Anthony Hopkins called him the greatest ever actor (so did John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever). Laurence Olivier had by far the greatest range - from tortured souls like Heathcliff to Hamlet, from evil villains like Richard III to Nazi dentist Christian Szell, from washed-up comedian Archie Rice to his breathtaking, ground-breaking Henry V, from upper-class English officers in war epics to the arrogant, snooty Mr Darcy. He even played Othello! Take all your \'screenstars\' and place them on a stage and see how much range and watchability they have.
When he was young Olivier put stones in his mouth to build up the strength of his voice. The Othello note on Wikipedia illustrates his craft: 'Olivier underwent a transformation, requiring extensive study and heavy weightlifting, in order to get the physique needed for the Moor of Venice. It is said that he bellowed at a herd of cows for an hour to get the deep voice that was required.'
Jeremy Irons related a meeting with Olivier where he told him that an actor must have the body of a God and vocally an orchestra at his disposal Irons added I watched this man walking away from me with exactly those two qualities.