APROPOS OF NOTHING #82 - 11 JULY, 1989 - LAURENCE OLIVIER

Available for freelance writing commissions on a variety of subjects including family history, nostalgic Belfast and its famous people, shops, shoppers & shopping (40 years in retailing), the golden age of Hollywood (including westerns) and humorous pieces on life's weird and wonderful. Op-eds, columns, non-fiction book reviews too. 

joecushnan@aol.com & @JoeCushnan

I have a portfolio of features, reviews, poetry and short fiction published in all sorts of places - Belfast Telegraph, Tribune, Ireland's Own, Dalhousie Review, Fairlight Books, Reader's Digest, Reality, Lapwing Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Spillwords, Dear Reader, Amethyst Review, to name a selection.  Oh, and the odd BBC radio contribution. I wrote a book on retailing, on dealing with job losses and a biography of Stephen Boyd.

This is a series of very short items that have nothing to do with the current news agenda.  Swift diversions for a moment or two.

Apropos of Nothing #82 – 11 July 1989

Laurence Olivier died at 82 on 11 July, 1989.  He is rightly acknowledged as one of the finest actors of all-time.

He won the following screen accolades, amongst others, 4 Academy Awards, 3 BAFTA Film Awards, 2 Golden Globe Awards, 5 Emmy Awards and 1 Tony Award. His CV covering all mediums is outstanding. Not only an actor, he was director, producer and contributing writer to many productions.

On stage and screen, he was versatile, tackling the classics and performing in a variety of roles encompassing drama and comedy.

He was Hamlet (1948) and Henry V (1944).  He was The Entertainer (1960), Archie Rice.

I wrote to him a long time ago and he sent me this signed photo of his character in the film A Little Romance (1978), directed by George Roy Hill and featuring Diane Lane in her film debut.

Laurence Olivier’s ashes are buried at Poet’s Corner, Westminster Abbey.

"Acting is a masochistic form of exhibitionism. It is not quite the occupation of an adult."

Sources: Various