A page from an autograph album signed in person by Laurence Olivier (1907 - 1989), the Oscar-winning English actor generally accepted as the finest of his generation. He played dashing young men in the 1930s, then men of mystery and intrigue in Hollywood, before a string of Shakespearian triumphs. In the 1960s it was offbeat leading roles and finally, character parts. Among Olivier's film credits are Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940) and a trilogy of Shakespeare films, Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948), for which he won the Best Actor Oscar, and Richard III (1955). His later films included Spartacus (1960), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Sleuth (1972), Marathon Man (1976) and The Boys from Brazil (1978). His television appearances included an adaptation of The Moon and Sixpence (1960), Long Day's Journey into Night (1973), Love Among the Ruins (1975), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976), Brideshead Revisited (1981) and King Lear (1983). He was married three times, to the actresses Jill Esmond from 1930 to 1940, Vivien Leigh from 1940 to 1960, and Joan Plowright from 1961 until his death. Knighted in 1947, he was created Lord Olivier in 1970.

For his work in films, Olivier received three Academy Awards: an honorary award for Henry V (1947), a Best Actor award for Hamlet (1948), and a second honorary award in 1979 to recognise his lifetime of contribution to the art of film. As the producer for Hamlet he also collected the award for Best Picture at the 1949 ceremony. In total, he was nominated for ten acting Oscars and one for the direction of Hamlet. He also won two British Academy Film Awards out of ten nominations, five Emmy Awards out of nine nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards out of six nominations. He was nominated once for a Tony Award (as Archie Rice in The Entertainer) but did not win.