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| name = Jill Esmond
| name = Jill Esmond
| image = Jill Esmond 1932.jpg
| image = Jill Esmond 1932.jpg
| caption = Jill Esmond in 1932
| caption = Esmond in 1932
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1908|1|26}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1908|1|26}}
| birth_place = [[London, England]]
| birth_place = London, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1990|7|28|1908|1|26}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1990|7|28|1908|1|26}}
| death_place = [[London Borough of Wandsworth|Wandsworth]], London, England
| death_place = [[Wandsworth]], London, England
| birthname = Jill Esmond Moore
| birthname = Jill Esmond Moore
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Laurence Olivier]]<br>|1930|1940|end=div}}
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Laurence Olivier]]|1930|1940|end=div}}
| children = 1
| children = 1
| parents = [[Henry V. Esmond]]<br/>[[Eva Moore]]
| parents = [[Henry V. Esmond]]<br/>[[Eva Moore]]
| yearsactive = 1930–1956
| yearsactive = 1924–1956
| occupation = Actress
| occupation = Actress
}}
}}


'''Jill Esmond''' (born '''Jill Esmond Moore'''; 26 January 1908 – 28 July 1990) was an English stage and screen actress. She was the first wife of [[Laurence Olivier]].
'''Jill Esmond Moore''' (26 January 1908 – 28 July 1990) was an English stage and screen actress.


==Early life==
==Early life==
Esmond was born in London, the daughter of stage actors [[Henry V. Esmond]] and [[Eva Moore]].<ref name="rp">{{cite book|last1=Wilson|first1=Scott|title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.|date=2016|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476625997|page=229|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ&q=%22Jill+Esmond+Moore%22&pg=PA229|access-date=24 February 2018|language=en}}</ref> Dramatist [[W.S. Gilbert]] and actress [[Maxine Elliott]] were her godparents.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Goldberg|first1=Harry|title=English Youth|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17749409/jill_esmond/|work=The Honolulu Advertiser|date=September 22, 1929|location=Hawaii, Honolulu|page=50|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = February 24, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref> One of her maternal aunts was [[Decima Moore]].
Esmond was born in London, the daughter of stage actors [[Henry V. Esmond]] and [[Eva Moore]].<ref name="rp">{{cite book|last1=Wilson|first1=Scott|title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.|date=2016|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476625997|page=229|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ&q=%22Jill+Esmond+Moore%22&pg=PA229|access-date=24 February 2018|language=en}}</ref> Dramatist [[W.S. Gilbert]] and actress [[Maxine Elliott]] were her godparents.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Goldberg|first1=Harry|title=English Youth|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17749409/jill_esmond/|work=The Honolulu Advertiser|date=September 22, 1929|location=Hawaii, Honolulu|page=50|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = February 24, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref> One of her maternal aunts was [[Decima Moore]].{{Citation needed |date=October 2023}}


She had a brother Jack (an actor) and a sister, Lynette, who did not survive infancy.<ref name=DNB>Joannou, Maroula. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/63879 "Moore, Eva (1868–1955)"], ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 10 February 2011</ref>
She had a brother Jack (an actor) and a sister, Lynette, who did not survive infancy.<ref name=DNB>Joannou, Maroula. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/63879 "Moore, Eva (1868–1955)"], ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 10 February 2011</ref>


While her parents toured with theatre companies, Esmond spent her childhood in [[boarding school]]s until she decided at the age of 14 to become an actress. She made her stage debut playing Wendy to [[Gladys Cooper]]'s [[Peter Pan]], but her success was short-lived. When her father died suddenly in 1922, in Paris, due to [[pneumonia]],<ref>"Death of Mr H. V. Esmond", ''The Times'', 18 April 1922, p. 12</ref> Esmond returned to school and at the time considered abandoning her ambition to act.
While her parents toured with theatre companies, Esmond spent her childhood in boarding schools until she decided at the age of 14 to become an actress. She made her stage debut playing Wendy to [[Gladys Cooper]]'s [[Peter Pan]], but her success was short-lived. When her father died suddenly in 1922, in Paris, due to [[pneumonia]],<ref>"Death of Mr H. V. Esmond", ''The Times'', 18 April 1922, p. 12</ref> Esmond returned to school and at the time considered abandoning her ambition to act.{{Citation needed |date=May 2023}}


