Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh (; born Vivian Mary Hartley, and styled as Lady Olivier after 1947; 5 November 19138 July 1967) was an English stage and film actress. She won two Academy Awards for Best Actress, for her iconic performances as Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" (1939) and Blanche DuBois in the film version of "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951), a role she had also played on stage in London's West End in 1949. She also won a Tony Award for her work in the Broadway musical version of "Tovarich" (1963). After completing her drama school education, Leigh
Doris Davenport now classic "Gone with the Wind", she did well enough to become one of the finalists for the role, but lost out to actress Vivien Leigh. Despite not winning that major role, Davenport impressed MGM executive Samuel Goldwyn. In 1940, he gave a lead role to Davenport in the film "The Westerner", starring opposite Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan. That same year, she starred in the film "Behind the News" opposite Lloyd Nolan. It was her last role. With no other offers following that film, she soon retired from acting. She eventually settled in Santa Cruz, California, where she lived