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Jill Esmond

Jill Esmond

Actor

Born January 26, 1908 in London, England, UK

Died July 20, 1990

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Jill Esmond (26 January 1908 – 28 July 1990) was an English actress and first wife of Sir Laurence Olivier.

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. 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 – 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; within weeks, the couple regretted their marriage. They had one son, Tarquin Olivier (born 21 August 1936).

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.

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. 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 convinced Esmond to turn down the role. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jill Esmond, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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State's Attorney (Preview Clip)

Filmography

Actor

31

Type

Year

Paul Merton Looks at Alfred Hitchcock Poster

Paul Merton Looks at Alfred Hitchcock Documentary2009Jill Hillcrist

Larry and Vivien: The Oliviers in Love Poster

Larry and Vivien: The Oliviers in Love Documentary2001Self

A Man Called Peter Poster

A Man Called Peter Feature Film1955Mrs. Findlay

The Adventures of Robin Hood Poster

The Adventures of Robin Hood TV Series1955Queen Eleanor

Night People Poster

Night People Feature Film1954Frau Schindler

Private Information Poster

Private Information Feature Film1952Charlotte

BBC Sunday-Night Theatre Poster

BBC Sunday-Night Theatre TV Series1950Lady Capulet

Escape Feature Film1948Grace Winton

Bedelia Feature Film1946Nurse Harris

The Bandit of Sherwood Forest Poster

The Bandit of Sherwood Forest Feature Film1946The Queen Mother

Casanova Brown Poster

Casanova Brown Feature Film1944Dr. Martha Zernecke

My Pal Wolf Poster

My Pal Wolf Feature Film1944Miss Elizabeth Munn

The White Cliffs of Dover Poster

The White Cliffs of Dover Feature Film1944Rosamund

Eagle Squadron Poster

Eagle Squadron Feature Film1942Phyllis

Journey for Margaret Poster

Journey for Margaret Feature Film1942Susan Fleming

On the Sunny Side Poster

On the Sunny Side Feature Film1942Mrs. Aylesworth

Random Harvest Poster

Random Harvest Feature Film1942Lydia

The Pied Piper Poster

The Pied Piper Feature Film1942Mrs. Cavanaugh

This Above All Poster

This Above All Feature Film1942Nurse Emily Harvey

Prison Without Bars TV Movie1939Carol Linden, Superintendent

On the Spot TV Movie1938Minn Lee

No Funny Business Poster

No Funny Business Feature Film1933Anne

F. P. 1 Doesn't Answer Poster

F. P. 1 Doesn't Answer Feature Film1932Claire Lennartz

Is My Face Red? Poster

Is My Face Red? Feature Film1932Mildred Huntington

Ladies of the Jury Poster

Ladies of the Jury Feature Film1932Mrs. Yvette Gordon

State's Attorney Poster

State's Attorney Feature Film1932Lillian Ulrich

Thirteen Women Poster

Thirteen Women Feature Film1932Jo Turner

Once a Lady Poster

Once a Lady Feature Film1931Faith Penwick

The Eternal Feminine Poster

The Eternal Feminine Feature Film1931Claire Lee

The Skin Game Poster

The Skin Game Feature Film1931Jill Hillcrist

The Chinese Bungalow Poster

The Chinese Bungalow Feature Film1930Jean

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