Sorry, your browser doesn't support Java. Biography Olivia Mary de Havilland was born in Tokyo, Japan on July 1, 1916 of a British patent attorney and his actress wife. Her sister, Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland, (Joan Fontaine), was born in October, 1917. The sisters have had a long-standing feud. While attending high school in California, she became interested in acting and played Hermia in an amateur production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. She was spotted by director Max Reinhardt who cast her in his professional production of Midsummer at the Hollywood Bowl and she then played Hermia in the movie version of Midsummer. She was signed to a long-term contract by Warner Brothers. Her critically acclaimed portrayal of Melanie Hamilton in Gone With the Wind came came on loan out to David O. Selznick. When she lost the Best Supporting Actress Oscar to Hattie McDaniel she was consoled by Irene Selznick who told her it was very important to the industry that an African American person win the award and that Olivia's time would come. From 1943 - 1946, she didn't work because she was involved in a legal battle with Warner Brothers. Warners had tried to add the time she was suspended for refusing to take a part to her seven year contract. She won the case and the "de Havilland Law" became famous. She won two Oscars for her roles in To Each His Own and The Heiress. In the 1950's she appeared on Broadway and moved to France with her second husband, Pierre Galante, the editor of Paris Match. In the 1960's she remained busy in Lady in a Cage and Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte as well as writing the semi-autobiographical, Every Frenchman Has One. Her career continued into the 70's and 80's in both films and telefilms winning a Golden Globe for her performance in 1986's "Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna". She is presently the only surviving member of the primary cast of Gone With the Wind and is sought after for interviews, granting a few of importance. CLICK HERE to read an interview conducted April 16, 2003. CLICK HERE to read an interview conducted November 18, 2004. Husbands and Children Pierre Galante (1955 - 1979); (divorced) 1 daughter, Gisele (Pierre Galante died of lung cancer in 1998.) Marcus Goodrich (1946 - 1953) (divorced); 1 son, Benjamin (Benjamin, who had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease at 19, died at 42 in 1991.) Trivia Height - 5' 3 1/2" Olivia's cousin was Sir Geoffrey de Havilland (1882-1965), the British aviation pioneer and designer of aircraft such as the wartime Mosquito fighter. Biography (print) Higham, Charles. Sisters: The Story of Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine (Coward, McCann, 1984) Thomas, Tony. The Films of Olivia de Havilland Secaucus, N.J.: Citadel Press, 1980. De Havilland, Olivia. Every Frenchman Has One (Random House, 1961) Support freedom Help support Meredy's Place by shopping here. CLICK HERE to search for Olivia de Havilland merchandise Olivia de Havilland Poster and Print Store from Meredy's Place and AllPosters.com Webmasters Make $$$ NurseTips Free health tips from a registered nurse 24/7/365. Web www.meredy.com This site is purely a fan tribute to Olivia de Havilland and is not endorsed by her. © Meredy - all rights reserved. DISCLAIMER: The information presented here was collected from publicly aired and published sources. All materials are used without permission of their creators (who legally hold their respective copyrights). Where known, all articles and photos include credit information. Should any specific materials presented herein be considered in violation of copyright laws, the holder of the copyright should and the offending material will be promptly removed.