After reassessing her future and coming to terms with her father's death, she studied with the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]] in London, and returned to the [[West End of London|West End]] stage in 1924. In 1925, she starred with her mother in a play ''Mary, Mary Quite Contrary'', and after a few more successful roles, won critical praise for her part as a young suicide in ''[[Outward Bound (play)|Outward Bound]]''.
After reassessing her future and coming to terms with her father's death, she studied with the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]] in London, and returned to the [[West End of London|West End]] stage in 1924. In 1925, she starred with her mother in a play ''Mary, Mary Quite Contrary'', and after a few more successful roles, won critical praise for her part as a young suicide in ''[[Outward Bound (play)|Outward Bound]]''.{{Citation needed |date=May 2023}}


==Marriage and career==
==Marriage and career==
[[File:Jill_Esmond_(crop).png|thumb|Jill Esmond in 1930]]
[[File:Jill_Esmond_(crop).png|thumb|Esmond in 1930]]
In 1928 Esmond (billed as Jill Esmond Moore) appeared in the production of ''Bird in the Hand'', where she met fellow cast member [[Laurence Olivier]] for the first time. Three weeks later, he proposed to her.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gehman|first1=Richard|title=The Life and Loves of Sir Laurence Olivie: The Man, a Tangled Mass of Contradictions|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17750024/jill_esmond/|work=Philadelphia Daily News|agency=Hearst Headline Service|date=February 9, 1961|location=Pennsylvania, Philadelphia|page=36}}</ref> In his autobiography Olivier later wrote that he was smitten with Esmond, and that her cool indifference to him did nothing but further his ardour. When ''Bird in the Hand'' was being staged on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], Esmond was chosen to join the American production<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=("Jill Esmond" search results)|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/jill-esmond-39727|website=Internet Broadway Database|publisher=The Broadway League|access-date=24 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224195638/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/jill-esmond-39727|archive-date=24 February 2018}}</ref> – but Olivier was not.
In 1928, Esmond (billed as Jill Esmond Moore) appeared in the production of ''Bird in the Hand'', where she met fellow cast member [[Laurence Olivier]] for the first time. Three weeks later, he proposed to her.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gehman|first1=Richard|title=The Life and Loves of Sir Laurence Olivie: The Man, a Tangled Mass of Contradictions|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17750024/jill_esmond/|work=Philadelphia Daily News|agency=Hearst Headline Service|date=February 9, 1961|location=Pennsylvania, Philadelphia|page=36}}</ref> In his autobiography Olivier later wrote that he was smitten with Esmond, and that her cool indifference to him did nothing but further his ardour. When ''Bird in the Hand'' was being staged on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], Esmond was chosen to join the American production<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=("Jill Esmond" search results)|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/jill-esmond-39727|website=Internet Broadway Database|publisher=The Broadway League|access-date=24 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224195638/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/jill-esmond-39727|archive-date=24 February 2018}}</ref> – but Olivier was not.


Determined to be near Esmond, Olivier travelled to New York City where he found work as an actor. Esmond won rave reviews for her performance. Olivier continued to follow Esmond, and after proposing to her several times, she agreed and the couple were married on 25 July 1930 at All Saints', Margaret Street;{{sfn|Coleman|2006|p=42}} London. Within weeks, the couple regretted their marriage.{{sfn|Olivier|1994|p=88}} They had one son, Tarquin Olivier (born 21 August 1936).{{sfn|Olivier|1994|p=77}}
Determined to be near Esmond, Olivier travelled to New York City where he found work as an actor. Esmond won rave reviews for her performance. Olivier continued to follow Esmond, and after proposing to her several times, she agreed and the couple were married on 25 July 1930 at All Saints', Margaret Street, London.{{sfn|Coleman|2006|p=42}} Within weeks, the couple regretted their marriage.{{sfn|Olivier|1994|p=88}} They had one son, Tarquin Olivier.{{sfn|Olivier|1994|p=77}}


