Olivia de Havilland is Suing Ryan Murphy Over Portrayal of Her on FEUD

Olivia de Havilland, golden age silver screen star ('Gone with the Wind'), may be 101 years old, but she's still around and keeping an eye on pop culture. The New York Times reports that Ms. de Havilland has filed suit against Ryan Murphy, accusing him of falsely representing her on his series FEUD: BETTE AND JOAN.

According to Ms. de Havilland's lawyer, "FX defendants misappropriated Olivia de Havilland's name, likeness and identity without her permission and used them falsely in order to exploit their own commercial interests." Damages sought include "emotional harm" and "harm to her reputation," and the actress is seeking an injunction against further use of her name and person.

FEUD: Bette and Joan tells the story of the legendary rivalry between Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) and Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) during their collaboration on the Academy Award-nominated thriller What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and well after the cameras stopped rolling. The series explores how the two women endured ageism, sexism, and misogyny while struggling to hang on to success and fame in the twilight of their careers.

In addition to Academy Award winners Lange and Sarandon, the cast includes Alfred Molina as the film's director Robert Aldrich, Stanley Tucci as studio titan Jack Warner, Judy Davis as gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, Jackie Hoffman as Crawford's housekeeper Mamacita, and Alison Wright as Aldrich's assistant Pauline. Notable guest stars include Dominic Burgess as Crawford and Davis' co-star Victor Buono, Catherine Zeta-Jones as film star Olivia de Havilland, Sarah Paulson as Geraldine Page, Kathy Bates as Joan Blondell and Kiernan Shipka as B.D., Bette Davis' daughter. FEUD: Bette and Joan is created by Ryan Murphy and Jaffe Cohen & Michael Zam. Ryan Murphy serves as Executive Producer along with Executive Producers Dede Gardner and Plan B Entertainment, Tim Minear and Alexis Martin Woodall. The series is produced by FOX 21 Television Studios.

To read more, visit The New York Times here.

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