During the 1930's and 1940's, de Havilland was one of Hollywood's most prominent actresses. Prior to Gone With the Wind, de Havilland shot to stardom as Errol Flynn's leading lady in Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood. In all, they would appear in eight films together.
There would be an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress in Gone With the Wind, but would lose to fellow cast member Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American to win an Academy Award. The following year, de Havilland would receive a Best Actress nomination for Hold Back the Dawn but would be bested by her younger sister Joan Fontaine in Suspicion. The two sisters did not have a close relationship and this would remain the case until Fontaine's death in 2013.
In 1943, de Havilland was in a contract dispute with Warner Bros. Despite her 7-year contract having elapsed, Warner added six months to the contract because of roles she had rejected. She challenged this in court and prevailed although she was effectively blacklisted for two years.
Nevertheless de Havilland's challenge weakened the studio system and she would soon return to the screen for what proved to be the most productive period of her career in the late 1940's. In the space of four years, de Havilland would be nominated for three Best Actress Oscars and won the statue twice for To Each His Own and The Heiress.
After appearing alongside Richard Burton in the 1952 film My Cousin Rachel, de Havilland moved to Paris and her career would slow down significantly appearing in only a dozen films over the next 25 years. During the 1980's, de Havilland made a handful of appearances on TV including a guest spot on The Love Boat and also earned a Golden Globe for her role in the TV movie Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna before retiring altogether from performing in 1988.
I leave you with de Havilland speaking about her Gone With the Wind co-stars Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. R.I.P.
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