Honoring Olivia de Havilland

Legendary actress Olivia de Havilland passed away on July 26 at the age of 104. She was one of the last remaining stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Her career spanned more than fifty years and forty-nine feature films. She won Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role for To Each His Own and The Heiress. Olivia was well known for her roles in Gone with the Wind, The Snake Pit, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and Hush…Hush Sweet Charlotte. She had an ongoing rivalry with her younger sister, actress Joan Fontaine.

Backed by the Screen Actors Guild, Olivia took Warner Brothers to court in 1943 when it added time to her original contract as a penalty for turning down roles. The California Supreme Court ruled in her favor in what became known as the De Havilland Law, which loosened the grip studios had on their actors.

In 1952 Olivia's handprints and footprints and handprints were added to a concrete slab at Grauman's Chinese Theater, and in 1960 she was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2017 by Queen Elizabeth II.

Watch a few of Olivia de Havilland's movies or read a biography about her on Hoopla.