 After her drama school education , Leigh appeared in small roles in four films in 1935 and progressed to the role of heroine in Fire Over England ( 1937 ) . Lauded for her beauty , Leigh felt that it sometimes prevented her from being taken seriously as an actress . Despite her fame as a screen actress , Leigh was primarily a stage performer . During her 30 @-@ year stage career , she played roles ranging from the heroines of Noël Coward and George Bernard Shaw comedies to classic Shakespearean characters such as Ophelia , Cleopatra , Juliet , and Lady Macbeth . Later in life , she played character roles in a few films . 
