Laurence Harvey.

Laurence Harvey was born Zvi Mosheh Skikne on October 1, 1928 in Joniskis, Lithuania, to Jewish parents Ella and Ber Skikne. At age five, his family emigrated to South Africa, settling in Johannesburg. During World War II, he lied about his age at 14 to join the South African Army, serving in the entertainment unit in Egypt and Italy. After the war, he returned to South Africa and began acting, then moved to London in 1946 after winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Harvey did his apprenticeship in regional theatre, notably in Manchester’s Library Theatre, where he reportedly supported himself as a hustler. He adopted his stage name from the Harvey Nichols department store and quickly earned a reputation for his extravagant lifestyle, living beyond his means—a pattern that would persist throughout his life.

Harvey’s film debut came in House of Darkness 1948, but his breakthrough arrived with Room at the Top 1958, where his portrayal of the ambitious, emotionally cold Joe Lampton perfectly captured the spirit of the British New Wave. The film earned him his only Academy Award nomination and helped launch the kitchen-sink realism movement. He followed this with Look Back in Anger 1959, though his performance was overshadowed by Richard Burton’s stage work.

In 1962, Harvey delivered his most famous performance as Raymond Shaw in The Manchurian Candidate, a brainwashed assassin whose affectless demeanor mirrored Harvey’s own screen persona. He also co-starred with Elizabeth Taylor in BUtterfield 8 1960 and appeared in the epic The Alamo 1960. His Hollywood ventures often miscast him, as in the Tennessee Williams adaptation Summer and Smoke 1961 and the ill-fated The Outrage 1964.

Harvey helped define the British New Wave, but his career declined after 1962. He continued working in international co-productions and directed several films, including The Ceremony 1963 and Welcome to Arrow Beach 1973. His final notable role was in Night Watch 1973, arranged by friend Elizabeth Taylor.

Harvey married three times: to actress Margaret Leighton in 1957 divorced 1961, to Joan Perry, widow of Columbia Pictures boss Harry Cohn, in 1968 divorced 1972, and to model Paulene Stone in 1972 just before his death. His daughter Domino Harvey was born out of wedlock in 1969 from a three-year affair with Paulene Stone during his marriage to Joan Perry.

Harvey lived high-spending, high-living ways and ran up chronic debts. He had relationships with men and women; friend Frank Sinatra called him Ladyboy. He had a long run as King Arthur in the musical Camelot at Drury Lane in 1964. Despite his public success, Harvey struggled with alcoholism and heavy smoking, which contributed to his fatal stomach cancer.

Two defining roles anchor Laurence Harvey’s legacy: Joe Lampton in Room at the Top and Raymond Shaw in The Manchurian Candidate. His cold, controlled screen persona perfectly suited the social critiques of the British New Wave, and he influenced a generation of working-class actors like Albert Finney and Michael Caine. Harvey was the first Lithuanian-born actor to receive an Academy Award nomination, and his performance in The Manchurian Candidate remains a touchstone of Cold War cinema.

His career faded after the early 1960s, but his impact on film history endures. He brought an icy authenticity to roles of ruthless social climbers and brainwashed assassins, and his colorful, tragic off-screen life remains part of his story. A memorial service held at St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden in 1974 honored his contributions.