Olivia de Havilland pases away aged 104
She won Oscars for her performances in "To Each His Own" and "The Heiress"
Oscar winner actress Olivia de Havilland has died, she was 104.
The British-American Dame, best-known for her role as Melanie Hamilton in the 1939 epic historical-roamantic movie "Gone with the Wind" died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Paris, France on Saturday, reports the Daily Mail citing the Entertainment Weekly.
Olivia - sister of actress Joan Fontaine - went on to win two Best Actress Oscars for To Each His Own (1946) and The Heiress (1949) respectively. The actress was embroiled in a long-standing Hollywood feud with her sister.
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She was angry over FX's Ryan Murphy over the miniseries, "Feud: Bette and Joan," because of the way she was portrayed, and sued FX but lost.
Olivia also was important in putting an end to the archaic studio system in Hollywood. When she was under a long-term contract with Warner Bros., she put her foot down, refusing certain roles, which got her benched more than once. She ended up suing Warner Bros., saying the studio system amounted to "peonage," and the judge agreed and freed her from her remaining obligations under her contract.
The legal fight changed the balance of power in Hollywood, and actors were able to negotiate better contracts as a result.
Olivia has lived in Paris since 1960 and rarely attended public functions. There was a splashy party in Hollywood for her 90th birthday - thrown by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - and she showed up.
