The acclaimed biography of Laurence Olivier is reissued to coincide with the centenary of his birth. Laurence Olivier was both an enchanter and a force of nature. In The Real Life of Laurence Olivier, Roger Lewis goes beyond the magical illusions the actor created, to tell the truth about the man' s sexuality, ambition, revenges, power, preoccupations and achievements. Most of all, Olivier' s life and work become a love story -- the tale of the relationship with Vivien Leigh, who was destroyed by the extent of her passion for him, as he himself was cast into a frenzy of guilt and disillusion.