Olivia De Havilland
“A graceful, strong-willed star whose long life bridged Hollywood's golden age and the modern era.”
In 1943, after Warner Bros. tried to extend her contract by tacking on time she had spent suspended for refusing roles, Olivia de Havilland sued the studio and won. The 1944 California appellate ruling, soon known as the 'De Havilland Law,' capped studio contracts at seven calendar years and broke the old system that had treated actors as property. The victory cost her years of work but liberated a generation of performers.
From Ingenue to Star
Born in Tokyo and raised in California, de Havilland was cast as a teenager and quickly became Warner Bros.' favorite romantic lead, paired eight times with Errol Flynn. Her warmth as Melanie in Gone with the Wind earned her first Oscar nomination.
Fighting the Studio
Frustrated at being trapped in decorative roles, she refused parts and was suspended, then sued when the studio tried to make her repay the lost time. Her courtroom win reshaped Hollywood labor and freed actors from indefinite servitude.
A Long, Honored Life
She followed her legal triumph with two Oscar-winning dramatic performances, then settled in Paris for the rest of her life. Honored as a Dame at 101, she remained a link to Hollywood's Golden Age until her death at 104.
Career Timeline
- 1916Born Olivia Mary de Havilland in Tokyo, to British parents.
- 1935Warner contract. Captain Blood with Errol Flynn.
- 1938Maid Marian in The Adventures of Robin Hood.
- 1939Melanie Hamilton in Gone with the Wind.
- 1943Sues Warner Bros. so seven years will mean seven years.
- 1944The De Havilland Law. California Court of Appeal.
- 1946To Each His Own. First Academy Award.
- 1949The Heiress. Second Academy Award the following spring.
- 1955Marries Pierre Galante. Paris becomes home.
- 1962Every Frenchman Has One — a comic book about living in France.
- 1988Last screen work. She is seventy-two.
- 2008National Medal of Arts at the White House.
- 2017Made a Dame at 101. Files suit over Feud.
- 2020Dies in Paris, at her apartment, at 104.
Biggest Hits
- She was born in Tokyo, not California.
- The De Havilland Law of 1944 still caps California entertainment contracts at seven calendar years.
- She was the last surviving principal adult of Gone with the Wind.
- Queen Elizabeth II made her a Dame at 101.
The Moment You Remember
As Melanie in <em>Gone with the Wind</em>, her quiet steadfastness amid the ruin of war made her the film's moral center. The moment she extends kindness where others would judge captures the warmth that defined de Havilland across her remarkable career.
Portrait: Warner Bros. · Public domain (PD-US, Warner Bros. 1940 publicity still) · via Wikimedia Commons