when the professor announces he wants to sell the estate, Vanya, whose admiration for the man died with his sister, tries to kill him.
- StarsLaurence OlivierAverell HarrimanAnthony EdenA groundbreaking 26-part documentary series narrated by the actor Laurence Olivier about the deadliest conflict in history, World War II.
- DirectorLaurence OlivierStarsLaurence OlivierCedric HardwickeNicholas HannenShakespeare's powerful tale of the wicked deformed King and his conquests, both on the battlefield and in the boudoir.
- StarsRichard BurtonVanessa RedgraveMiguel Herz-KestranekA huge panorama of Richard Wagner's life and work, from before the 1848 revolution, through his exile in Switzerland, his rescue by the besotted King Ludwig II of Bavaria, to the final triumph at Bayreuth. Richard Wagner's radical musical and political ideas, his German nationalism, and even his anti-Semitism are set in the context of his life and times.
- StarsJeremy IronsDiana QuickRoger MilnerThe life, friendships and romances of the protagonist Charles Ryder-including his friendship with the Flytes, a family of wealthy English Catholics who live in a palatial mansion called Brideshead Castle.
- DirectorDesmond DavisStarsLaurence OlivierHarry HamlinClaire BloomPerseus must battle Medusa and the Kraken to save the Princess Andromeda.
- DirectorWaris HusseinStarsArthur LoweGrégoire AslanJan ConradA young man becomes infatuated with the exotic Lady Pitts, whose much older husband is not pleased.
- StarsNed BeattyBrian BlessedErnest BorgnineThe different aspects of life in Pompeii, a coastal luxury resort near Naples catering for the very rich of imperial Rome, mainly before but culminating in the eruption of the Vesuvian volcano, which wipes it from the face of the Earth. The residents of Pompeii include Diomed, a common upstart merchant whose self-made riches from trade allow him to consider running for political office against sitting city magistrate Quintus and an impoverished aristocratic marriage for his daughter Julia; the cultivated Greek Glaucus; the gladiator Lydon; the noble-born Antonius and his sister Ione, the evil Isis-priest Arbaces who is after (their) money and power; the persecution-fearing Christian slaves Petrus, his true love Chloe, and their secret leader Olinthus.
- DirectorRobert KnightsStarsLaurence OlivierRoger ReesGreta ScacchiA young artist goes to interview an older painter who lives in the south of France with two young women. He gets caught up in the painter's Bohemian lifestyle and begins to examine his own attitudes towards life and art.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsElissa LandiLionel BarrymoreLaurence OlivierA young Russian girl is forced into a life of prostitution in Czarist Russia, and she and a British journalist find their lives endangered when she reveals to him information regarding the social crimes rampant in her country.
- DirectorRoger DonaldsonStarsMel GibsonAnthony HopkinsLaurence OlivierFed up with their Captain's harsh discipline, a sailing ship's crew decides to take action.
- DirectorTerence YoungStarsMichael CaineLaurence OlivierSusan GeorgeAn MI6 defector has his appearance altered by the K.G.B. and is sent back to Britain to retrieve top-secret documents.
- DirectorTerence YoungStarsLaurence OlivierJacqueline BissetBen GazzaraDuring the Korean War, General Douglas MacArthur masterminds the amphibious invasion of Inchon in September 1950.
- DirectorAlvin RakoffStarsAngela LansburyLaurence OlivierHildegard NeilA famed mystery writer (Dame Angela Lansbury) and her doctor ex-lover (Sir Laurence Olivier) solve her daughter-in-law's murder.
- DirectorRobert BoltStarsSarah MilesJon FinchRichard ChamberlainA noblewoman doomed to a loveless marriage falls into a scandalous affair with the dashing Lord Byron.
- DirectorLaurence OlivierJohn SichelStarsJeanne WattsJoan PlowrightLouise PurnellNearly a thousand miles away from their beloved Moscow, Chekhov's Three Sisters live in virtual exile. Olga, a schoolmistress, attempts to support her siblings and the home that is the sole legacy of their late father.
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsKatharine HepburnLaurence OlivierColin BlakelyAn aging actress is being sued for breach of promise. She hires as her lawyer a man who was an ex-lover, and is still in love with her, although she doesn't know it. She realizes that the only way to win this case and protect her assets is to destroy her reputation.
- DirectorGeorge Roy HillStarsLaurence OlivierDiane LaneThelonious BernardAn American teenager living in Paris meets and falls in love with a local.
- DirectorRobert MulliganStarsLaurence OlivierJudith AndersonHume CronynA staid, dull Englishman abruptly deserts his wife and children to become a painter in the South Seas.
