Married to and divorced from playwright Harold Pinter, in many of whose works she appeared, most unforgettably as Ruth in The Homecoming (1973)
Pinter began having an affair with writer/historian Antonia Fraser in 1975. Vivien, battling problems with alcohol, cited Antonia in her divorce action despite the fact the marriage had been crumbling since the mid-60s. Vivien and Pinter finally divorced in 1980 and Pinter married Antonia in December of that same year. Vivien was unconsolable and died two years later of liver cirrhosis.
Was nominated for Broadway's 1967 Tony Award as Best Actress (Dramatic) for "The Homecoming."