Jill Esmond Moore (26 January 1908 – 28 July 1990) was an English stage and screen actress.

Early life

Esmond was born in London, the daughter of stage actors Henry V. Esmond and Eva Moore. Dramatist W.S. Gilbert and actress

Maxine Elliott Maxine Elliott (February 5, 1868 – March 5, 1940) also known as Little Jessie, Dettie or by her birth name Jessie Dermott, was an American actress and businesswoman. She managed her own theater and experimented with silent films in the 1910s. ...

were her godparents. One of her maternal aunts was Decima Moore. She had a brother Jack (an actor) and a sister, Lynette, who did not survive infancy.Joannou, Maroula
"Moore, Eva (1868–1955)"
''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 10 February 2011 While her parents toured with theatre companies, Esmond spent her childhood in boarding schools until she decided at the age of 14 to become an actress. She made her stage debut playing Wendy to Gladys Cooper's

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

, but her success was short-lived. When her father died suddenly in 1922, in Paris, due to

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

, Esmond returned to school and at the time considered abandoning her ambition to act. After reassessing her future and coming to terms with her father's death, she studied with the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

in London, and returned to the West End stage in 1924. In 1925, she starred with her mother in a play ''Mary, Mary Quite Contrary'', and after a few more successful roles, won critical praise for her part as a young suicide in ''

Outward Bound Outward Bound (OB) is an international network of outdoor education organisations that was founded in the United Kingdom by Lawrence Holt in 1941 based on the educational principles of Kurt Hahn. Today there are organisations, called schools, i ...

''.

Marriage and career

In 1928, Esmond (billed as Jill Esmond Moore) appeared in the production of ''Bird in the Hand'', where she met fellow cast member

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

for the first time. Three weeks later, he proposed to her. In his autobiography Olivier later wrote that he was smitten with Esmond, and that her cool indifference to him did nothing but further his ardour. When ''Bird in the Hand'' was being staged on Broadway, Esmond was chosen to join the American production – but Olivier was not. Determined to be near Esmond, Olivier travelled to New York City where he found work as an actor. Esmond won rave reviews for her performance. Olivier continued to follow Esmond, and after proposing to her several times, she agreed and the couple were married on 25 July 1930 at All Saints', Margaret Street, London. Within weeks, the couple regretted their marriage. They had one son, Tarquin Olivier. Returning to the United Kingdom, Esmond made her film debut with a starring role in an early

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

film '' The Skin Game'' (1931), and over the next few years appeared in several British and (

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

) Hollywood films, including '' Thirteen Women'' (1932). She also appeared in two Broadway productions with Olivier, ''

Private Lives ''Private Lives'' is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetuall ...

'' in 1931 with

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

and

Gertrude Lawrence Gertrude Lawrence (4 July 1898 – 6 September 1952) was an English actress, singer, dancer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End of London and on Broadway in New York. Early life Lawrence was born in 1 ...

and ''

The Green Bay Tree ''The Green Bay Tree'' is a 1933 three-act drama written by Mordaunt Shairp that explores a "half-suggested homosexual relationship" between a man and his protégé or, in the words of one critic "a rich hot-house sybarite" and someone "he a ...

'' in 1933. Esmond's career continued to ascend while Olivier's own career languished, but after a couple of years, when his career began to show promise, she began to refuse roles. Esmond had been promised a role by

David O. Selznick David O. Selznick (born David Selznick; May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca (1940 film), Rebecca'' (1 ...

in '' A Bill of Divorcement'' (1932) but at only half-salary. Olivier had discovered that

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

had been offered a much greater salary, and persuaded Esmond to turn down the role. Esmond and Olivier starred together in one film, ''

No Funny Business ''No Funny Business'' is a 1933 British comedy film directed by Victor Hanbury and starring Laurence Olivier, Gertrude Lawrence, Jill Esmond and Edmund Breon. It was written by Hanbury and Frank Vosper based on a story by Dorothy Hope. The ...

'' (1933), a British comedy film directed by

Victor Hanbury W. Victor Hanbury (1897 – 14 December 1954) was a British film director and producer. Entering the film industry in 1919 after service in the First World War, he became a director and producer in the early 1930s. His last film as a director w ...

. In 1937, Esmond and Olivier appeared together in Shakespeare's ''"Twelfth Night"'' at London's Old Vic theatre. During this period, their marriage was disintegrating, as Olivier had started a relationship with Vivien Leigh.

Later years

Esmond starred in the Broadway production of

Emlyn Williams George Emlyn Williams, CBE (26 November 1905 – 25 September 1987) was a Welsh writer, dramatist and actor. Early life Williams was born into a Welsh-speaking, working class family at 1 Jones Terrace, Pen-y-ffordd, Ffynnongroyw, Flintshi ...

' play '' The Morning Star'' in 1942, a production which featured the acting debut of

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 12th-greatest male ...

. Her acting appearances grew more sporadic with the passage of time, and she made her final film appearance in 1955, around the time she made her two appearances as

Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine ( or ; ; , or ; – 1 April 1204) was Duchess of Aquitaine from 1137 to 1204, Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII, and Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of King Henry II. As ...

in the TV series ''

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Epic film, epic swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and written by Norman Reilly Ra ...

''.

Personal life

Esmond was married to Olivier between 1930 and 1940; they had one son, Tarquin Olivier (born 21 August 1936). During their marriage, Olivier had affairs with Ann Todd and

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; born Vivian Mary Hartley; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. After completing her drama school education, Leigh appeared in small roles in four films in 1935 and progress ...

