Olivier, Laurence (Kerr)

English actor and director. For many years associated with the Old Vic Theatre, he was director of the National Theatre company 1962–73 (see National Theatre, Royal). His stage roles include Henry V, Hamlet, Richard III, and Archie Rice in John Osborne's The Entertainer (1957; filmed 1960). He directed and starred in filmed versions of Shakespeare's plays; for example, Henry V (1944) and Hamlet (1948) (Academy Award). He was knighted in 1947 and created a baron in 1970.

Olivier appeared in many films, including Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940), Sleuth (1972), Marathon Man (1976), and The Boys from Brazil (1978).