About this item
Vivien Leigh’s mystique was a combination of staggering beauty, glamour, romance, and genuine talent displayed in her Oscar-winning performances in Gone With the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire. For more than thirty years, her name alone sold out theaters and cinemas the world over, and she inspired many of the greatest visionaries of her time: Laurence Olivier loved her; Winston Churchill praised her; Christian Dior dressed her.Through both an in-depth narrative and a stunning array of photos, Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait presents the personal story of one of the most celebrated women of the twentieth century, an engrossing tale of success, struggles, and triumphs. It chronicles Leigh’s journey from her birth in India to prominence in British film, winning the most-coveted role in Hollywood history, her celebrated love affair with Laurence Olivier, through to her untimely death at age fifty-three in 1967.
About the Author
Kendra Bean has an MA in Film Studies from King's College London. Her writing on Vivien Leigh and film has been published by the British Film Institute, Bright Lights Film Journal, the National Portrait Gallery, Movies Unlimited, and the Cohen Film Collection. She is the founder and editor of www.vivandlarry.com, an online historical archive and blog dedicated to Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, and classic cinema. Kendra currently lives in London and can also be found at kendrabean.com.
