Olivia Hussey, the actress who gained international fame in her teen years for her role in the 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet, passed away at the age of 73. The Argentine-born actress, who grew up in London and won a Golden Globe for best new actress for her portrayal of Juliet, died on Friday surrounded by her loved ones, according to a statement posted on her Instagram. Her most notable role after that film was as Mary, mother of Jesus, in the 1977 TV miniseries Jesus of Nazareth. Hussey and Leonard Whiting, her Romeo in the same film sued Paramount Pictures decades later claiming that the director Franco Zeffirelli had encouraged them to film naked scenes against the promises they were given.
Hussey, who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1951, moved to London at the age of seven and studied drama at the Italia Conti Academy. Zeffirelli discovered her onstage when she was fifteen years old and he was looking for a young actress to play the role of Juliet in his upcoming film, which would become the definitive cinematic version of the Shakespeare play. Hussey was cast alongside Leonard Whiting, a sixteen-year-old British actor, as Romeo in the film. Although the film was nominated for both the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars, Hussey herself did not receive a nomination.
Hussey had played various roles in early slasher films and TV shows such as Black Christmas and Psycho IV: The Beginning, among others, earning a reputation as a scream queen. Her later years saw her also become a voice actress and appear frequently in video games. In 2015, Hussey reunited with Whiting in the British film Social Suicide, which was based loosely on Romeo and Juliet and set in the social media era. Nevertheless, the actress’s enduring legacy will be her performance as Juliet, which captured the hearts of audiences worldwide.
“As we grieve this immense loss, we also celebrate Olivia’s enduring impact on our lives and the industry,” the statement added. Her contributions to the world of cinema, particularly in Romeo and Juliet, will continue to be celebrated and remembered for years to come
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