Academy Award
Award
1952 (made)
1952 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The British film and theatre actress Vivien Leigh (1913-1967) is one of the most important film and stage performers of the mid 20th century. She played the role of Blanche DuBois in the first British production of Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire, staged at the Aldwych Theatre in 1949.
In 1950, she was offered the role in the film, a rare opportunity for an actor to transfer their stage performance to screen. In 1952, Leigh was awarded her second Oscar for her performance as Blanche, with Streetcar winning a total of four awards that year. Leigh had won her first Oscar for Gone with the Wind (1939), becoming the first British woman to receive the award.
Leigh's original Streetcar Oscar was stolen in a burglary at her home, Notley Abbey, in July 1953, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave her a replacement. The original has never resurfaced.
In 1950, she was offered the role in the film, a rare opportunity for an actor to transfer their stage performance to screen. In 1952, Leigh was awarded her second Oscar for her performance as Blanche, with Streetcar winning a total of four awards that year. Leigh had won her first Oscar for Gone with the Wind (1939), becoming the first British woman to receive the award.
Leigh's original Streetcar Oscar was stolen in a burglary at her home, Notley Abbey, in July 1953, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave her a replacement. The original has never resurfaced.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Academy Award (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Gold-plated britannium |
| Brief description | Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Actress, awarded to Vivien Leigh for her role in the film A Streetcar Named Desire, presented in 1952 |
| Physical description | Gold-plated figure of a man in Art Deco style, standing on a reel of film, on a circular base. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Academy First Award / To / Vivien Leigh / For her performance in / "A Streetcar Named Desire" |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by the Farrington Family, in memory of Suzanne Farrington |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | The British film and theatre actress Vivien Leigh (1913-1967) is one of the most important film and stage performers of the mid 20th century. She played the role of Blanche DuBois in the first British production of Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire, staged at the Aldwych Theatre in 1949. In 1950, she was offered the role in the film, a rare opportunity for an actor to transfer their stage performance to screen. In 1952, Leigh was awarded her second Oscar for her performance as Blanche, with Streetcar winning a total of four awards that year. Leigh had won her first Oscar for Gone with the Wind (1939), becoming the first British woman to receive the award. Leigh's original Streetcar Oscar was stolen in a burglary at her home, Notley Abbey, in July 1953, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave her a replacement. The original has never resurfaced. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1019-2017 |
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| Record created | December 5, 2017 |
| Record URL |
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