British-American actress Olivia de Havilland, who rose to fame following her performance in the 1939 film 'Gone With The Wind' has passed away at the age of 104. She was considered the last surviving actress of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Olivia de Havilland passed away at her house in Paris, where she had resided for over 60 years. According to her New York based publicist Lisa Goldberg, the actress died of natural causes. De Havilland received the Oscar award for Best Actress twice, once in 1946 for her role in To Each His Own, and then in 1949 for The Heiress. She appeared in nearly 50 feature films in her career that spanned over 50 years. She also won a Golden Globe in 1986 for her performance in the film 'Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna.' According to a report by a news agency, "In 1943, de Havilland sued the studio after it attempted to extend her seven-year contract, which was expiring. Under the studio system, actors faced suspension without pay if they turned down roles, and the suspension time was added to their contracts." Her court victory apparently helped in the shift of power from the big studios to the celebrities and talent agencies.

Regarding the court's ruling that turned out in her favour, the actress had mentioned in an interview in 1994, "I was very proud of that decision, for it corrected a serious abuse of the contract system -- forced extension of a contract beyond its legal term. Among those who benefited by the decision were the actors who fought in World War II and who, throughout that conflict, were on suspension." Actress Bette Davis wrote in her autobiography, "The Lonely Life" that "Hollywood actors will be forever in Olivia's debt,"

De Havilland had a son, Benjamin, with her first husband, American novelist Goodrich and a daughter, Giselle, with her second husband, journalist Pierre Galante.