Olivia de Havilland, the last surviving star of the 1939 epic film Gone with the Wind, is celebrating her 100th birthday today.
De Havilland was 23 years old when she played Melanie in Gone with the Wind. She also starred alongside Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood and is a two-time Oscar winner for Best Actress. Variety notes that she received the awards for her roles in To Each His Own (1946) and The Heiress (1949).
However, de Havilland was no studio puppet. The actress was suspended numerous times from Warner Brothers for rejecting roles she didn't like. CNN reports that she sued Warner Brothers to prevent them from extending her contract and won, a victory that holds up today.
For the last 60 years de Havilland has resided in Paris but her star power here in the states hasn't waned. Turner Classic Movies named her their "Star of the Month" for July and will be showing her movies on Friday nights throughout the month, meaning on Ms. de Havilland's birthday, you can tune in to the movie channel and see her in action.