Olivia de Havilland, who has died in Paris at the age of 104, starred in dozens of films including “Gone with the Wind” and was…
Olivia de Havilland, who has died in Paris at the age of 104, starred in dozens of films including “Gone with the Wind” and was one of the last links with Hollywood’s golden era
Sister of another Hollywood starlet Joan Fontaine, double Oscar winner de Havilland embodied the glamour of the 1930s and 1940s silver screen, acting alongside Errol Flynn, Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh.
“If you can be dignified in an all-star epic about insect apocalypse — which she was — you can be dignified anywhere and everywhere,” wrote film critic Nigel Andrews in the Financial Times in 2016, referring to her part in “The Swarm” (1978).
“That was de Havilland’s ace as a star. Dignity everywhere.”
When a silver-haired de Havilland presented an award at the 2003 Oscars ceremony, she was greeted with a standing ovation lasting nearly four minutes as modern Hollywood paid homage to one of the enduring emblems of its past glory.
– Wide acclaim –
“Gone with the Wind” (1939) brought de Havilland wide acclaim for her role as the long-suffering Melanie, love rival to the fiery Scarlett O’Hara played by Leigh.
The film was the highest-grossing movie of all time, adjusted for inflation, but its depiction of contented slaves and heroic slaveholders has garnered criticism in recent years.
Following this year’s mass protests against racism and police brutality, it was removed from the HBO Max streaming platform in June pending a return at a later date along with a discussion of its historical context.
