Laurence Olivier (1907-1989): In a career underscored by an awesome theatrical presence and Shakespearean credentials, Sir Laurence Olivier went from comic lead to brooding star to interpreter of the Bard to a much-honored character actor, with ten nominations and one Academy Award.® Few movie stars have been as universally esteemed. Olivier said: “Work is life for me. It is the only point in life, and with it, the almost religious belief that service is everything.”