A man for all seasons
The last of the great actor-managers
Olivier. By Philip Ziegler. MacLehose Press; 461 pages; £25. Buy from Amazon.co.uk
HE MAY have been the last of the great actor-managers. Now that Laurence Olivier has been dead for almost 25 years, it is easier for a biographer to look through the trees and see the wood. Philip Ziegler’s splendid biography confirms the contention that Lord Olivier OM is as great a figure in the history of the English theatre as David Garrick or Sir Henry Irving. That is exactly what Olivier intended. Mr Ziegler, a seasoned biographer of kings, prime ministers and proconsuls, gives a convincing account of the evidence.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline "A man for all seasons"
From the September 7th 2013 edition
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