Olivier, by Philip Ziegler
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Olivier, by Philip Ziegler
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A finalist for the Sheridan Morley Prize that has been called "probably the best Olivier book for general readers" (Kirkus Reviews), Philip Ziegler's Olivier provides an incredibly accessible and comprehensive portrait of this Hollywood superstar, Oscar-winning director, and one who is considered the greatest stage actor of the twentieth century. The era abounded in great actors--Gielgud, Richardson, Guinness, Burton, O'Toole--but none could challenge Laurence Olivier's range and power. By the 1940s he had achieved international stardom. His affair with Vivien Leigh led to a marriage as glamorous and as tragic as any in Hollywood history. He was as accomplished a director as he was a leading man: his three Shakespearian adaptations are among the most memorable ever filmed. And yet, at the height of his fame, he accepted what was no more than an administrator's wage to become the founding Director of the National Theatre. In 2013 the theatre celebrates its fiftieth anniversary; without Olivier's leadership it would never have achieved the status that it enjoys today. Off-stage, Olivier was the most extravagant of characters: generous, yet almost insanely jealous of those few contemporaries whom he deemed to be his rivals; charming but with a ferocious temper. With access to more than fifty hours of candid, unpublished interviews, Ziegler ensures that Olivier's true character--at its most undisguised--shines through as never before.
Olivier, by Philip Ziegler- Amazon Sales Rank: #1674860 in Books
- Brand: Ziegler, Philip
- Published on: 2015-06-02
- Released on: 2015-06-02
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.25" h x 1.50" w x 5.50" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 352 pages
Review "There are some 20 or 30 books about [Olivier], not counting many more in which he merely figures prominently . . . Philip Ziegler's "Olivier," may well be the best yet - perhaps even definitive - not only because it is so widely researched and readably written, but also because so much new material has become available to make such ample use of. . . . The biography is full of marvelous anecdotes . . . It is altogether a thorough and intelligent book: Read it."―John Simon, The New York Times"A well-rounded portrait of the legendary English actor... probably the best Olivier book for general readers."―Kirkus Reviews"Informed, informative, exceptionally well written, Olivier is very highly recommended reading for his legions of fans."―Midwest Book Review"It enriched my sense of this amazing multi-faceted, multi-talented man."―Antonia Fraser, The Guardian"Ziegler is an elegant, unfailingly lucid writer, his manner brisk and incisive... Ziegler has addressed Olivier the phenomenon in an elegant and increasingly compelling book."―Simon Callow, The Guardian"Philip Ziegler is a master of biographical narrative. He tells the extraordinary story with fine judgment and the power of a born storyteller. Seldom has such exhaustive research been made so compellingly readable."―Award-winning author and biographer Michael Holroyd"This new book is... a triumph. Ziegler's first biography of an actor, it glitters with theatrical life--the tensions, the triumphs, the backstage bitchery. He reduces a huge welter of sources to a crisp narrative, cracking with civilised irony. It is also balanced. Even Tynan, whom Ziegler obviously considers poisonous nuisance, is given praise when due. Above all it succeeds, as far as is humanly possible, in bringing alive on the page Olivier's magnetic theatrical presence, which those who saw him act will never forget."―John Carey, The Sunday Times"Olivier described himself in later life as 'hollow man.' [Ziegler] captures some of the magnificent noise with which the actor spent his life filling that void."―The Daily Telegraph"Ziegler chronicles Olivier's life in an accessible road map that navigates through his celebrity, affairs, marriages, divorces, his respect and disdain for certain stars, his acting technique, directing, and work at the helm of the National Theater. He delves deeply into how Olivier reached deep into his psyche to unleash such passion and power."―Ellis Nassour, City Guide"Undaunted by the challenge of his subject, Philip Ziegler vividly captures the excitement of Olivier's stage presence."―The Weekly Standard"A recommended retelling of a great actor's life."―Stephen Rees, Library Journal"Ziegler establishes a likable tone of good sportsmanship, and he keeps tight control over his narrative."―Film Comment"Mr. Ziegler is a sympathetic chronicler . . . he is admirably efficient. In deft strokes, he captures the full range of Olivier's experience-as actor and impresario and as the principal character in the tumultuous drama of his personal and professional life . . . an insightful portrait."―Martin Rubin, The Wall Street Journal
About the Author Philip Ziegler has written for various newspapers and journals and was editor-in-chief at Collins from 1979 to 1980. He is also an award-winning biographer who counts among his subjects two kings and four prime ministers. His most recent book was an acclaimed life of Edward Heath.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful. Great actor/Poor Human Being By Constant Reader This is a very well written biography of Olivier. Mr. Ziegler has really done his homework. He has had the cooperation of Joan Plowright, Ms. Plowright's children by Olivier and Tarquin Olivier, his son by Jill Esmond. There is no question that Olivier is considered one of the finest actors of the 20th century. Out of all I have read on Olivier I think Ziegler comes the closest to describing how Olivier was able to create the characters that he did. Of course, the great, tragic love story of Olivier & Vivien Leigh is described in detail.The problem I have with this book is Laurence Olivier himself. As his son Tarquin said in his biography of his father, Olivier was very selfish and self-centered. At the bottom of everything and everyone Olivier only cared about himself. The only time it seems he was able to stop self-obsessing was in the early years of his relationship with Leigh. Olivier had an awful father and his mother died early in his life. Therefore, he acquired little or no parenting skills.I think Coco Chanel had a similar personality. Her clothes are breathtakingly beautiful but she was an awful person. She was extremely selfish and cruel to her employees. Perhaps genius requires extreme self-centeredness?If you are interested in Olivier then this book is a must. I have read other biographies of Olivier over the years and I would say this one is the best.