BLUE PLAQUES - ACTORS WHO'VE LIVED IN WESTMINSTER

The first blue plaque was erected in London in 1867, and since then, many, many more have been placed throughout the UK in order to commemorate a link between said location and a famous person, event, or former building that existed within the vicinity. Today, we've come to Westminster, situated in the heart of London, where we can discover a blue plaque for each of the following celebrities.

John Gielgud
(Actor / Director)

Born: April 14, 1904, in South Kensington, London, England
Died: May 21, 2000, in Wotton Underwood, Buckinghamshire, England (aged 96)
Some of their notable films: Arthur (1981), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), and Julius Caesar (1953)
Address: 16 Cowley Street, Westminster, London, SW1P 3LZ, City of Westminster
Lived here from 1945 to 1976
Trivia: Sir John Gielgud experienced some happy and sad moments while he was living in his home on Cowley Street. In 1953, for instance, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and became a Sir. But then only a few weeks later, he was arrested by the police and charged for homosexual activities, which at the time, made front-page news and led to a personal breakdown.

Ava Gardner
(Actress)

Born: December 24, 1922, in Grabtown, North Carolina, USA
Died: January 25, 1990, in Westminster, London, England (aged 67)
Some of their notable films: The Night of the Iguana (1964), Mogambo (1953), and On the Beach (1959)
Address: 34 Ennismore Gardens, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 1AE, City of Westminster
Lived here from 1972 to 1990
Trivia: When a journalist visited Ava Gardner at her luxury flat in Ennismore Gardens (circa 1982), he was instructed to press a doorbell marked 'Morgan' upon his arrival. When he did this, though, the door of the flat swung open and he was greeted by a noisy corgi and the film star standing close by. 'This is Morgan', said Ava, referring to her pet corgi yapping at his feet, 'and I am Ava Gardner'.

Ivor Novello
(Actor / Writer / Singer)

Born: January 15, 1893, in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales
Died: March 6, 1951, in London, England (aged 58)
Some of their notable films: Downhill (1927), The Lodger (1927), and The White Rose (1923)
Address: 11 Aldwych, Covent Garden, London, WC2B 4DG, City of Westminster
Lived here from 1913 to 1951
Trivia: In his memoirs, the actor, Noël Coward, described Ivor Novello's flat in Aldwych in some detail. He wrote, 'The big room of the flat had a raised dais running across one end. Upon this, there were sometimes two, at other times no grand pianos. The high spots of the parties were reached in this room. Charades were performed, people did stunts, and visiting musicians were subtly lured to the piano'.

Vivien Leigh
(Actress)

Born: November 5, 1913, in Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency, India
Died: July 8, 1967, in Belgravia, London, England (aged 53)
Some of their notable films: A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Gone with the Wind (1939), and That Hamilton Woman (1941)
Address: 54 Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9BE, City of Westminster
Lived here from 1958 to 1967
Trivia: Two years after she moved to her flat in Eaton Square, Vivien Leigh divorced her husband, the actor, Laurence Olivier, and her manic depression started to escalate. In fact, things got so bad for Vivien, that by 1967, she was sometimes confined to her bed and eventually died of tuberculosis.

For further information, please feel free to visit the English Heritage Website, Instagram, and Twitter pages. Or if you prefer, stay tuned for my next selection of celebrities who've been commemorated with a blue plaque.