Esmond, Jill (1908–1990)

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Esmond, Jill (1908–1990)

English actress. Name variations: Jill Esmond Olivier. Born Jill Esmond-Moore in London, England, Jan 26, 1908; died July 28, 1990, in Wimbledon, England; dau. of Henry Vernon Esmond and Eva (Moore) Esmond; studied at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art; m. Laurence Olivier (actor), 1930 (div. 1940); children: Tarquin Olivier.

At 14, made stage debut at St. James's Theater as Nibs in Peter Pan (1922); appeared as Sorel Bliss at the Ambassador in Hay Fever (1925); made 1st NY appearance as Joan Greenleaf in A Bird in the Hand (1929), a role she had been playing in London throughout previous year; other stage roles included Sybil Chase in Private Lives, Laura Hudson in Men in White, Ann Hammond in Ringmaster, Olivia in Twelfth Night, Blanche Monnier in I Accuse, Angela Brent in Tree of Eden, and Edith de Berg in The Eagle Has Two Heads; appeared in a number of films, including This Above All, The White Cliffs of Dover, Random Harvest, Journey for Margaret, Casanova Brown and A Man Called Peter.

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