Vivien Leigh visits Strathfield

In October 1961, English actress Vivien Leigh visited Strathfield to open the National Rose Society’s spring festival in the Strathfield Latvian Hall.  She made the presentation of a silver rose bowl to the winner of the champion class section.  She was welcomed to the festival by the Mayor of Strathfield, Alderman Bruce Ward, representatives of the Strathfield Chamber of Commerce and the Rose Society officials.  Proceeds of the event were donated to the Poliomyelitis and Physicality Handicapped Society. 

Vivien Leigh (1913-1967) is best known for her performances in the films ‘Gone with the Wind’ (1939) and ‘Streetcar named Desire’ (1951), winning Best Actress Academy Awards for both performances.  Aside from her film career, she was dedicated to the theatre, performing in a wide variety of roles including Shakespeare to contemporary dramatists including Tennessee Williams, Noel Coward and Terrence Rattigan. In 1948, she and her then husband, actor Laurence Olivier toured Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and South America for six months performing with the Old Vic Theatre company.

Leigh toured Australia again in 1961 with the Old Vic Theatre company performing in the plays ‘Twelfth Night’, ‘The Lady of the Camellias’ and ‘Duel of Angels’.  During this tour, she visited Strathfield in October 1961.  She died in 1967. 

References

Bean, K (2013), Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait, Running Press Publishers

Galloway, S (2022), Truly Madly, Hachette Book Group

Rose Show at Strathfield (1961 October 29), Sydney Morning Herald

VIVIEN IS DELIGHTED WITH HER GOOD-LUCK PORTRAIT (1961, October 11). The Australian Women’s Weekly (1933 – 1982), p. 11. Retrieved June 5, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47252932

Photo credit

The photo is from the Australian Women’s Weekly in October 1961 showing Vivien Leigh accepting a portrait of her in the role of Viola in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” painted by Melbourne artist Paul Fitzgerald.