Vivien Leigh
Birth Name: Vivian Mary Hartley
Date of Birth: 5 November, 1913
Place of Birth: Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency, British India
Date of Death: 8 July, 1967
Date of Place: London, England, U.K.
Ethnicity: English, likely Armenian and Irish
Vivien Leigh was a British actress. She twice won the Academy Award for Best Actress, for Gone with the Wind (1939) and A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). She also starred in Caesar and Cleopatra, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, and Ship of Fools, among many others.
She was born in India. Her father, Ernest Richard Hartley, was English, and may have been born on the Isle of Islay, Argyll, Scotland or in Bingley, West Yorkshire, England. Her mother, Gertrude M. F. (Yackjee/Yackje), was born in Darjeeling, India.
Vivien had a daughter, actress Suzanne Farrington, with her first husband, barrister Herbert Leigh Holman.
There are at least three different couples referred to by genealogists as Vivien’s paternal grandparents. One couple are Seth Hartley and Sarah Jane Mawson. Seth was born in Calverley, West Yorkshire, England. Sarah was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.
Vivien’s maternal grandfather was named Michael John Yackjee/Yackje (the son of Johannes/John Gabriel Yackjee and Elizabeth). It appears that Michael was of Armenian origin.
Vivien’s maternal grandmother was named Mary Therisa/Teresa/Theresa/I. Robinson (the daughter of James Wilson/Wilston Robinson). Vivien’s maternal grandmother was usually said to be the daughter of Irish parents.
Sources: Genealogies of Vivien Leigh – http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com
https://www.geni.com
https://genealogy.links.org
http://www.hartleyfamily.org.uk
http://townsley.info
Information about Vivien’s Armenian ancestry – http://chater-genealogy.blogspot.ca
A discussion of Vivien’s ancestry – http://www.gnxp.com
Marriage record of Vivien’s maternal grandparents, Michael John Yackjee/Yackje and Mary Therisa/Teresa/Theresa/I. Robinson – https://familysearch.org
Vivian Leigh is one of the most beautiful women ever. Her biography is fascinating.
Armenians came to India a long time ago. They were astute business people, teachers, sportsmen & women, sports lovers, gamblers, and, philanthropists. A David built jute mills in West Bengal & East Bengal (now Bangladesh). At the end of the 1800’s a huge amount fled Armenia, and, found a home in India. In Calcutta (Kolkata), the Armenian names: Sarkis, Gaulston, David, Cachtoor, Avdal, Porgose, Mackatich, Aratoon, were here, and, well known. There is an Armenian Church, School, and, College, and, an Armenian Street. They mixed well, in to the society, then, and, now. I had many Armenian school friends, in La Martinere, Calcutta. Paul Chater, was a benefactor of the school, and, is remembered on Founders’ Day.
A lot of Indian names end in “Jee”. What a lot of stupid controversy. India has absolute no record of Amenians. Stop making up dumb stories. The British were in India for 250 years. There are many faces to India; so what if her mothers ancestry is partly Indian. It is possible to produce a person who looks like Vivian Leigh. My second cousin who has a quarter Indian ancestry looks Scandinavian. You would never know that his mother’s father’s name is Ghandhi!!
her features are both soft and striking, expressive but soothing. I know some people thinks she sometimes looks “crazy” but that’s part of her appeal I guess,her eyes sometimes has this mad look to her but it looks good. if that makes any sense (it doesnt to me much XD ). She looks a bit like Liz Taylor in some pics but obviously more attractive.
There’s also no mystery. Viven’s father was English and her mother Anglo-Indian. Viven’s mother was adopted by a family called Yackjee, so no conclusions about her ancestry can be drawn from the surname she used.