English film actor Lawrence Harvey was born on October 1, 1928 in Lithuania. At the age of five, he moved with his father and mother to South Africa, the city of Johannesburg. During the Second World War he traveled around the fronts as part of the artistic brigade, served in the Italian army, traveled to Egypt, but eventually returned to Johannesburg. In the postwar years, the young man graduated from high school and got a job as a cutter at a diamond processing enterprise. This occupation brought him a small income, and the family was already able to make ends meet in the difficult post-war period.
Theater stage
In 1946, Lawrence Harvey took part in a scholarship, which was organized by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, won a bonus and entered the directing department. After graduating from the Academy, he worked in theaters of Manchester, London and Stratford-upon-Avon. However, theatrical activity did not deliver the young actor satisfaction, he dreamed of a big movie. And soon his dreams came true, after another casting, Harvey received an invitation.
Movie career
Lawrence Harvey made his debut on the big screen in 1948, in a film directed by Oswald Mitchell entitled "House of Darkness." The game of the young actor did not make an impression, and he received the next prominent role in the movie only in 1954. Lawrence Harvey played Romeo in Shakespeare's famous play Romeo and Juliet. With good external data, the actor still could not cope with the role of the monarchy heir in love. His character looked pale and unconvincing.
Nevertheless, Lawrence R. Harvey, films with whose participation could be counted on the fingers, was invited to Hollywood by Warner Bros. for the lead role in the movie Richard the Lionheart. How successfully the actor played in Hollywood is unknown.
Having settled in America, Lawrence Harvey took part in several productions on Broadway. His role in the play "Island of the Goats" was awarded the International Theater Prize, despite the fact that the production itself failed. Lawrence Harvey then played in a comedy called The Provincial and in the drama Henry V.
The first truly successful role of the actor was the character Joe Lampton in the film "Way Up", filmed in 1959 by director Jack Clayton. The picture received good reviews from critics. Harvey Lawrence, films with whose participation became increasingly popular, became a well-known actor.
Summary of the film "Way Up"
The film tells about a not too successful provincial named Joe Lampton, who, in the hope of success, comes to a neighboring city. He makes a plan in accordance with which he intends to meet the pretty daughter of a fabulously wealthy and influential city dweller, Mr. Brown.
The girl's name is Susan, and she plays in a local amateur theater. Joe enters this theater and simultaneously gets acquainted with Alice Asgill, a beauty in her years, but still fresh. Lampton gets close to a new friend, and they become lovers. Then he recalls his plan, throws Alice and makes an affair with Susan. She responds to Joe's courtship and spends several nights with him.
However, having become close to her daughter, he does not get closer to her father. Moreover, Mr. Brown immediately saw through Lampton and pointed to the door. He sends his beloved daughter to Europe for a time, away from sin.
Lampton's plans collapse, and he returns to Alice. Suddenly, Susan returns and confesses to her parents that she is pregnant. Mr. Brown is preparing a wedding.
Alice gets drunk with grief in a bar and dies in a car accident. Joe is having a hard time surviving what happened, as he loved Alice with all his heart. Drunk, Lampton goes for a walk, and on the street he is beaten half to death. Nevertheless, the wedding with the pregnant Susan took place.
Personal life
The actor’s first love was actress Hermione Baddeley. Then, in 1957, Lawrence Harvey married Margaret Leighton, also an actress. The couple lived together for four years, followed by a divorce. Harvey's next wife was the millionaire Joan Perry, with whom he also lived for four years. And Lawrence's last wife was Paulina Stone, a model. She gave birth to an actor a lovely daughter, whom they named Domino.
Filmography
During his career, Harvey starred in more than fifty films, some of which differ in the depth of the plot and can be attributed to the best examples of cinema art.
The following is a list of selected films featuring Lawrence:
- 1948, The House of Darkness, Dancing Years.
- 1949, Man from the Past, Man on the Run, Failure.
- 1950, "Black Rose", "Road to Cairo", "Othello".
- 1952, "The Walking Killer," "I Believe You."
- 1953, Knights of the Round Table, Twilling Women, Innocent in Paris.
- 1954, "King Richard," "Romeo and Juliet."
- 1955, "The Storm on the Nile"
- 1956, "A man in a boat."
- 1959th, "The Way Up."
- 1960, Fort Alamo, Butterfield 8.
- 1961, Short and Long Stories, Two Loves, Summer and Smoke.
- 1962, "Walking in the dissolute quarter", "Manchurian candidate."
- 1963, the "Ceremony".
- 1964, "Anger", "Darling."
- 1968, "Winter's Tale", "Battle of Rome."
- 1969, The Miracle Worker.