Olivia Hussey, star of 1968 film ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ dies at 73
LONDON (AP) — Olivia Hussey, the actor who starred as a teenage Juliet in the 1968 film “Romeo and Juliet,” has died, her family said on social media Saturday. She was 73.
Hussey died on Friday, “peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones,” a statement posted to her Instagram account said.
Hussey was 15 when director Franco Zeffirelli cast her in his adaptation of the William Shakespeare tragedy after spotting her onstage in the play “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,” which also starred Vanessa Redgrave.
“Romeo and Juliet” won two Oscars and Hussey won a Golden Globe for best new actress for her part as Juliet, opposite British actor Leonard Whiting, who was 16 at the time.
Decades later Hussey and Whiting brought a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures alleging sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud over nude scenes in the film.
They alleged that they were initially told they would wear flesh-colored undergarments in a bedroom scene, but on the day of the shoot Zeffirelli told the pair they would wear only body makeup and that the camera would be positioned in a way that would not show nudity. They alleged they were filmed in the nude without their knowledge.
The case was dismissed by a Los Angeles County judge in 2023, who found their depiction could not be considered child pornography and the pair filed their claim too late.
Hussey was born on April 17, 1951, in Bueno Aires, Argentina, and moved to London as a child.
She also starred as Mary, mother of Jesus, in the 1977 television series “Jesus of Nazareth,” and in the 1978 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “Death on the Nile.”
She is survived by her husband, David Glen Eisley, her three children and a grandson.
Romeo and Juliet actress Olivia Hussey dies aged 73
Actress Olivia Hussey, who shot to international prominence as a teenager for her role in the acclaimed 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet, has died aged 73.
The Argentine-born actress, who grew up in London, died on Friday surrounded by her loved ones, a statement posted on her Instagram said.
Hussey won the best new actress Golden Globe for her part as Juliet, but decades later she sued Paramount Pictures for sexual abuse as she was aged just 15 when she filmed the movie's nude scene.
Her other most notable screen role was as Mary, mother of Jesus, in 1977 TV miniseries Jesus of Nazareth.
"As we grieve this immense loss, we also celebrate Olivia's enduring impact on our lives and the industry," the statement said.
Hussey was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1951, before moving to London aged seven and studying at the Italia Conti Academy drama school.
She was 15 when Romeo and Juliet director Franco Zeffirelli discovered her onstage, playing opposite Vanessa Redgrave in the play The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
Zeffirelli was looking for someone who was young enough to be a convincing Juliet in what he intended to be the definitive cinematic version of the Shakespeare play.
He cast Hussey alongside British 16-year-old Leonard Whiting as Romeo in the film.
The film was nominated for an Oscar for best picture and director. Hussey missed out on an Oscar nomination herself in a strong year in which Barbra Streisand won the main award for Funny Girl.
But at that year's Golden Globes, Hussey won the award for best new star.
Decades later, she and Whiting sued Paramount Pictures alleging Zeffirelli - who died in 2019 - had encouraged them to film nude scenes despite previous assurances they would not have to.
The pair sought damages of more than $500m (£417m), based on suffering they said they had experienced and the revenue brought in by the film since its release.
But last year a judge dismissed the case, finding the scene was not "sufficiently sexually suggestive".
In 1977, Hussey had reunited with Zeffirelli for Jesus of Nazareth to play the Virgin Mary, before appearing in Death on the Nile a year later based on Agatha Christie's novel.
Her roles in early slasher film Black Christmas (1974) and TV film Psycho IV: The Beginning earned her recognition as a scream queen. In the latter, she played Norman Bates's mother in a prequel storyline.
In later years she also took on work as a voice actress, appearing frequently in video games.
But she did have one final reunion with her former Romeo - as she and Whiting appeared together in the 2015 British film Social Suicide, which was loosely based on Romeo and Juliet and set in the social media era.
‘Romeo and Juliet’ star Olivia Hussey dead at 73
Olivia Hussey, the actress known for portraying Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 drama “Romeo and Juliet,” died surrounded by her loved ones at her home on Friday. She was 73.
No cause of death was not revealed.
“Olivia was a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her,” a statement posted on Hussey’s social media page said. “Olivia lived a life full of passion, love, and dedication to the arts, spirituality, and kindness towards animals.”
