Lawrence Olivier & Vivien Leigh

They met when he was 29 and she 23. For Vivien Leigh, as a 22-year-old starlet in 1935, it was truly love at first sight when she saw the magnetically handsome and gifted Olivier on the London stage.When they finally met, the attraction was mutual and instant and a full-blown passionate affair soon developed. The pair finally married in 1940 in a quiet civil ceremony, witnessed only by friends Garson Kanin and Katharine Hepburn.

Leigh suffered from manic depression, or bipolar mood disorder, which caused her to have regular and dramatic mood swings, although this was not diagnosed until later. The first time Olivier realised all was not well with her mental state was in 1938 when they were appearing together in Hamlet at the Old Vic. As Vivien was quietly preparing to go on stage she suddenly began screaming at Olivier without apparent provocation, before suddenly becoming silent and withdrawn. She was able to perform perfectly, and quickly returned to normal with no memory of the event. This became a common event during their marriage—irrational behaviour from Vivien, followed by melancholy, sorrow and remorse.

While suffer in depression, Vivien told Olivier that she was no longer interested in him romantically. She pursued other men and had subsequent affairs with multiple partners. Olivier, too, began having affairs.On January 6 Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh were divorced after 20 years of marriage. In March of the same year, Olivier marries actress, Joan Plowright with whom he will stay for the rest of his life.

Some movies they filmed together: 21 Days (1940) , That Hamilton Woman (1941)