Olivia de Havilland

Golden Age star, two-time Oscar winner, and last surviving major icon.

Olivia de Havilland was a British, American, and French actress who appeared in 49 feature films from 1935 to 1988.^[1] She was the oldest living Academy Award winner before her death in 2020 at age 104.^[1] Her younger sister was the Oscar-winning actress Joan Fontaine, with whom she had a well-documented rivalry.^[2]

Last updated 2026-09-30 from the source article.

Quick Facts

Birth name

Olivia Mary de Havilland

Born

1 July 1916

Birthplace

Tokyo City, Empire of Japan

Died

26 July 2020

Place of death

Paris, France

Resting place

Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Citizenship

United Kingdom (at birth)
United States (after 1941)
France (after 1955)

Other names

Olivia Fontaine, Livvie

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

After her parents divorced, her mother married a San José businessman, George Fontaine.^[3] De Havilland graduated from high school and planned to attend Mills College on scholarship.^[3] De Havilland filed suit against Warner Bros. in 1943 seeking release from her contract.^[4] The California Court of Appeal ruled in her favor, creating the "De Havilland Law" that limited studio contract power.^[5]

Olivia de Havilland came into the world in Tokyo, Japan, with both parents being English.^[3]

What the cited sources add

The American Academy of Achievement interview states that de Havilland was born in Tokyo to English parents.^[3] That same interview notes that after her mother remarried, young Olivia quickly took to life in her new world.^[3] The interview reports that de Havilland traveled to Los Angeles to watch Reinhardt's rehearsals while still planning to attend college.^[3] The Stars and Stripes article from 1958 describes de Havilland as one of the most faithful celebrities visiting isolated battlefronts in the Pacific during World War II.^[6]

References

Wikipedia, "Olivia de Havilland" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Olivia de Havilland: Filmography", Turner Classic Movies (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Olivia de Havilland" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Berman, "Hollywood's Most famous Sibling Rivalry", Life magazine, March 10, 2023 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
"Interview: Olivia de Havilland", American Academy of Achievement, October 5, 2006. facts only, no text reused. achievement.org
Wikipedia, "Olivia de Havilland" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Thomas 1983, p. 20; Kass 1976, p. 17; Thomas 1983, p. 20; Thomas 1983, p. 20; Shinn, "De Havilland v. Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. 67 Cal. App. 2d 225, 153 P.2d 983", California Court of Appeal, December 8, 1944 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Olivia de Havilland" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Shinn, "De Havilland v. Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. 67 Cal. App. 2d 225, 153 P.2d 983", California Court of Appeal, December 8, 1944; Belloni, "De Havilland lawsuit resonates through Hollywood", Reuters, August 23, 2007; Belloni, "De Havilland lawsuit resonates through Hollywood", Reuters, August 23, 2007; McDonald Carman Hoyt Drake 2015, p. 215; Shipman 1970, p. 153 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Walter, "Olivia de Havilland recalls wartime shows, enjoys making similar type tours now", Stars and Stripes, July 12, 1958. facts only, no text reused. stripes.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Olivia de Havilland (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.