Returning to the United Kingdom, Esmond made her film debut with a starring role in an early [[Alfred Hitchcock]] film ''[[The Skin Game (1931 film)|The Skin Game]]'' (1931), and over the next few years appeared in several British and ([[pre-Code]]) Hollywood films, including ''[[Thirteen Women]]'' (1932). She also appeared in two Broadway productions with Olivier, ''[[Private Lives]]'' in 1931 with [[Noël Coward]] and [[Gertrude Lawrence]] and ''[[The Green Bay Tree]]'' in 1933.<ref name=":0" />
Returning to the United Kingdom, Esmond made her film debut with a starring role in an early [[Alfred Hitchcock]] film ''[[The Skin Game (1931 film)|The Skin Game]]'' (1931), and over the next few years appeared in several British and ([[pre-Code]]) Hollywood films, including ''[[Thirteen Women]]'' (1932). She also appeared in two Broadway productions with Olivier, ''[[Private Lives]]'' in 1931 with [[Noël Coward]] and [[Gertrude Lawrence]] and ''[[The Green Bay Tree]]'' in 1933.<ref name=":0" />


Esmond's career continued to ascend while Olivier's own career languished, but after a couple of years, when his career began to show promise, she began to refuse roles.<ref>Cottrell 1975, p. 63.</ref> Esmond had been promised a role by [[David O. Selznick]] in ''[[A Bill of Divorcement (1932 film)|A Bill of Divorcement]]'' (1932) but at only half-salary. Olivier had discovered that [[Katharine Hepburn]] had been offered a much greater salary, and convinced Esmond to turn down the role.
Esmond's career continued to ascend while Olivier's own career languished, but after a couple of years, when his career began to show promise, she began to refuse roles.<ref>Cottrell 1975, p. 63.</ref> Esmond had been promised a role by [[David O. Selznick]] in ''[[A Bill of Divorcement (1932 film)|A Bill of Divorcement]]'' (1932) but at only half-salary. Olivier had discovered that [[Katharine Hepburn]] had been offered a much greater salary, and persuaded Esmond to turn down the role.


Esmond and Olivier starred together in one film, ''[[No Funny Business]]'' (1933), a British comedy film directed by [[Victor Hanbury]].
Esmond and Olivier starred together in one film, ''[[No Funny Business]]'' (1933), a British comedy film directed by [[Victor Hanbury]].


In 1937, Esmond played together with Olivier in Shakespeare's ''"Twelfth Night"'' at London's Old Vic theater.<ref name="apnews.com">https://apnews.com/article/c6b496b6a0e4487301b46298585d0be6</ref> During this period, their marriage was disintegrating, as Olivier started a relation with Vivien Leigh.<ref name="apnews.com"/>
In 1937, Esmond and Olivier appeared together in Shakespeare's ''"Twelfth Night"'' at London's Old Vic theatre.<ref name="apnews.com">{{cite web | url=https://apnews.com/article/c6b496b6a0e4487301b46298585d0be6 | title=Actress Jill Esmond, First Wife of Laurence Olivier, is Dead | website=[[Associated Press]] }}</ref> During this period, their marriage was disintegrating, as Olivier had started a relationship with Vivien Leigh.<ref name="apnews.com"/>


==Later years==
==Later years==
Esmond starred in the Broadway production of [[Emlyn Williams]]' play ''The Morning Star'' in 1942,<ref name=":0" /> a production which featured the acting debut of [[Gregory Peck]]. Her acting appearances grew more sporadic with the passage of time, and she made her final film appearance in 1955, around the time she made her two appearances as [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]] in the TV series ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series)|The Adventures of Robin Hood]]''.
Esmond starred in the Broadway production of [[Emlyn Williams]]' play ''[[The Morning Star (play)|The Morning Star]]'' in 1942,<ref name=":0" /> a production which featured the acting debut of [[Gregory Peck]]. Her acting appearances grew more sporadic with the passage of time, and she made her final film appearance in 1955, around the time she made her two appearances as [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]] in the TV series ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series)|The Adventures of Robin Hood]]''.