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Made Me Wish I Could See the Plays By Timothy Haugh There are many excellent actors out there who turn in consistently good performances; however, there are only a handful of actors that truly rise above and leave a legacy that lasts in the general public consciousness. One of these is Laurence Olivier.I had (have) pretentions as an actor myself and spent decades working in community theater and the like. On my wall since I was a young man is a framed issue of Life magazine from 1948 showing Olivier as Hamlet (along with a cover of Peter O’Toole and a cover of Richard Burton—my triumvirate of acting inspiration). Whenever I was in the green room warming up for shows, my friends and I would put on our best imitations of Olivier. My favorite was from—wait for it!—Clash of the Titans (the original one) where he played—no surprise—the god Zeus. He says to Athena: “Give him Bubo, your owl. It is my wish…my command.” The way he turns his back on her slightly and modulates his voice as he gets to the end of the line is a master class in delivery. Now, I have seen most of the major roles that Olivier played in the movies and am a Shakespeare fan foremost but, as Titans shows, he is great everywhere.Now, all this preamble leads up to the confession that I rarely read biographies. Granted, sometimes I read biographies of long dead historical figures. Also, I read interviews and autobiographies (and I have read Olivier’s autobiography, and O’Toole’s) but rarely am I interested in other people’s opinions of someone. Still, sometimes my interest in someone cannot be satisfied without piling on the more and new. So, when I heard some good things about this book by Philip Ziegler, I decided to give it a try.Turns out, this is about as good a biography as you can hope for about a popular figure like Olivier. It covers his entire life, it is of manageable length, and it reads very easily. Ziegler clearly enjoys his subject which is important and too often missing from biographies. On the other hand, it is not worshipful but quite balanced. He does have the habit of giving criticisms of Olivier and then writing them off with lines of the “but he couldn’t really be blamed…” variety. Still, we get the impression of a man who tried to do his best but didn’t always succeed. For example, he helped many young actors improve their craft while at the same time harboring jealousies, particularly of those who might compete with him.One thing that comes across very clearly is that acting was the single most important thing in his life, above family, business or God. He gives us many insights into various stage and screen performances (though, by no means all of them. I refer you back to the aforementioned Clash of the Titans.) In addition, Ziegler excels at showing how hard Olivier worked for his success. Whatever natural talent he had he honed by relentless work which, because he expected the same from those around him, resulted in great performances as well as friction with others.In the end, I knew this was a great biography because it made me irritated that I was too young and too American Midwest to have ever seen Olivier on stage. We have his movies but theater was where he shone and, by its very nature, it is ephemeral. How I wish I could have seen even one of the great stage performances Ziegler describes. And yet, we at least have books like this one to keep the memories alive.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. A comprehensive biography of a magnificent performer who was large, who contained multitudes By Robert Morris Prior to reading Philip Ziegler's biography, what I knew about Laurence Olivier (1907-1989) was limited almost entirely to seeing several of the films in which he appeared, many of them for the first time on the AMC channel. They include Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca and Pride and Prejudice (both in 1940), The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fifth (1944), Richard III (1955), The Devil's Disciple (1959), The Merchant of Venice, The Entertainer and Spartacus (both in 1960), and Marathon Man (1976). I never saw him appear on stage but, of course, over the years read about his great triumphs, mostly on stages in Great Britain. I knew almost nothing about his personal life, other than the fact that he was married to Vivian Leigh (1940-1960) and later to Joan Plowright (from 1961 until his death of renal failure in 1989).These are the questions I had in mind when beginning to read Ziegler's biography:o By what process did he develop his extraordinary skills as an actoro His favorite plays among those in which he appearedo His favorite films among those in which he appearedo Other prominent actors whom he admired most...and whyo What he was like to work with as a fellow actoro What he was like to work with as a directoro Others with whom he most enjoyed workingo Others with whom he least enjoyed workingNote: John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson (and perhaps Kirk Douglas) would probably be on both lists for reasons that reveal more about Olivier than they do about them.I am deeply grateful to Ziegler for all that I learned about Olivier's life and work insofar as these subjects are concerned. I am also grateful to him for what I learned about other dimensions of his life and work:o His indifference to parenthood and neglect of his four childreno Why he was dismissed by the Old Vic theatre companyo His up-and-down, down-and-up relationship with the National Theatreo Why two of his marriages failed but the third succeededo His inability to delegate authorityo According to those who knew him best, what his defining characteristics were as an actoro And as a persono His stage fright and other anxieties and insecuritieso The personal relationships he cherished mosto His struggles with Leigh's bi-polar temperament and behavioro Olivier's sexualityo His extravagant praise and scathing criticism, often during the same conversationo In later years, his health issues and how he dealt with themThe title of this review is explained by the fact that, as I re-read this book prior to setting to work on this review of it, I was again reminded of Walt Whitman's declaration in "Song of Myself": "Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself. I am large. I contain multitudes." The same can be said of Laurence Olivier both on and off the stage as well as on and off the screen.I agree with John Simon's concluding comments in his review in The New York Times: "The biography is full of marvelous anecdotes; traces sovereignly the rivalries with Richardson, Gielgud, and Olivier's successor at the National, Peter Hall; and avoids the salacious. It is altogether a thorough and intelligent book." Presumably most of those who read it will agree with Simon. My only regret is that I never had the opportunity to see Olivier perform on stage but at least several of his best films remain. I shall revisit a few soon, probably Henry V first.
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