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| Olivia De Havilland |
On July 25, 2020 actress Olivia De Havilland died at the age of 104 in Paris, France from natural causes. She was the oldest living member from the Golden Age of Hollywood, serving a career that spanned 50 years and featured two Oscar wins. Among her lengthy career was an appearance in Gone With the Wind, which remains one of the most acclaimed and successful films from its era. She leaves behind a body of work that includes many strong-headed performances that proved her charisma, making her one of the defining voices of her generation. No matter what she did, she gave her all and she will be missed greatly.
De Havilland was born on July 1, 1916 in Tokyo, Japan. She would eventually be granted British citizenship where she lived with her family. Her mother, Lilian Fontaine, was a stage actress who also sang with The Master of the King's Music, Sir Walter Parratt. Her father, Walter de Havilland, was an English professor at the Imperial University in Tokyo. Her sister was Joan Fontaine, born 15 months later. Together they started their acting career by playing various roles in theater at Los Gatos High School. De Havilland would have a noteworthy performance in 1933 in an amateur production of Alice in Wonderland.
Her big breakthrough came when she chose to star in Saratoga Community Theater's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. When director Max Reinhardt came to California, he sought to make a new production that included De Havilland. She would get a job at Warner Bros. as a result, earning $200 a week. A Midsummer Night's Dream would be released in 1934 and her career would only take off from there. Among her noteworthy early roles was starring opposite Errol Flynn in such movies as Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood. They would continue to work with each other throughout the decades.
Her big breakthrough came when she was offered a role in Gone With the Wind. As one of the biggest productions of the era, she was personally picked for the role of Melanie following a kind letter alluding to her talent. It helped to elevate her career as well as became one of the most successful films in history. If adjusted for inflation, it remains the highest-grossing movie in history. It would win Best Picture and land De Havilland her first Oscar nomination. It's her only Best Supporting Actress nomination in her entire career.
Over the next few years, she would acquire four more nominations. Her roles would become more complicated and her characters more confident. She would eventually win for To Each His Own in 1947. She would win again two years later for The Heiress. While this double-win marks a significant aspect of her career, something equally important is her relationship to Joan Fontaine. Established in her own right, they are still the only siblings to have won major Oscars.
In 1989, De Havilland would retire from acting. In that time she would continually win awards and her career would be reassessed in noteworthy ways. She would eventually win a Medal of Honor from President George W. Bush. She also was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. She was the oldest woman to receive the honor. She would choose to spend her final years in Paris, France as a citizen. The French government were grateful for her choosing there as home.
No matter how much time passes, her work continues to speak to generations. Her many masterpieces will continue to live on, reflecting the talent that she gave the world with several memorable performances. As one of the last living members of her generation, she symbolizes a different era of Hollywood coming to a close. It's a bittersweet moment that puts it firmly in the past, and yet we're still grateful to have had these voices sharing their personal anecdotes with us, trying to make the next generation better. She will be missed and her work will live on.
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