Vivien Leigh Net Worth | Celebrity Net Worth

What was Vivien Leigh’s Net Worth?

Vivien Leigh was a British actress of the screen and stage who had a net worth of $10 million. Vivien Leigh’s career spanned four decades. Considered one of the greatest female stars of the classic Hollywood era, she twice won the Academy Award for Best Actress, for “Gone with the Wind” (1939) and “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1951). On stage, Leigh starred in many Shakespeare plays with her second husband, Laurence Olivier, and won a Tony Award for her work in the musical “Tovarich.”

Early Life and Education

Vivien Leigh was born as Vivian Hartley on November 5, 1913 in Darjeeling in what was then British India. She was the only child of Gertrude and Ernest. Leigh acted from an early age, and was introduced to literature by her mother. She traveled often with her parents, and attended a variety of schools throughout Europe. As a young adult, Leigh enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. However, after getting married in late 1932, she ended her studies.

Career Beginnings in Film

In 1935, while performing in the play “The Mask of Virtue,” Leigh was noticed by film producer Alexander Korda. Impressed, he signed her to a contract. Leigh’s performance also gained the attention of Laurence Olivier, her future husband and acting partner. The couple first appeared together in the 1937 film “Fire Over England.” In 1938, Leigh appeared in “A Yank at Oxford” and “Sidewalks of London,” with her behavior on the production of the former film establishing her reputation for being difficult to work with.

Hollywood Stardom

Leigh became a true Hollywood star in 1939, when she played Scarlett O’Hara in David O. Selznick’s production of “Gone with the Wind.” Based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell, the epic historical romance also stars Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, Leslie Howard, and Hattie McDaniel. Despite much trouble behind the scenes, “Gone with the Wind” was an enormous success, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time and winning 10 Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Leigh. Next, in 1940, Leigh starred opposite Robert Taylor in the successful “Waterloo Bridge,” and opposite Olivier in the British film “21 Days.” She and Olivier reunited for the 1941 historical drama “That Hamilton Woman.”

Film Decline and Comeback

Following a four-year break from the screen, Leigh starred opposite Claude Rains in “Caesar and Cleopatra,” which was not a big hit. During production, she discovered she was pregnant, and later she had a miscarriage that sent her into a deep depression. Leigh next starred in the 1948 British film adaptation of “Anna Karenina”; it was also not a commercial success.

Leigh had her comeback in 1951 when she starred as Blanche DuBois in Elia Kazan’s “A Streetcar Named Desire,” a role she had previously played on stage. In the film, she stars alongside Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden. For her performance, Leigh won her second Academy Award for Best Actress.

Final Films

Beyond “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Leigh acted in only one other film in the 1950s, “The Deep Blue Sea.” She didn’t appear on the big screen again until 1961, in the romantic drama “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone. Leigh’s final film role was in Stanley Kramer’s 1965 ensemble drama “Ship of Fools.”

Theater Career

On the stage, Leigh appeared in plays by such masters as George Bernard Shaw, Thornton Wilder, Tennessee Williams, Noël Coward, and Anton Chekhov. She also acted in a surfeit of Shakespeare plays, typically alongside Laurence Olivier. In 1943, Leigh and Olivier toured North Africa entertaining British troops as part of the Old Vic Spring Party. Later, in 1961, they toured the Southern Hemisphere with the Old Vic. In 1963, Leigh won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her work in “Tovarich.”

Relationships

Leigh married her first husband, barrister Herbert Leigh Holman, in 1932. They had a daughter, Suzanne, and eventually divorced in 1940 during Leigh’s affair with Laurence Olivier. Leigh and Olivier married that year, but had to keep their relationship private due to the code of ethics imposed by Hollywood that couldn’t allow stars to be seen as unfaithful. The couple remained together until 1960, when Leigh felt the marriage had fallen apart and began an affair with actor John Merivale.

Health Struggles and Death

Leigh had a number of health struggles, including bipolar disorder and recurrent bouts of chronic tuberculosis. She also suffered depression after having two separate miscarriages. In the spring of 1967, Leigh’s tuberculosis resurfaced, although it seemed to be under control for a while. However, in the early minutes of July 8, her body was found on the floor of her bedroom by her boyfriend John Merivale.