Laurence Olivier to get new blue plaque in London

Sir Laurence Olivier, one of Britain’s greatest actors of the 20th century and the founder of the National Theatre, is to be honoured with a blue plaque in London.

Nine new blue plaques are being awarded in total by English Heritage across London to celebrate notable people who helped shape the Capital.

Other people being recognised include World War Two military strategist Brigadier Dudley Clarke, filmmaker Jill Craigie, anti-racism activist Kamal Chunchie, journalist Duse Mohamed Ali, astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, social reformer Gertrude Tuckwell, photographer Julia Margaret Cameron and writer Stefan Zweig.

“This year’s new plaques represent an astonishing range of achievement – from scientific discovery and artistic innovation to activism and political campaigning. Each, in their own way, helped shape London as a place of ideas, creativity and reform, and their stories continue to resonate today.” – Matt Thompson, English Heritage

The annual Olivier Awards are named in honour of Laurence Olivier, who died in 1989. Famous for a career on both stage and screen, including winning 3 Oscars from 11 nominations, his greatest roles included playing Shakespeare’s Henry V on stage and screen.

Olivier already has a blue plaque in his home town of Dorking, and is honoured with a statue outside the National Theatre.

Blue plaques are awarded by English Heritage to celebrate historic people in London and around the UK, and the buildings in which they lived and worked.

English Heritage on Laurence Olivier (1907–1989): Widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, Laurence Olivier pursued a career that was inseparable from London’s theatrical life. From his early classical roles to his leadership of the National Theatre, Olivier redefined standards of performance on stage and screen. His portrayals of Shakespearean characters set new benchmarks for emotional depth and technical mastery, while his film work brought British acting to international audiences.

English Heritage are currently working with the property owners as all blue plaques are subject to full owner approval, so there are no current details about the locations of these new blue plaques.

Also see: Our feature on theatrical blue plaques in London

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Main photo: Laurence Olivier to get a new blue plaque in London (Olivier Award photo by Pamela Raith)