Laurence Olivier was an independent actor-manager.
Laurence Kerr Olivier , Baron Olivier , ( [ ˈlɒrəns_kɜr_ɒˈlɪvieɪ ] 22 May 1907 -- 11 July 1989 ) , was an English actor who , along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud , dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century . In the 1950s Olivier was an independent actor-manager , but his stage career was in the doldrums until he joined the avant garde English Stage Company in 1957 to play the title role in The Entertainer , a part he later played on film .