On this day, July 1, in 1916, a star was truly born. In Tokyo, Japan, Lillian Ruse de Havilland gave birth to her first child- Olivia Mary de Havilland. The elder of a cinematic sisterly duo (her younger sister is fellow Hollywood legend Joan Fontaine), Olivia has created an astounding legacy. The following is a timeline of major moments in Olivia's life:
1916: Olivia is born in Tokyo, Japan.
1919: Olivia, Joan, and Lillian travel to America to make a home without the girls' father, Walter Augustus de Havilland.
1924: In their mother's absence, Olivia and Joan are molested by their stepfather, George Fontaine.
1932: At age 16, Olivia is forced from her home by her parents and finds refuge in the home of a family friend.
1934: Olivia is cast in Max Reinhardt's stage production of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." She is subsequently granted a role in the big screen adaptation of said play.
1935: Olivia signs a 7-year contract with Warner Bros.
1939: Olivia is cast as Melanie Hamilton Wilkes in David O. Selznick's production of Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind." Olivia's heartfelt, moving performance earns her her first Academy Award nomination, for Best Supporting Actress.
1941: Olivia earns her second Academy Award nomination, for Best Actress, for her performance in "Hold Back the Dawn."
1943: Olivia files a lawsuit against Warner Bros, challenging the annexing of suspension time to an artist's 7-year contract. The court ruled in Olivia's favor, thus producing "The de Havilland Law."
1946: Olivia marries author Marcus Aurelius Goodrich, and wins her first Best Actress Oscar for her performance in "To Each His Own."
1948: Olivia gives a harrowing performance in "The Snake Pit," which earned her her third Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards.
1949: Olivia takes home the Best Actress Oscar for the second time; this time for her role in "The Heiress." Olivia also gives birth to her son, Benjamin Briggs Goodrich.
1953: Olivia divorces Marcus Goodrich, and flees to Paris, France, with Benjamin in tow.
1955: Olivia marries for the second time; this time to Paris Match editor Pierre Galante.
1956: Olivia gives birth to her daughter, Gisele Titine Galante, on July 17 of this year.
1962: Olivia files for divorce from Galante, but changes her mind and withdraws.
1964: During the filming of "Lady In a Cage," Olivia begins an extra-marital affair with Luther Davis, further complicating her already shaky marriage.
1965: Olivia files for a legal separation from Galante.
1968: Olivia's son, Benjamin, is diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at the age of 19. (some sources say 17, which would date this event to 1966, but Olivia herself has said he was 19 at the time, making this the most accurate estimate.) This was also the year that Olivia's father, Walter, died, at the age of 96.
1975: Olivia's and Joan's mother, Lillian, passes away from cancer at the age of 89.
1978: Joan Fontaine releases her memoir, "No Bed of Roses," severing all ties between the sisters for good.
1979: After 24 years, Olivia parts ways with Pierre Galante, but they remain on good terms.
1991: At the age of 42, Olivia's son Benjamin dies of heart disease resulting from complications of treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
1998: Olivia nurses ex-husband Pierre Galante through his losing battle with lung cancer while simultaneously helping her 42 year old daughter battle Depression.
2004: Olivia receives the "Premiere Women in Hollywood 'Legend'" Award.
2006: Olivia comes to America to help her newly-widowed daughter, not yet 50, cope with the death of her husband, Edward Broida.
2008: George W. Bush presents Olivia de Havilland with the National Medal for the Arts.
2009: Olivia comes out of semi-retirement to narrate a documentary about Alzheimer's titled "I Remember Better When I Paint."
2010: Olivia is 94 and still going strong. May this be a happy, healthy year for her. With many more to come.
(Though the time stamp on this post may say that it has been posted on June 30, it is 3am on July 1 in my time zone. I do not know how to correct this problem.)