, the latter to whom he was married from 1940 to 1960. Olivier later said that "I couldn't help myself with Vivien. No man could. I hated myself for cheating on Jill, but then I had cheated before, but this was something different. This wasn't just out of lust. This was love that I really didn't ask for but was drawn into." Esmond withstood the publicity of Olivier's affair with Vivien Leigh and did not seek a divorce. Pressed by Olivier, who was anxious to marry Leigh, she eventually agreed and they were divorced on 29 January 1940.Beckett 2005, p. 30.Madsen 2002, p. 80. Among the films she appeared in are '' Journey for Margaret'', '' The Pied Piper'' and ''

Random Harvest ''Random Harvest'' is a novel written by James Hilton, first published in 1941. Like previous Hilton works, including '' Lost Horizon'' and '' Goodbye, Mr. Chips'', the novel was immensely popular, placing second on ''Publishers Weekly'' li ...

'', all in 1942, '' My Pal Wolf'' (1944), '' The White Cliffs of Dover'' (1944) and ''

The Bandit of Sherwood Forest ''The Bandit of Sherwood Forest'' is a 1946 American Technicolor adventure film directed by Henry Levin & George Sherman and starring Cornel Wilde, Anita Louise, Jill Esmond and Edgar Buchanan. Plot Robin Hood's son ( Cornel Wilde) returns to ...

'' (1946). In 1946, she returned to the UK where she resumed her acting; her last stage appearance was in 1950, and her last film in 1955. To the end of his life, Olivier continued alimony payments to Esmond. Esmond kept in touch with Olivier, and in a letter to their son Tarquin, said "It's funny after all that time how I can still love him so much." Frail and in a wheelchair, she attended Olivier's memorial service in October 1989 at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

Death

Esmond was 82 years old when she died on 28 July 1990 in

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

, London."Deaths England and Wales 1984–2006."
findmypast.com. Retrieved 28 January 2015.

Complete filmography

* '' The Chinese Bungalow'' (1930) - Jean * '' The Skin Game'' (1931) - Jill Hillcrist * '' The Eternal Feminine'' (1931) - Claire Lee * ''

Once a Lady ''Once a Lady'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code drama film directed by Guthrie McClintic and starring Ruth Chatterton, Ivor Novello and Jill Esmond. The film, produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures, is a remake of the Pola Negri silent f ...

'' (1931) - Faith Penwick the Girl * '' Ladies of the Jury'' (1932) - Mrs. Yvette Gordon * ''

State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

'' (1932) - Lillian Ulrich * ''

Is My Face Red? ''Is My Face Red?'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by William A. Seiter and written by Ben Markson and Casey Robinson. The film focuses on Bill Poster, a hugely successful newspaper and radio columnist, who pursues scandal in ...

'' (1932) - Mildred Huntington * '' Thirteen Women'' (1932) - Jo Turner * '' F.P.1 Doesn't Answer'' (1933) - Claire Lennartz * ''

'' (1933) - Anne * ''On the Spot'' (1938, version of the 1938 TV movie) - Minn Lee * ''Prison Without Bars'' (1939, TV Movie) - Carol Linden, Superintendent * '' On the Sunny Side'' (1942) - Mrs. Aylesworth * '' This Above All'' (1942) - Nurse Emily Harvey * '' Eagle Squadron'' (1942) - Phyllis * '' The Pied Piper'' (1942) - Mrs. Cavanaugh * '' Journey for Margaret'' (1942) - Susan Fleming * ''

'' (1942) - Lydia * '' The White Cliffs of Dover'' (1944) - Rosamund * '' Casanova Brown'' (1944) - Dr. Zernerke * '' My Pal Wolf'' (1944) - Miss Elizabeth Munn * ''

'' (1946) - The Queen Mother * '' Bedelia'' (1946) - Nurse Harris * '' Escape'' (1948) - Grace Winton * ''

Private Information Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of a ...

'' (1952) - Charlotte * '' Night People'' (1954) - Frau Schindler * '' A Man Called Peter'' (1955) - Mrs. Findlay

Selected stage appearances

* '' Gertie Maude'' by

John Van Druten John William Van Druten (1 June 190119 December 1957) was an English playwright and theatre director. He began his career in London, and later moved to America, becoming a U.S. citizen. He was known for his plays of witty and urbane observations ...

(1937) * '' The Morning Star'' by

(1942) * '' Party Manners'' by

Val Gielgud Val Henry Gielgud CBE (28 April 1900 – 30 November 1981) was an English actor, writer, director and broadcaster. He was a pioneer of radio drama for the BBC, and also directed the first ever drama to be produced in the newer medium of te ...

(1950)

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Barker, Felix. ''Laurence Olivier: A Critical Study''. Speldhurst, Kent, UK: Spellmount, 1984. . * * * Cottrell, John. ''Laurence Olivier''. New York: Prentice-Hall, 1975. . * * Madsen, Axel. ''The Sewing Circle: Sappho's Leading Ladies''. London: Kensington Books, 2002. . * * * Olivier, Tarquin. ''My Father Laurence Olivier''. London: Headline Books, 1992. . * Spoto, Donald. ''Laurence Olivier: A Biography''. London: Cooper Square Press, 2001. .

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Esmond, Jill English film actresses English stage actresses English bisexual actresses English LGBTQ actors Actresses from London 1908 births 1990 deaths 20th-century English actresses Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Spouses of life peers 20th-century English LGBTQ people Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players RKO Pictures contract players Laurence Olivier