Actress. She is best remembered for her portrayal of the haughty Jo Turner in "Thirteen Women" (1932). Born Jill Moore, she was raised within a prominent theatrical family, the second of two children of stage performers Henry Esmond and Eva Moore, after attaining her degree in theatrical arts from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she made her professional debut on the stage appearing opposite her mother in "Mary, Mary Quite Contrary" (1925). After relocating to New York City, New York, she became a prominent headliner on Broadway appearing as a leading lady in "Private Lives," "Bird in Hand," "The Morning Star," and "The Green Bay Tree". After being introduced to director Arthur Barnes during a social gala at the American Museum of Natural History, he was so impressed by her articulate voice, dark good looks, and professionalism, that he arranged for her to begin a career in the film industry beginning with her being under his supervision in "The Chinese Bungalow" (1930). From there, she would go on to succeed as a character actress in motion pictures; often typecast as wives, mothers, debutantes, playgirls, nobility, gold diggers, nurses, educators, secretaries, retail clerks, saleswomen, doctors, scientists, old maids, historical figures, dowagers, white-collared workers, and matriarchs. She appeared in such films as "The Skin Game" (1931), "The Eternal Feminine" (1931), "Ladies of the Jury" (1932), "Is My Face Red?" (1932), "No Funny Business" (1933), "On the Spot" (1938), "Prison Without Bars" (1939), "This Above All" (1942), "On the Sunny Side" (1942), "Journey for Margaret" (1942), "Random Harvest" (1942), "My Pal Wolf" (1944), "The White Cliffs of Dover" (1944), "Casanova Brown" (1944), "The Bandit of Sherwood Forest" (1946), "Bedelia" (1946), "Escape" (1948), "Private Information" (1952), "Night People" (1954), and "A Man Called Peter" (1955). During the advent of television, she made numerous guest appearances on such syndicated sitcoms as "BBC Sunday-Night Theatre" and "The Adventures of Robin Hood". During her career, she was an honorary member of Actors Equity, was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, held dual citizenship between the United Kingdom and the United States, was a regular parishioner of the Anglican church, was a political conservative, had been active within her local charters of the British Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity, was been a theatrical instructor at the Old Vic, was the older sister of professional racecar driver Jack Esmond, and she was married to Academy Award winning actor Laurence Olivier from 1930 to 1940 (their union dissolved in divorce and produced one son, film producer Tarquin Olivier). In 1956, she retired from acting and spent the final years of her life dividing time between her homes in Manhattan, New York, and London, England, was a frequent attendee at autograph conventions, painted in oils, journaled, and answering an inpouring of fan mail, until her death from the complications of undisclosed causes.