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
[[File:Jill Esmond and Laurence Olivier 1932.jpg|left|alt=young woman and man seated at a table with maid standing centre|thumb|Jill Esmond (left) with Olivier, in 1932]]
[[File:Jill Esmond and Laurence Olivier 1932.jpg|left|alt=young woman and man seated at a table with maid standing centre|thumb|Esmond with Olivier in 1932]]
Esmond was married to Olivier between 1930 and 1940; they had one son, Tarquin Olivier (born 21 August 1936).{{sfn|Olivier|1994|p=77}} During their marriage, Olivier had affairs with [[Ann Todd]]{{sfnm|1a1=Coleman|1y=2006|1pp=76, 79|2a1=Munn|2y=2007|2p=61}} and [[Vivien Leigh]], the latter to whom he was married from 1940 to 1960. Olivier later said that "I couldn't help myself with Vivien. No man could. I hated myself for cheating on Jill, but then I had cheated before, but this was something different. This wasn't just out of lust. This was love that I really didn't ask for but was drawn into."{{sfn|Munn|2007|p=60}}
Esmond was married to Olivier between 1930 and 1940; they had one son, Tarquin Olivier (born 21 August 1936).{{sfn|Olivier|1994|p=77}} During their marriage, Olivier had affairs with [[Ann Todd]]{{sfnm|1a1=Coleman|1y=2006|1pp=76, 79|2a1=Munn|2y=2007|2p=61}} and [[Vivien Leigh]], the latter to whom he was married from 1940 to 1960. Olivier later said that "I couldn't help myself with Vivien. No man could. I hated myself for cheating on Jill, but then I had cheated before, but this was something different. This wasn't just out of lust. This was love that I really didn't ask for but was drawn into."{{sfn|Munn|2007|p=60}}


Esmond withstood the publicity of Olivier's affair with Vivien Leigh and did not seek a divorce. Pressed by Olivier, who was anxious to marry Leigh, she eventually agreed and they were divorced on 29 January 1940.<ref name="beckett">Beckett 2005, p. 30.</ref><ref name="madsen">Madsen 2002, p. 80.</ref> During the [[World War II|war years]], she stayed in the United States, where she appeared mostly in [[character actor]] roles in several films, and her son also was briefly a [[child actor]].{{Citation needed |date=October 2021}} Among the films she appeared are ''[[Journey for Margaret]]'', ''[[The Pied Piper (1942 film)|The Pied Piper]]'' and ''[[Random Harvest (film)|Random Harvest]]'', all in 1942, ''[[My Pal Wolf]]'' (1944), ''[[The White Cliffs of Dover (1944 film)|The White Cliffs of Dover]]'' (1944) and ''[[The Bandit of Sherwood Forest]]'' (1946). In 1946, she returned to the UK where she resumed her acting; her last stage appearance was in 1950, and her last film in 1955;<ref name="apnews.com"/>
Esmond withstood the publicity of Olivier's affair with Vivien Leigh and did not seek a divorce. Pressed by Olivier, who was anxious to marry Leigh, she eventually agreed and they were divorced on 29 January 1940.<ref name="beckett">Beckett 2005, p. 30.</ref><ref name="madsen">Madsen 2002, p. 80.</ref> Among the films she appeared in are ''[[Journey for Margaret]]'', ''[[The Pied Piper (1942 film)|The Pied Piper]]'' and ''[[Random Harvest (film)|Random Harvest]]'', all in 1942, ''[[My Pal Wolf]]'' (1944), ''[[The White Cliffs of Dover (1944 film)|The White Cliffs of Dover]]'' (1944) and ''[[The Bandit of Sherwood Forest]]'' (1946). In 1946, she returned to the UK where she resumed her acting; her last stage appearance was in 1950, and her last film in 1955.<ref name="apnews.com"/>


