Herbert Leigh Holman
Vivien first husband was Mr. Herbert Leigh Holman, but everyone addressed him as Leigh. He was born on November 3rd, 1900. He came from a very well-off family. And from that he received a wonderful education. He attended Harrow and Jesus College and passed his B.A. in 1921 and was from then on a barrister-at-law. Leigh died in 1982 due to cancer.
Leigh & Vivien's Relationship
Vivien's first marriage to Leigh Holman is not exactly what one might call love at first sight or even much love at all. Upon their meeting, Leigh was in love with another woman and Vivien was simply attracted to Leigh for his "Leslie Howard" looks. The two had very little in common. Leigh was what one might call a practical man, who valued domestic life whereas Vivien wanted excitement. What seemed to get the two together was their need to be with another. Holman found that Vivien could be that wonderful wife he always wanted. And as for Vivien, she felt that if she turned down Leigh then no one else would ever want to marry her.
It was early in the year of 1932 when the seventeen-year old Vivian Hartly met Mr. Leigh Holman. Vivien was in Teignmouth, England, staying with her friend, Mills Martin, who introduced the two. Though not in love with Vivien, Leigh's breath was taken away by her. During the next seven/eight months the two spent much time together. And during that time, Vivien made it her mission to see that she were to marry Leigh.
Slowly, Leigh did become fonder and fonder of Vivien. He would meet her after her lessons and escort her home. Vivien would go dancing with him (though it was not Leigh she danced with since he was not one for it). She would even spend hours just watching him play squash with friends.
As their relationship grew more and more serious, Vivien's mother, Gertrude, became concerned. Though Leigh was a man of good standing and such a marriage would help the Hartley's finacially, Gertrude felt Vivien to be too young and too eager to marry. She tried many times to have her daughter slow things down, but Vivien told her Mother, "But Mummy! If I don't marry him, no one else with ever ask me!" Once Leigh did propose to Vivien, Gertrude accepted the couple and wished for nothing, but the best.
The engagement was not a major event, but before the wedding Leigh requested that Vivien no longer attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Though she loved the program very much, Vivien was much more worried about pleasing Leigh and so she did what he asked of her. After all, she wanted to be the ideal wife to her husband.
The wedding was a beautiful one, said by many. Vivien and Leigh were married on December 20th, 1932 at the Saint James Cathedral. The ceremony was a traditional Catholic one. And for their honeymoon, Vivien and Leigh spent it traveling all over Austria and Germany. Once the two returned from the honeymoon, Vivien asked Leigh that she be allowed to return to the the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and with his blessing she did, but soon she would find out that she was pregnant. This, though a happy occasion, put yet another hold on her career in acting.
The pregnancy was a hard time for Vivien because she was restricted from doing the many things that she loved. In one instance, Leigh went on a sailing trip and refused to let Vivien go because of her pregnancy. During that trip of Leigh's, Vivien missed him dearly.
On October 10th, 1933, Vivien was admitted to the Rahere Nursing Home and 48 hours later, she gave birth to a premature Suzanne. Though Vivien loved Suzanne like all mothers love their children, Vivien was still a youth herself and did not want to waste that away. She has big dreams and taking care of a small child and being a housewife was not apart of those dreams.
Over the next several years, Vivien's career began to take shape, but her marriage began to crumble. By the mid-1930's Vivien had cast her eyes on another man, a fellow actor, Laurence Olivier. Though the two were married to others, they began a love affair that was made public in 1937. With it even made public, Leigh refused Vivien a divorce. He thought that the affair would not last and that Vivien would come back to him. But that was not the case. So finally, in 1940, Leigh agreed to a divorce as long as he was granted custody of their daughter, which Vivien agreed to.
Though the two divorced, Vivien and Leigh remained very close friends up until her death in 1967. The biggest reason for this was of course their daughter Suzanne. Though Vivien was not a large role in Suzanne's life, she and Leigh made sure that their daughter's future was planned and secure. Aside from Suzanne, though, the two remained close for other reasons. Over the years Vivien and Leigh Holman were great supports for one another during their personal difficulties. They may not have been made to be husband and wife, but they were made to be good friends.
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