Grace and Serenity: Olivia de Havilland's Battle to Defy Hollywood Stereotype
Heather has a Bachelor's Degree in English from Moravian College and has been freelance writing for more than 13 years.
Two time Academy Award winner who always displayed a level of dignity
Even when her characters were becoming emotionalky unhinged onscreen
Always managed to show a level of class and elegance wherever she was
On the big and small screens; of course in real life as well
Loved to go against the grain when it came to her working life
Managed to get out of her film contract with Warner Bros studios
Through legal action, perseverance and a unique talent
Forced into various work suspensions by Jack Warner to prolong it
Found a way to stand her ground and managed to work on her terms
Made moviegoers tempted to root for Melanie over Scarlett in Gone With the Wind
Displayed a quiet femininity that offset Vivien Leigh's combustible character
Worked with the likes of Errol Flynn and as his romantic foil for countless films
Paired up with the ever so talented Bette Davis onscreen four times
Was considered to be a good friend of hers off-screen as well
Played the titular character in My Cousin Rachel who managed to charm
Even the most hesitant of costars in Richard Burton on camera of course
Who knows what it truly was like behind the scenes
Had a very complicated relationship with her sister Joan Fontaine
A fellow actress and Academy Award winner in her own right
Hollywood Press liked to play up a rumor that there was a rivalry between them
Hard to say if there was one, but the relationship remained complex at best
Until the day Fontaine died in 2013 and put an end to all of it
Never deemed appropriate to discuss private family matters
In past and in today's times as well; although some love to air theirs everywhere
A sense of oversharing that many could relate to, but left little mystery
She preferred to have more mystery than to be a complete open book
Displayed a level of integrity that allowed her to control her career
Chose when to work and what films to be in
Also, when it step back and let others have their time in the spotlight
Might have been by choice or by societal circumstances
Could have been a combination of the two
Stellar scripts with top notch roles often dried up when actresses
Hit a certain number in their age in Hollywood
An unfair stereotype that only women in their youth were interesting
That their stories stopped needing to be told after they reached 40
Oh well, nevertheless Olivia has lived the life she wanted to live off-camera
In the City of Lights: Paris where she remained to this day
Living longer than her counterparts at the age of 103
Defying the odds and still having plenty of stories to tell
Just her own this time.