To the end of his life, Olivier continued alimony payments to Esmond.<ref>Coleman 2005, p. 489.</ref>{{#tag:ref|Some authors suggested that in her later years, Esmond discussed the bitterness she felt towards Olivier.<ref>Spoto 2001, p. 102.</ref> It was speculated that she felt she had sacrificed her career so that he could further his own, only to find herself cruelly discarded.<ref>Barker 1984, p. 42.</ref>|group=Note}} Esmond kept in touch with Olivier, and in a letter to their son Tarquin, said "It's funny after all that time how I can still love him so much."<ref>Olivier 1992, p. 258.</ref> Frail and in a wheelchair, she attended Olivier's memorial service in October 1989 at [[Westminster Abbey]].<ref>Olivier 1992, p. 259.</ref>
To the end of his life, Olivier continued alimony payments to Esmond.<ref>Coleman 2005, p. 489.</ref>{{#tag:ref|Some authors suggested that in her later years, Esmond discussed the bitterness she felt towards Olivier.<ref>Spoto 2001, p. 102.</ref> It was speculated that she felt she had sacrificed her career so that he could further his own, only to find herself cruelly discarded.<ref>Barker 1984, p. 42.</ref>|group=Note}} Esmond kept in touch with Olivier, and in a letter to their son Tarquin, said "It's funny after all that time how I can still love him so much."<ref>Olivier 1992, p. 258.</ref> Frail and in a wheelchair, she attended Olivier's memorial service in October 1989 at [[Westminster Abbey]].<ref>Olivier 1992, p. 259.</ref>


==Death==
==Death==
Esmond was 82 years old when she died on 28 July 1990 in [[London Borough of Wandsworth|Wandsworth]], London.<ref>[http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp "Deaths England and Wales 1984–2006."] findmypast.com. Retrieved 28 January 2015.</ref>
Esmond was 82 years old when she died on 28 July 1990 in [[London Borough of Wandsworth|Wandsworth]], London.<ref>[http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp "Deaths England and Wales 1984–2006."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627024414/http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp |date=27 June 2009 }} findmypast.com. Retrieved 28 January 2015.</ref>


==Complete filmography==
==Complete filmography==
Line 90: Line 90:
==Selected stage appearances==
==Selected stage appearances==
* ''[[Gertie Maude]]'' by [[John Van Druten]] (1937)
* ''[[Gertie Maude]]'' by [[John Van Druten]] (1937)
* ''[[The Morning Star (play)|The Morning Star]]'' by [[Emlyn Williams]] (1942)
* ''[[Party Manners]]'' by [[Val Gielgud]] (1950)
* ''[[Party Manners]]'' by [[Val Gielgud]] (1950)


Line 107: Line 108:
* {{cite book | last=Garber|first=Marjorie|author-link=Marjorie Garber|title=Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rlDILcjrzs8C|year=2013|publisher=Routledge|location=New York |isbn=978-1-136-61284-8 }}
* {{cite book | last=Garber|first=Marjorie|author-link=Marjorie Garber|title=Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rlDILcjrzs8C|year=2013|publisher=Routledge|location=New York |isbn=978-1-136-61284-8 }}
* Madsen, Axel. ''The Sewing Circle: Sappho's Leading Ladies''. London: Kensington Books, 2002. {{ISBN|0-7582-0101-X}}.
* Madsen, Axel. ''The Sewing Circle: Sappho's Leading Ladies''. London: Kensington Books, 2002. {{ISBN|0-7582-0101-X}}.
* {{cite book | last=Munn | first=Michael | author-link=Michael Munn | title=Lord Larry: The Secret Life of Laurence Olivier: a Personal and Intimate Portrait | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-IrgcXteIMgC&pg=PP1 | year=2007 | publisher=Robson Books | location=London | isbn=978-1-86105-977-2 }}
* {{cite book | last=Olivier | first=Laurence | title=Confessions of an Actor | location=New York | publisher=Simon and Schuster | year=1994 | orig-year=1982 | isbn=978-0-14-006888-7 | url=https://archive.org/details/confessionsofactolivi00oliv }}
* {{cite book | last=Olivier | first=Laurence | title=Confessions of an Actor | location=New York | publisher=Simon and Schuster | year=1994 | orig-year=1982 | isbn=978-0-14-006888-7 | url=https://archive.org/details/confessionsofactolivi00oliv }}
* Olivier, Tarquin. ''My Father Laurence Olivier''. London: Headline Books, 1992. {{ISBN|978-0-7472-0611-8}}.
* Olivier, Tarquin. ''My Father Laurence Olivier''. London: Headline Books, 1992. {{ISBN|978-0-7472-0611-8}}.
Line 123: Line 125:
[[Category:English film actresses]]
[[Category:English film actresses]]
[[Category:English stage actresses]]
[[Category:English stage actresses]]
[[Category:LGBT entertainers from England]]
[[Category:English LGBTQ actors]]
[[Category:Actresses from London]]
[[Category:Actresses from London]]
[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:1908 births]]
Line 130: Line 132:
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]
[[Category:Spouses of life peers]]
[[Category:Spouses of life peers]]
[[Category:20th-century LGBT people]]
[[Category:20th-century English LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players]]
[[Category:RKO Pictures contract players]]
[[Category:Laurence Olivier]]