The Argentinan-born actress skyrocketed to fame when she was 15 years old and starred in the controversial two-time Oscar-winning drama “Romeo and Juliet” opposite Leonard Whiting who portrayed Romeo.
Hussey won a Golden Globe for the Most Promising Female Newcomer in the role but she wasn’t happy with how production handled the sensitive scenes where Eisley and Whiting — who were 15 and 16 — were filmed nude.
According to a sex abuse lawsuit obtained by CNN, the co-stars claimed Zeffirelli told the then-teenagers that “they must act in the nude or the picture would fail.”
Over 55 years after the filming, the performers revived a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures and home-distribution company Criterion Collections for distributing the naked scene.
Hussey and Whiting suggested the two movie companies unlawfully spread their naked images featured in a bedroom scene while redistributing the award-winning romance. The lawsuit was dismissed in October.
Whiting penned a tribute to his co-star, saying “Rest now my beautiful Juliet.”
“Olivia, We have shared so much since we were two sweet innocent children clinging onto each other for dear life as every photo of us attests to,” Whiting said in tribute. “You have never been frightened of fighting to fix everything wrong in this world.
“Rest now my beautiful Juliet no injustices can hurt you now. And the world will remember your beauty inside and out forever.”
The film launched her acting career and she went on to appear in dozens of projects including 1978’s “Death on the Nile,” “The Cat and the Canary,” the television series “Murder, She Wrote” and voice acted for the “Star Wars: The Old Republic” video game.
The award-winning actress had a stint starring in a series of horror films in the 90s like “Psycho IV: The Beginning,” and a miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s iconic novel “It.”
In 2008, the actress was diagnosed with breast cancer and it went into remission after she had a mastectomy but Hussey told Express that new tumor surfaced in 2018.
Clint Howard, who co-starred with Hussey in the 1995 comedy “Ice Cream Man,” shared his condolences on the Instagram post announcing her passing.
“Olivia, you are such a wonderful light. You will shine forever! RIP,” Howard wrote.
Hussey is survived by her longtime husband David Glen Eisley, her three children Alex, Max and India and grandson Greyson.
“As we grieve this immense loss, we also celebrate Olivia’s enduring impact on our lives and the industry,” Hussey’s statement concluded. “We thank you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time and ask for privacy as we mourn the loss of a truly special soul.”
Olivia Hussey, Star, Dies at 73
Olivia Hussey, who shot to fame as a teenager in the 1968 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, has died, according to a statement published on her Instagram account. She was 73.
Hussey died on Friday, Dec. 27, “peacefully at her home surrounded by her loved ones,” the statement read.
“Olivia was a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her,” her family continued, later describing her life as one “full of passion, love, and dedication to the arts, spirituality, and kindness towards animals.”
Hussey is survived by her children, Alex, Max and India; her husband, musician David Glen Eisley and her grandson, Greyson.
“As we grieve this immense loss, we also celebrate Olivia’s enduring impact on our lives and the industry,” her family’s statement concluded. “We thank you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time and ask for privacy as we mourn the loss of a truly special soul.”
Hussey was born on April 17, 1951, in Buenos Aires and moved to London as a child. She started acting at 13 and had minor roles in films before she was cast in director Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo & Juliet.
Once the film hit theaters in 1968, it became a box office sensation and was notable for being the first time a movie featured actors close to the ages of Shakespeare’s doomed lovers. Hussey was 16 and her costar, Leonard Whiting, was 17.
"So much happened so fast," Hussey told PEOPLE in July 2018 when she was promoting her memoir The Girl on the Balcony. "It was overnight superstardom and I wasn't prepared for it."
After Romeo & Juliet, Hussey continued starring on stage and screen. In 1977, she played Mary, mother of Jesus, in the all-star TV miniseries Jesus of Nazareth. Hussey also starred in the 1974 horror film Black Christmas and the 1990 miniseries based on Stephen King’s It. She also starred in an episode of Boy Meets World and played Norman Bates’ mother in Psycho IV: The Beginning.
She stepped back from acting in 2016 after making her final film appearance in 2015’s Social Suicide.
Hussey was married to Dean Paul Martin, the late son of Dean Martin, from 1971 to 1979. She was married to Japanese singer Akira Fuse in the 1980s before she married Eisley in 1991.
