Olivia de Havilland returned for centennial
By John S. Baggerly
One of Los Gatos High School's more illustrious graduates is Olivia de Havilland. When the high school celebrated its centennial in 1988, the actress accepted an invitation to be that year's commencement speaker.
After an illustrious movie career, two Oscars for best actress and a major role in Gone With the Wind, de Havilland settled down in Paris, the home of her second husband, Pierre Galante, a French magazine publisher.
While she was in town, she phoned old friends to brush up on names and to ask "What was that place where we drank cherry cokes?" The answer, of course, was "Kirk and Bill's," or Los Gatos Pharmacy on E. Main Street.
The actress's excellent grades at LGHS earned her a scholarship to Mills College which she declined to take a fling at Hollywood.
A part in Max Rhinhardt's production of Midsummer Night's Dream at the Hollywood Bowl led to a series of movie roles. Remarkable was the fact that within five years of graduating she was selected for the role of Melanie in Gone With the Wind.
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