Latest revision as of 09:53, 10 November 2024

Jill Esmond
Esmond in 1932
Born
Jill Esmond Moore

(1908-01-26)26 January 1908
London, England
Died28 July 1990(1990-07-28) (aged 82)
Wandsworth, London, England
OccupationActress
Years active1924–1956
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1930; div. 1940)​
Children1
Parent(s)Henry V. Esmond
Eva Moore

Jill Esmond Moore (26 January 1908 – 28 July 1990) was an English stage and screen actress.

Early life

[edit]

Esmond was born in London, the daughter of stage actors Henry V. Esmond and Eva Moore.[1] Dramatist W.S. Gilbert and actress Maxine Elliott were her godparents.[2] One of her maternal aunts was Decima Moore.[citation needed]

She had a brother Jack (an actor) and a sister, Lynette, who did not survive infancy.[3]

While her parents toured with theatre companies, Esmond spent her childhood in boarding schools until she decided at the age of 14 to become an actress. She made her stage debut playing Wendy to Gladys Cooper's Peter Pan, but her success was short-lived. When her father died suddenly in 1922, in Paris, due to pneumonia,[4] Esmond returned to school and at the time considered abandoning her ambition to act.[citation needed]

After reassessing her future and coming to terms with her father's death, she studied with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and returned to the West End stage in 1924. In 1925, she starred with her mother in a play Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, and after a few more successful roles, won critical praise for her part as a young suicide in Outward Bound.[citation needed]

Marriage and career

[edit]
Esmond in 1930

In 1928, Esmond (billed as Jill Esmond Moore) appeared in the production of Bird in the Hand, where she met fellow cast member Laurence Olivier for the first time. Three weeks later, he proposed to her.[5] In his autobiography Olivier later wrote that he was smitten with Esmond, and that her cool indifference to him did nothing but further his ardour. When Bird in the Hand was being staged on Broadway, Esmond was chosen to join the American production[6] – but Olivier was not.

Determined to be near Esmond, Olivier travelled to New York City where he found work as an actor. Esmond won rave reviews for her performance. Olivier continued to follow Esmond, and after proposing to her several times, she agreed and the couple were married on 25 July 1930 at All Saints', Margaret Street, London.[7] Within weeks, the couple regretted their marriage.[8] They had one son, Tarquin Olivier.[9]

Returning to the United Kingdom, Esmond made her film debut with a starring role in an early Alfred Hitchcock film The Skin Game (1931), and over the next few years appeared in several British and (pre-Code) Hollywood films, including Thirteen Women (1932). She also appeared in two Broadway productions with Olivier, Private Lives in 1931 with Noël Coward and Gertrude Lawrence and The Green Bay Tree in 1933.[6]

Esmond's career continued to ascend while Olivier's own career languished, but after a couple of years, when his career began to show promise, she began to refuse roles.[10] Esmond had been promised a role by David O. Selznick in A Bill of Divorcement (1932) but at only half-salary. Olivier had discovered that Katharine Hepburn had been offered a much greater salary, and persuaded Esmond to turn down the role.

