The 15 Best Laurence Olivier Movies, Ranked

There's a convincing argument to be made that Laurence Olivier is among the very best actors in the history of cinema. Handsome, debonair, and classically trained, he was a stalwart of both the screen and stage for several decades, from the golden age of Hollywood all the way through the 1980s. He was known best for his adaptations of Shakespeare, where he would bring the Bard to the screen in a way that made it more accessible to everyday filmgoers than ever before. But that's only a small part of his career. 

He was nominated for 11 competitive Academy Awards, winning just once, and was also the recipient of two honorary Oscars in recognition of his contributions to film as a whole. His significance to theater is so profound that there is an entire award ceremony named after him, the Olivier Awards, which honor productions performed on the West End in London, a British equivalent to the American Tonys. But whether on stage or in film, Olivier has long been regarded as one of the greats.

Here are his 15 greatest films, ranked.

The directorial debut of actor Richard Attenborough, "Oh! What a Lovely War" is a silly affair, a musical depiction of World War I filled with parodies of songs from the historical period. It certainly doesn't lack star power: Not only does it feature Laurence Olivier as Field Marshall Sir John French, leader of the British Forces, its cast also includes Ralph Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, Ian Holm, Maggie Smith, and even Jane Seymour in her film debut. 

The production may be tonally jarring in a way that reminds one of a less effective "Dr. Strangelove," but it received high marks across the board upon its release. Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune said of "Oh! What a Lovely War," "You can sit back and enjoy this film on any one of many levels. The songs are good, the lyrics are biting; the staging and costuming blend with the story rather than overshadow it. The acting seems effortless."

When it comes to Laurence Olivier and Shakespeare on screen, there are definitely movies more famous than this production of "As You Like It." But this adaptation feels worthy of inclusion, in part because it is Olivier's first time performing Shakespeare on film rather than on the stage. As a young actor, he would quickly make a name for himself during the late 1920s and early 1930s, with the cinematic release of "As You Like It" lining up almost perfectly with his legendary run at the Old Vic, where he would play nearly every Shakespearean hero known to man.

In "As You Like It," he takes on the role of Orlando, a young man of little fortune who has been exiled by his older brother, and falls in love with the beautiful Rosalind — even though she is in disguise as a man for her own protection. This production is a little stagey; it's clear that they were still figuring out the best way to adapt a play for the screen without simply filming it as one would a live show. But Olivier's talent is equally evident — a glimpse of things to come for the actor.

One of the biggest blockbusters of the early 1960s, "Spartacus" stars Kirk Douglas as a gladiator who fights for his freedom and ultimately ends up leading a slave revolt that would shake the Roman Republic to its core. Epic in every sense of the word, "Spartacus" was the highest-grossing film of 1960 and received six Academy Award nominations, winning four.

But Spartacus is nothing without his adversary, and that's where Laurence Olivier comes into the picture. He plays Crassus, a cruel, ambitious Roman senator who thinks nothing of sentencing dozens of men to die horrifically by crucifixion. He both fears and resents Spartacus, terrified by his ability to win men's allegiance and worried that he will lose his lofty position in society. Roger Ebert said of the film decades later, "Two things stand up best over the years: the power of the battle spectacles, and the strength of certain performances — especially Olivier's fire, Douglas' strength, and Laughton's mild amusement at the foibles of humankind."  

Never one to shy aware from good old William Shakespeare, in 1948 Laurence Olivier adapted arguably his most famous play for the big screen. And make no mistake: This is almost 100% exclusively an Olivier production. Not only did he play the title character of Hamlet, the anguished Danish prince, he also produced and directed the film. He even wrote the screenplay, which took a pair of scissors to the Bard's work in an effort to make it a more manageable cinematic enterprise (even cutting out the entire subplot of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern), a decision not without its detractors. 

Still, Olivier's "Hamlet" was undoubtedly a success: It earned seven Academy Award nominations, with Olivier taking home the Oscar for best actor, his sole competitive win as a performer. Olivier's "Hamlet" at the time was considered one of the definitive Shakespearean adaptations, with James Agee at Time commenting, "A man who can do what Laurence Olivier is doing for Shakespeare is certainly among the more valuable men of his time."

These days, "Marathon Man" is perhaps best known for the shade Laurence Olivier threw at his costar Dustin Hoffman while filming: After Hoffman described the extreme lengths he went to for the character as a proponent of Method acting, Olivier famously quipped, "My dear boy, why don't you just try acting?" But the film deserves praise well beyond just that single off-screen one-liner. Hoffman stars as "Baby" Levy, an unfortunate academic who, thanks to his brother's secret job in espionage, ends up involved in a Nazi plot to recover stolen jewels. 

Olivier plays the role of Christian Szell, the Nazi war criminal who spearheads this effort and serves as the film's main baddie. Despite some controversy around the violence depicted in "Marathon Man," with Pauline Kael referring to it as a "Jewish revenge fantasy," Olivier was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor, the only nod the film would receive.

In the first of many cinematic adaptations of Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice," Laurence Olivier cuts an impressive figure as the male lead, the arrogant Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. Elizabeth Bennet (Greer Garson), a young woman from a respectable but impoverished and frequently embarrassing family, finds herself falling in love entirely against her will with Darcy, a wealthy gentleman whose snobbery is known far and wide. 

The film itself suffers slightly from a narrative that feels slightly over-compressed, as well as Production Code restraints that would, amongst other things, see the ridiculous Mr. Collins turned from a country preacher with airs to a goofy librarian. It rushes through elements of the story, dedicating less time than one might hope to properly establish the romance that develops between Elizabeth and Darcy. Still, Olivier puts in an empathetic performance, despite the fact in the eyes of many Austen fans, he has been supplanted as the supreme Darcy by either Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen.

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again," the second Mrs. De Winter intones, and with that, we are introduced to the atmospheric estate in Cornwall that will provide so much of the character of "Rebecca." Based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, "Rebecca" stars Joan Fontaine as a young, naïve woman who falls in love with the moody but handsome Maxim De Winter (Laurence Olivier) while working as a companion to an elderly lady on vacation in Monte Carlo. They marry, and are briefly happy together — but the specter of the former Mrs. De Winter is not so easily forgotten. 

Olivier puts in a brooding, emotionally restrained performance, somehow reconciling his cold treatment of his new bride with the fact that really does love her, allowing us to believe both at the same time. "Rebecca" won the Academy Award for best picture in 1941, and Oliver was given his second Oscar nomination for best actor in two years.