- DirectorMarc DanielsStarsLaurence OlivierJulie HarrisGeorge C. ScottA cynical Catholic priest is sent to Mexico to preach. It's the 1930s and Mexican government sees the church as competition. They send a secret agent to assassinate the priest.
- DirectorStanley KubrickAnthony MannStarsKirk DouglasLaurence OlivierJean SimmonsThe slave Spartacus survives brutal training as a gladiator and leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic, as the ambitious Crassus seeks to gain power by crushing the uprising.
- DirectorAnthony AsquithStarsLaurence OlivierPenelope Dudley-WardMarjorie FieldingIvan Kouznetsoff, a Russian engineer, recounts during World War II his stay in England prior to the war working on a new propeller for ice-breaking ships. Naive about British people, and convinced by hearsay that they are shallow and hypocritical, Ivan is both bemused and amused by them. He is blunt in his opinions about Britons, and at first this puts off his hosts, including the lovely Ann Tisdall, whose grandfather runs the shipbuilding firm that will make use of Ivan's propeller. The longer Ivan stays, however, the more he comes to understand the humor, warmth, strength, and conviction of the British people, and the more they come to see him as a friend, rather than merely a suspicious Russian. As a romantic bond grows between Ivan and Ann, a cultural bond begins to grow as well, particularly as the war begins, and Russia is attacked by Germany.
- DirectorGuy HamiltonAlexander MackendrickStarsBurt LancasterKirk DouglasLaurence OlivierThe black sheep of a family and the local minister discover their true vocations during the Revolutionary War.
- StarsDerek FrancisAlfred BurkeArthur HewlettAn anthology series from the U.K., from 1955 to 1974, producing about five hundred ninety-minute episodes from Granada Television.
- DirectorDavid GilesStarsLaurence OlivierGeraldine McEwanCarolyn JonesA filmed record of Laurence Olivier's farewell theatrical performance as the canny, psychotic captain of the August Strindberg play.
- DirectorMichael AndersonStarsAnthony QuinnLaurence OlivierOskar WernerAfter spending decades in a Siberian Gulag labor camp, Roman Catholic priest Kiril Lakota is set free by Russian leader Piotr Ilyich Kamenev at the height of the Cold War.
- DirectorAlexander EswayZoltan KordaJohn Monk SaundersStarsFrederick CulleyLaurence OlivierFranklin DyallThis documentary traces man's attempts to fly from ancient times through the 1930s.
- DirectorPaul CzinnerStarsElisabeth BergnerLaurence OlivierSophie StewartA Duke usurps his brother's land and power, banishing him and his entourage into the forest of Arden. The banished Duke's daughter, Rosalind, remains with her cousin Celia. She has fallen in love with Orlando, but he has his own tyrannical brother with whom to contend, so he joins those in the forest.
- DirectorPeter BrookStarsLaurence OlivierHugh GriffithGeorge RoseWhen the composer of an opera about a swashbuckling, wenching highwayman meets his hero's real-life counterpart, he's disappointed with his lack of dash.
- DirectorVictor SchertzingerStarsAdolphe MenjouLili DamitaLaurence OlivierBritish Army Captain Geoff Roberts carries on an affair with Alva, the wife of the cruel Victor Sangrito. Sangrito, however, is well aware of the affair, as he uses his beautiful wife to lure men into romance with her, then blackmailing them to save their careers. When Roberts falls into Sangrito's trap, he pays the blackmail and leaves for India, hoping to forget Alva, whom he loved, but now believes betrayed him. After some time in India, he is joined by his young friend and bosom companion Lieutenant Ned Nichols. Nichols, too, is in love with the same woman back in England. Though the two friends nearly come to blows over Alva, they eventually realize that she has been false to them both, and that their friendship far outweighs their feelings for a mendacious woman. But when the two are invalided home, they encounter Alva again, and learn that she may not have betrayed them after all.
- StarsMichael BalfourMadoline ThomasDiane CilentoAnthology series of dramatic works.
- StarsFrank FinlayLaurence OlivierAnthony QuayleKenneth Tynan interviews Laurence Olivier, with special emphasis on his Shakespeare films.
- DirectorJune HowsonLaurence OlivierStarsRosalind AyresJudi BowkerRoy DotriceA mill-owner's son has a weekend away with a mill-hand's daughter. The pair are caught out and their scandalised parents try to navigate the implications.
- StarsMelvyn BraggIan McKellenDavid HockneyITV's long-running arts series presented by Melvyn Bragg.