Esmond and Olivier starred together in one film, No Funny Business (1933), a British comedy film directed by Victor Hanbury.

In 1937, Esmond and Olivier appeared together in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" at London's Old Vic theatre.[11] During this period, their marriage was disintegrating, as Olivier had started a relationship with Vivien Leigh.[11]

Later years

[edit]

Esmond starred in the Broadway production of Emlyn Williams' play The Morning Star in 1942,[6] a production which featured the acting debut of Gregory Peck. Her acting appearances grew more sporadic with the passage of time, and she made her final film appearance in 1955, around the time she made her two appearances as Eleanor of Aquitaine in the TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood.

Personal life

[edit]
young woman and man seated at a table with maid standing centre
Esmond with Olivier in 1932

Esmond was married to Olivier between 1930 and 1940; they had one son, Tarquin Olivier (born 21 August 1936).[9] During their marriage, Olivier had affairs with Ann Todd[12] and Vivien Leigh, the latter to whom he was married from 1940 to 1960. Olivier later said that "I couldn't help myself with Vivien. No man could. I hated myself for cheating on Jill, but then I had cheated before, but this was something different. This wasn't just out of lust. This was love that I really didn't ask for but was drawn into."[13]

Esmond withstood the publicity of Olivier's affair with Vivien Leigh and did not seek a divorce. Pressed by Olivier, who was anxious to marry Leigh, she eventually agreed and they were divorced on 29 January 1940.[14][15] Among the films she appeared in are Journey for Margaret, The Pied Piper and Random Harvest, all in 1942, My Pal Wolf (1944), The White Cliffs of Dover (1944) and The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946). In 1946, she returned to the UK where she resumed her acting; her last stage appearance was in 1950, and her last film in 1955.[11]

To the end of his life, Olivier continued alimony payments to Esmond.[16][Note 1] Esmond kept in touch with Olivier, and in a letter to their son Tarquin, said "It's funny after all that time how I can still love him so much."[19] Frail and in a wheelchair, she attended Olivier's memorial service in October 1989 at Westminster Abbey.[20]

Death

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Esmond was 82 years old when she died on 28 July 1990 in Wandsworth, London.[21]

Complete filmography

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Selected stage appearances

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Some authors suggested that in her later years, Esmond discussed the bitterness she felt towards Olivier.[17] It was speculated that she felt she had sacrificed her career so that he could further his own, only to find herself cruelly discarded.[18]

Citations

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  1. ^ Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 229. ISBN 9781476625997. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  2. ^ Goldberg, Harry (22 September 1929). "English Youth". The Honolulu Advertiser. Hawaii, Honolulu. p. 50. Retrieved 24 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ Joannou, Maroula. "Moore, Eva (1868–1955)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 10 February 2011
  4. ^ "Death of Mr H. V. Esmond", The Times, 18 April 1922, p. 12
  5. ^ Gehman, Richard (9 February 1961). "The Life and Loves of Sir Laurence Olivie: The Man, a Tangled Mass of Contradictions". Philadelphia Daily News. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Hearst Headline Service. p. 36.
  6. ^ a b c "("Jill Esmond" search results)". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on 24 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  7. ^ Coleman 2006, p. 42.
  8. ^ Olivier 1994, p. 88.
  9. ^ a b Olivier 1994, p. 77.
  10. ^ Cottrell 1975, p. 63.
  11. ^ a b c "Actress Jill Esmond, First Wife of Laurence Olivier, is Dead". Associated Press.
  12. ^ Coleman 2006, pp. 76, 79; Munn 2007, p. 61.
  13. ^ Munn 2007, p. 60.
  14. ^ Beckett 2005, p. 30.
  15. ^ Madsen 2002, p. 80.
  16. ^ Coleman 2005, p. 489.
  17. ^ Spoto 2001, p. 102.
  18. ^ Barker 1984, p. 42.
  19. ^ Olivier 1992, p. 258.
  20. ^ Olivier 1992, p. 259.
  21. ^ "Deaths England and Wales 1984–2006." Archived 27 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine findmypast.com. Retrieved 28 January 2015.

Bibliography

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