A projection display apparatus comprises a reflective LC display device and a polarizing beam splitter having a polarizing separative plane and wired grids. The LC molecules of the device are aligned such that i) a segment on a second subtracted, produced by projecting a major axis of each LC molecule perpendicularly onto the second substrate, makes an angle of 42 to 48 degrees counterclockwise or counterclockwise in relation to a direction of a straight line on the second substrate, formed by projecting each wire grid perpendicularly onto the second substrate and ii) of both ends of the segment, one end meeting an end of each LC molecule, which is positioned nearer to the second substrate than the other end, is positioned nearer to an intersection at which a plane including the polarizing separative plane and a plane including the second substrate mutually intersects, than the other end of the segment.