The last living star of Hollywood's Golden Age, Olivia de Havilland, has passed away at the age of 104 in Paris:
Gracing the silver screen in both big and small roles, in a career stretching over 50 years, de Havilland was perhaps best known for her performance as Melanie Hamilton in “Gone with the Wind,” and for making multiple films with Errol Flynn. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, for “To Each His Own” in 1946 and for “The Heiress” in 1949.
She is also forever enshrined in the history of workplace law, scoring a major legal victory over the Hollywood studio system in 1944 that became informally known as “the de Havilland law.” Her lawsuit against Warner Brothers resulted in California state regulations that limited the extent to which artists could be bound to contracts. It catalyzed the eventual end of the powerful studio system, which often constrained actors’ career opportunities.
De Havilland had a lifelong personal and professional rivalry with her younger sister, Joan Fontaine, which became a major part of her star persona and the stuff of Hollywood legend. The two actors ― the only pair of siblings to win Oscars in a lead acting category ― clashed over everything from their careers, to their romances, to their mother’s funeral. [snip]
She had just turned 104 on July 1, and she was a pistol all the way to the end. This is a picture of her riding a bicycle last year at the age of 103:After the success of “Gone with the Wind,” de Havilland’s career continued to soar. In addition to winning two Oscars for Best Actress, she also received nominations for “Hold Back The Dawn” and “The Snake Pit.” In the latter film, released in 1948, de Havilland played a woman living in a psychiatric hospital after experiencing a mental breakdown. The movie’s realism inspired states to reform conditions in mental institutions.
Rest in peace.
