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 in Tokyo, Japan, to British parents
- 1935Film debut in A Midsummer Night's Dream
- 1938Stars opposite Errol Flynn in Robin Hood
- 1939Plays Melanie in Gone with the Wind
- 1943Sues Warner Bros. over contract suspensions
- 1944Wins landmark 'De Havilland Law' ruling
- 1947Wins first Oscar for To Each His Own
- 1950Wins second Oscar for The Heiress
- 1953Moves permanently to Paris, France
- 2017Made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II at 101
- 2020Dies in Paris at age 104
Biggest Hits
- She was the last surviving major credited cast member of Gone with the Wind when she died at 104.
- Her decades-long feud with sister Joan Fontaine made them the only siblings to each win a lead-acting Oscar.
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