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Olivia de Havilland holds Oscar she won for best actress at Academy Awards presentations in Hollywood on March 23, 1950. (AP Photo)
When one is something of a legend, age takes on a paradoxical quality. Another trip around the sun only serves to reinforce the idea that such immortality is at play, just further reassurance that they will continue to live on despite the confines of age and the human body. There is no sensible explanation for such a way of thinking — of course it defies logic in every aspect. It’s a phenomenon not all of us are so fortunate (or unfortunate) to experience in our lifetimes, but it holds a magic unmatched that proves to be both enthralling — and devastating — when the inevitable moment of death arrives.
Perhaps nobody has ever, and will ever embody this sentiment better than Dame Olivia de Havilland, who left us yesterday at an astonishing one-hundred-and-four years of age. Certainly, she lived a long and robust life, yet the loss still feels surreal, leaving an emptiness that slowly is being replaced with a profound sense of loss and sorrow.
Just a few days prior, I had watched one of her later films, Lady In a Cage, and was joking my way through on Twitter. I am somewhat of a new fan of hers, having really only delved into the bulk of her extensive filmography — and incredible, unparalleled life — in the past two or three months. I devoured each new film with hunger, marveling at her abilities in reverence. It isn’t often that I connect with an actress so deeply, and I felt Livvie was well on her way to becoming my next and latest favorite. I often thought of how thankful I was that such a trailblazing icon of cinema was still amongst us and still very active. Even before I considered myself informed enough to be a devoted fan, I remember marveling at her gall three years back when she took a stand against Ryan Murphy, speaking for our whole community as she lambasted his trashy and fictitious depictions in Feud: Bette and Joan. Despite losing the case, she nevertheless fought as hard and long as she could, not relenting until the Supreme Court refused to hear the case.
Dame de Havilland as she appeared last year, at 103 years of age.
Of course, Livvie was no stranger to taking such stands, even if it meant facing the crushing intimidation of heavy opposition. She succeeded in suing Warner Brothers for their restrictive contracts for players — which, by the way, violated California laws. Seven years prior, close friend and fellow Warner Brothers star Bette Davis had taken on the very same fight, only to concede in defeat. Olivia picked up the torch and finished the relay in flaming glory, thus changing the course and direction for actors going forever forward. Bette herself held her in high regard and admiration for this, even going so far as to state that “every actor owes Olivia a thank you for her contribution.” High praise coming from someone so acclaimed as Ms. Davis, who was also notoriously scant and selective when it came to lauding the efforts of others.
Longtime friends de Havilland and Davis photographed in 1964, on the set of Davis’ film Dead Ringer
Olivia won two Oscars — once in ‘47 for To Each His Own, and once in ‘50 for The Heiress. Both performances are excellent representations of her range and talent, and in her total career she garnered a total of five nominations. In addition to this, she landed a prominent role in what was arguably the most important and game changing movie of the studio era –-Gone With the Wind — at the mere age of twenty three. It propelled her to true stardom, distinguishing her as a first-rate film star worthy of her own cinematic vehicles as opposed to being viewed as “Errol Flynn’s leading lady.”
Though we as a community are still reeling from such a devastating loss, Olivia leaves behind a life and legacy that is bountiful and ripe with importance. She was able to witness the digitization of fandoms and see how even in today’s day and climate, so many devoted fans continue to exist and celebrate her legacy. I have no doubt in my heart that she is sharing this now with all of her lovely contemporaries with whom she was finally able to reunite. May she enjoy her well-deserved rest after a remarkable life studded by achievement and ardor.
The body may not be immortal, but the spirit — and her legacy — certainly are and always will be. And that is not magic nor illusion, but fact.
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