Vivien Leigh's estate goes to auction

The estate of British actress and Hollywood diva Vivien Leigh goes under the hammer at Sotheby's in London on Tuesday, just a day before Audrey Hepburn's dresses, scripts and other memorabilia is 
auctioned at Christie's.

Couture dresses and Churchill's paintings

The London auction house offers paintings, jewelry, couture dresses, furniture, porcelain pieces and even books that all once belonged to the star who most famously played Southern belle Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind" (1939).

A painting gifted to Leigh by Winston Churchill or a diamond-studded brooch, with an estimated value between 25,000 and 35,000 pounds (around 28,000 to 40,000 euros), are also up for sale.

Read more:The unknown side of Winston Churchill

The 250-piece collection had been passed on within the family.

A true Hollywood icon

Vivien Leigh was born in Darjeeling, former British India, in 1913. During her career, she won two Academy Awards for Best Actress, for her performances in "Gone with the Wind" and as Blanche DuBois in the film version of Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951).

She suffered from bipolar disorder as well as chronic tuberculosis, which contributed to her death in 1967.

She is remembered as one of the original divas and a star of the golden age of Hollywood.

Read more: 'Gone with the Wind' legend Olivia de Havilland is 100

jt/eg (dpa, AP)