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More than seventy years after its release in 1939, the Oscar-winning film "Gone With the Wind" remains a piece of Hollywood history. Costume pieces from the film, as well as various memorabilia continue to be in high demand, as fans can't seem to get enough of the classic movie, a symbol of the golden age of Hollywood. Click through to see what became of the stars of the iconic film ...![Hollywood Icons]()
The film is often lauded as one of the greatest in the history of American cinema, having won 11 Academy Awards when it debuted in 1939, including the Best Picture Award.![Margaret Mitchell Home]()
The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1937 novel by Margaret Mitchell. The book centers around the life experiences of Scarlett O’Hara, a spoiled daughter of a plantation owner in the antebellum South. The plot focuses on the extravagant lives of Southern ladies and gentleman that would subsequently vanish with the destruction that came with the Civil War. Above, the home where Margaret Mitchell wrote the book, which was destroyed in a fire in 1993 before being restored in 1997. (Reuters)![Scarlett and Rhett]()
Not only praised for its epic costumes and scenery, the film’s lead actors, Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh became two of Hollywood’s most iconic stars of all time. The tumultuous love story of their characters Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara is one of the most famous and recognizable in film.![Vivienne Leigh 1913 - 1967]()
Vivien Leigh, a British actress, played the iconic role of Scarlett O’Hara in the film, winning her first Academy Award for the film. Leigh was a prolific stage actress for most of her career, earning pre-“Gone With the Wind” fame on stage. Shortly before filming, she began a relationship with Laurence Olivier, and the two would go on to be one of the most famous Hollywood couples of their day. The filming of “Gone With the Wind” was intense, and Leigh was required to sometimes work 7 days a week. But in the end, it paid off, catapulting her to international stardom. She would go on to win a second Oscar for her work in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” and to earn the reputation as one of the most talented actresses of her day. But Leigh’s life wasn’t as charmed as it seemed, as the actress struggled with bipolar disorder, which often earned her a negative reputation as being difficult to work with. It also led to gaps in her work. She also suffered a miscarriage, which triggered an intense bout of depression. She divorced Olivier in 1960. In 1945, she contracted tuberculosis, which would ultimately lead to her death in 1967 when she failed to recover from a tough bout of the chronic illness. She was 53.![Clark Gable 1901-1960]()
Clark Gable, who played Rhett Butler in the film, is one of the most revered and respected Hollywood icons of all time. Nominated several times for an Oscar and winning for his role in “It Happened One Night” (1934), he began his career in silent films and went on to be named “The King of Hollywood” in his heyday in the 1930s. In addition to his career as a film star, Gable also served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1944. He was married three times, most notably to fellow actress Carole Lombard. Gable died in 1960 as the result of complications from a severe heart attack shortly after filming the movie “The Misfits” with Marilyn Monroe.![Leslie Howard 1893 - 1943]()
Leslie Howard, who played Ashley Wilkes in “Gone With the Wind” was an English actor who became an American star. Often playing an Englishman onscreen, he appeared in films like “The Scarlet Pimpernel” (1934) and “Pygmalion,” (1938) which earned him an Oscar nomination.![Leslie Howard 1893 - 1943]()
Howard, who was said not to get along with Leigh, was uncomfortable with Hollywood stardom and would return to England during the Second World War. He died in 1943 when his plane was shot down by a maritime fighter aircraft over the Bay of Biscay.![Olivia de Havilland Then]()
Olivia de Havilland, who played Scarlett’s cousin Melanie Hamilton Wilkes in the film, is one of the last survivors of the “Gone With the Wind” cast. Like Leigh and Howard, Havilland is a British actress, who took home two Oscars in her long and substantial career in Hollywood. She developed a close friendship with Leigh while filming “Gone With the Wind” and continues to offer her praise to this day. In addition to Gone With the Wind, she also appeared in films like “The Adventures of Robin Hood” (1938) and “Captain Blood, The Charge of the Light Brigade” (1936).![Olivia de Havilland Now]()
In 1941, she became a naturalized citizen in the United States before moving to Paris in the 1950s, where she still resides. In 2008, she received the National Medal for the Arts.![Hattie McDaniel 1895-1952]()
Hattie McDaniel, who played Mammy in the film, was the first African American ever to win an Academy Award for the role. McDaniel appeared in more than 300 films in her career, earned two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, earned her own U.S. postage stamp and was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. (AP)![Hattie McDaniel 1895-1952]()
McDaniel beat out stiff competition to play Mammy in the highly anticipated film in 1939, earning the praise of Clark Gable, who recommended she be hired to play the role. McDaniel died at the age of 57 from breast cancer in 1952. In 1999, the Hollywood Cemetary, where she is buried, built a large cenotaph memorial on the lawn overlooking the lake that continues to draw visitors to the site. While civil rights advocates criticized the role of Mammy as a stereotype for black actors, McDaniel said she would "rather make play a maid and make $700 a week than be one for $7." (AP)![Barbara O' Neil 1910- 1980]()
Barbara O’Neil (far left) played Scarlett O’Hara’s mother Ellen in the film, just two years after coming onto the Hollywood movie scene. She went on to earn an Oscar nominations for her work in “All This, and Heaven Too.” (1941). She also appeared in “I Remember Mama” (1948) and “The Nun’s Story” (1959)![Cammie King 1934- 2010]()
Eleanore Cammack “Cammie” King was a child actress who played the role of “Bonnie Blue Butler,” Scarlett and Rhett’s daughter” in the film.![Cammie King 1934- 2010]()
King (far left) later went on to voice the role of “Faline” in the Disney film “Bambi” in 1942. But despite her early success, she made a career working outside of Hollywood, working as a marketing coordinator for the Fort Bragg-Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce for 40 years. King died on Wednesday , September 1 at her home in California from lung cancer. She was 76. (AP)![Thomas Mitchell 1892- 1962]()
Thomas Mitchell played Scarlett’s father, Gerald O’Hara, in the film. A successful film actor, playwright and screenwriter, he was the first person to ever win an Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award.![Thomas Mitchell 1892- 1962]()
A native of New Jersey, he began his acting career in 1913 by joining an acting company. He appeared in such major films as “The Lost Horizon” (1937), “Stagecoach (1939),” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1939) and “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946). He died in 1962 from bone cancer at the age of 70.![Ann Rutherford Then]()
Ann Rutherford (right) played Carreen O’Hara in the 1939 film. Like Olivia de Havilland, she is one of the few remaining members of the cast who is still alive.![Evelyn Keyes and Ann Rutherford]()
A native of Canada, she has appeared in several Hollywood films, including “A Christmas Carol” (1938), “Pride and Prejudice” (1940) and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (1947.). She also appeared on the television series “The Bob Newhart Show” as Newhart’s character’s mother-in-law. She is 89 years old. She is seen here (right) next to late cast-member Evelyn Keyes. (Reuters)![Evelyn Keyes 1916-2008]()
Evelyn Keyes played Scarlett’s sister Suellen O’Hara in “Gone With the Wind.” Spending the early years of her career as a chorus girl in a handful of B movies at Paramount Pictures, she eventually earned a few notable roles in addition to “Gone With the Wind” such as “Here Comes Mr. Jordan” in 1941 and “The Jolson Story” in 1946. She later appeared in “The Seven Year Itch” with Marilyn Monroe before retiring in 1956. She died of uterine cancer in 2008 at the age of 91.Then/Now Special: The Stars of 'Gone With the Wind'
The 1939 classic is one of the most revered films of all time, winning 11 Academy Awards.
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- Then/Now Special: The Stars of 'Gone With the Wind'
