# Olivia de Havilland dies at 104 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 26, 2020, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400 "2020-07-26T16:42:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/1 "2020-07-26T16:42:26Z")
[In her sleep Saturday at her home in Paris.](https://ew.com/movies/gone-with-the-wind-star-olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/) I am so done with 2020. ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/2 "2020-07-26T16:47:58Z")
Our own **Eve** had tea with her at her apartment in Paris a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/3 "2020-07-26T16:57:11Z")
Just last week, Mrs. L.A. asked how old she was. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/4 "2020-07-26T17:24:36Z")
I believe that severs the last thread to the Golden age of filmmaking. Sad, very sad. Somehow, not tragic. It’s very hard to say that living to 104 is tragic. Good show, Ma’am. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/5 "2020-07-26T17:41:50Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I believe that severs the last thread to the Golden age of filmmaking. Depending on how you define it. Many definitions include the 1950s in which case there are still important stars like Eva Marie Saint who are alive. But 1939 is widely considered the pinnacle of the Golden Age and I do believe that Havilland was the very last star from that era. So yeah this is a major moment when the last living link with a legendary era in American culture passes away. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/6 "2020-07-26T17:47:05Z")
Loved her in The Snake Pit…Grand Lady. RIP ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/7 "2020-07-26T17:50:23Z")
The Supreme Court ended the Studio System in 1948 (using anti-trust laws), and most people consider that the Golden Age ended then, because you could not longer get the biggest names to work for a fraction of what the studio heads made, or to appear in 3 or 4 films a year. Is anyone else alive whose career peaked before 1948? There may be some child actors who did not stay in the business, but I think all the great leads are dead now. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/8 "2020-07-26T17:56:16Z")
So I guess Mickey Kuhn who as Beau Wilkes wins the _Gone with the Wind_ tontine. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/9 "2020-07-26T17:58:22Z")
Oh no! I, too, am so done with 2020. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/10 "2020-07-26T18:08:57Z")
Right after posting this I mentioned it to my wife, who replied that they both shared the same hometown of Saratoga CA (1 hour south of San Francisco and near to San Jose). Born in Tokyo, little Olivia grew up in Saratoga, going to elementary school, junior high, and high school at Los Gatos High School because Saratoga High, my wife’s HS, didn’t exist yet. My wife said there are streets in Saratoga named de Havilland and Fontaine (sister) near her folks’ place. ETA map with De Havilland Drive and Fontaine Drive in Saratoga CA, and yes it’s near my in-laws’ house \>\> [Google Maps](https://is.gd/5CtQNj). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/11 "2020-07-26T18:24:03Z")
> [@Lantern2](#): > > But 1939 is widely considered the pinnacle of the Golden Age and I do believe that Havilland was the very last star from that era. So yeah this is a major moment when the last living link with a legendary era in American culture passes away. Jane Withers? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/12 "2020-07-26T18:31:16Z")
I wouldn’t have expected to scream “NO!” on learning that a 104-year-old woman passed peacefully in her sleep, but Olivia de Havilland was something special. She not only was one of the last living actors from the Studio System, but she also played a key role in ending it. Her lawsuit against Warner Brothers lead directly to the ultimate breakdown of the system. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/13 "2020-07-26T18:48:49Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > > [@Lantern2](#): > > > > But 1939 is widely considered the pinnacle of the Golden Age and I do believe that Havilland was the very last star from that era. So yeah this is a major moment when the last living link with a legendary era in American culture passes away. > > Jane Withers? Never heard of her. From her Wiki page it appears she was a significant child star in the 30s but it would be fair to say that compared to Havilland she is largely forgotten today. I think the major 30s stars comparable to Havilland who lived well into the 21st century would include Mickey Rooney, Shirley Temple and Joan Fontaine. They died within six months of each other in 2013-14 and Havilland ended up outliving them by a fair bit. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/14 "2020-07-26T19:09:10Z")
Here’s a really nice 71-picture [photo montage](https://www.imdb.com/imdbpicks/remembering-olivia-de-havilland/rg3616774912/mediaviewer/rm2241280768) from IMDB. Lord, what a beautiful face. 🤩 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/15 "2020-07-26T19:38:03Z")
Norman Lloyd is still alive at the age of 105. He’s been around long enough that he was offered a role in _Citizen Kane_ (but turned it down so he could continue his theatrical career). His film debut was in Hitchcock’s _Saboteur_ in 1942. His most recent film was _Trainwreck_ in 2015 and he hasn’t officially retired. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/16 "2020-07-26T19:52:34Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Here’s a really nice 71-picture [photo montage](https://www.imdb.com/imdbpicks/remembering-olivia-de-havilland/rg3616774912/mediaviewer/rm2241280768) from IMDB. > > Lord, what a beautiful face. 🤩 Thank you for that, @ThelmaLou. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/17 "2020-07-26T20:46:40Z")
Just saw her in Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte on Fox Classic Movies a couple weeks ago. Maybe the best portrail of a stone-cold sociopathic bitch ever. Her, Betty Davis and Agnes Moorhead were all oscar worthy. Joseph Cotton was drunk but still good. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/18 "2020-07-26T21:23:53Z")
She’ll always be Maid Marian to me. I first saw _ **The Adventures of Robin Hood** _ when I was in high school, and it’s still one of my favorite movies. She was suberb in _ **The Heiress** _, too. Another of my top-ten favorites. RIP, Olivia. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/19 "2020-07-26T21:29:10Z")
She was a wonderful actress, and simply stunning in **The Adventures Of Robin Hood.**. Now we’ll never know why she and her sister fell out, but as Eve said, I side with Livy. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400/20 "2020-07-26T21:29:24Z")
IIRC, Jane Withers went on to play Josephine the Plumber in the _ **Comet** _ scouring powder commercials back in the '60s. A lot of people disliked her because she was mean to Shirley Temple in one of her child-star movies. (This is according to my mother, who was a big ST fan in the '30s.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olivia-de-havilland-dies-at-104/916400.md?page=2)