I have found the source of the confusion about Laurence Olivier. He was knighted in 1947, and so became "Sir Laurence Olivier". What happened in 1970 was that he received a peerage - he became "Lord Laurence Olivier". On both occasions, he was one of the very first actors to receive the honour, and his case therefore stands as a symbol of the increasing legitimacy of the performing arts in the eyes of the Establishment.
["Whenever asked if he should be addressed as Sir Laurence or Lord Olivier, the actor invariably replied, “Call me Larry." (Encylcopedia Britannica).]
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