In 2008, Hussey was diagnosed with breast cancer. It went into remission after she had a mastectomy, but Hussey told Express in 2018 doctors found a new tumor.
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"I regret that I didn't stretch myself more as an actress, take on meatier roles,” she told Express. “But I took time off to live my life and raise three children. At the time that was more important than working on my career. Overall I've done a couple of roles I'm proud of and I'm very happy in my life."
India Eisley, who starred in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, told PEOPLE in 2018 that her mother is “wonderful and quaint,” but “very resilient and strong.”
"She instilled in myself and my brothers… having a good sense of self,” India, 31, said. “Because you can’t really base everything, especially in this business… on what everyone thinks of you.”
‘Romeo And Juliet’ star Olivia Hussey Eisley dies at 73
Olivia Hussey Eisley, star of the 1968 film “Romeo and Juliet” and the slasher classic “Black Christmas,” has died, according to a post on her Instagram page. She was 73.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Olivia Hussey Eisley, who went peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones on December 27th,” the statement posted on her Instagram reads. “Olivia was a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her.”
“Romeo and Juliet” was the British-Argentine actress’s big break, winning her a Golden Globe for her performance as Juliet.
Franco Zeffirelli’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic love story was not without its controversies. In late 2022, Hussey Eisley and co-star Leonard Whiting filed a lawsuit against Paramount Studios, which produced the film, for allowing the movie to be released with scenes showing them nude when they were minors. According to the complaint, Zeffirelli told Hussey Eisley and Whiting – who were 15 and 16 at the time, respectively – that “they must act in the nude or the picture would fail.” The suit was dismissed in May 2023.
Hussey Eisley later starred in the 1974 horror film “Black Christmas” and appeared in the 1978 Agatha Christie adaptation “Death on the Nile.” She also worked with Zeffirelli again in 1977, playing Mary in the TV mini series “Jesus of Nazareth.”
In the 90s, Hussey Eisley starred in several horror flicks including “Psycho IV: The Beginning,” and “It,” a miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s novel. Later, in the early 2000s, she starred in the biogrophical film “Mother Teresa,” thriller “El Grito” and comedy “Tortilla Heaven.”
Born on April 17, 1951, in Buenos Aires, “Olivia lived a life full of passion, love, and dedication to the arts, spirituality, and kindness towards animals,” the statement said.
“Olivia leaves behind a loving family— her children, Alex, Max, and India, her husband of 35 years David Glen Eisley, and grandson, Greyson, and a legacy of love that will forever be cherished in our hearts,” the statement read.
“As we grieve this immense loss, we also celebrate Olivia’s enduring impact on our lives and the industry. We thank you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time and ask for privacy as we mourn the loss of a truly special soul.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Dan Heching contributed to this report.
'Romeo and Juliet' star Olivia Hussey dies aged 73
Olivia Hussey, who starred as a teenage Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film "Romeo and Juliet," garnering her a Golden Globe, died Friday at age 73, her family announced.
"Olivia was a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her," her family said in a statement posted to her Instagram account.
Buenos Aires-born Hussey was 15 when she and her co-lead Leonard Whiting starred in the Oscar-winning adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy.
In 2023, the two actors filed a lawsuit against the studio alleging child abuse over a controversial nude scene featuring the pair, who were minors at the time.
A judge dismissed the lawsuit later that year.
In a 2018 interview with entertainment trade publication Variety, Hussey said Zeffirelli had shot the nude scene tastefully.
"Everyone thinks they were so young they probably didn't realize what they were doing," Hussey said.
"But we were very aware. We both came from drama schools and when you work, you take your work very seriously."
Whiting told Variety the pair had supported each other through the daunting experience.
"Olivia was very, very nervous and frightened as well, but we really were very fond of each other and we helped each other get through the whole thing," he said in 2023.
Born to an Argentine opera singer and a British legal secretary, Hussey moved with her family from Buenos Aires to London when she was seven years old.
She studied at the Italia Conti drama school and was already a working actor as a teenager when she was cast in Zeffirelli's film.
Hussey, who received a "New Star of the Year" Golden Globe for her performance, would later star in the 1974 slasher film "Black Christmas" and the 1978 adaptation of Agatha Christie's "Death on the Nile", among other projects.
She is survived by her husband David Eisley, their three children and a grandchild.
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