‘Romeo and Juliet’ star Olivia Hussey dies at 73

Keep up with latest news and be part of our weekly giveaways and airtime sharing, follow our WhatsApp channel for more update. Click to Follow us

Olivia Hussey, the legendary actress who enthralled audiences in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 Romeo and Juliet adaption as Juliet, passed away on Friday at the age of 73.

In an emotional Instagram statement, her family acknowledged the news and referred to her as a “remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her.”

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Hussey debuted opposite Leonard Whiting in the Oscar-winning production of William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy when she was just 15 years old. She won a Golden Globe for “New Star of the Year” for her performance, solidifying her legacy in the film industry.

Hussey has a varied career in television and movies in addition to her ground-breaking performance in Romeo and Juliet. Among her roles were those in the 1978 remake of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile and the 1974 slasher movie Black Christmas other notable projects.

Due to a contentious nude scene in Romeo and Juliet that included the juvenile performers, Hussey and Whiting sued the film’s studio in 2023, claiming child abuse. In a 2018 interview with Variety, Hussey defended the scene even though a court later that year dismissed the claim, saying, “Everyone thinks they were so young they probably didn’t realize what they were doing. But we were very aware. We both came from drama schools and took our work very seriously.”

In 2023, Whiting also thought back on the encounter, remembering how they helped each other out while filming: “Olivia was very, very nervous and frightened as well, but we really were very fond of each other and helped each other get through the whole thing.”

Hussey, who was born in 1951 to a British legal secretary and an Argentine opera singer, relocated to London when he was seven years old. Before winning her career-defining part in Zeffirelli’s film, she started acting as a teenager and received training at the esteemed Italia Conti drama school.

She is survived by her three children, her spouse, musician David Eisley, and a grandchild.

Please don’t forget to “Allow the notification” so you will be the first to get our gist when we publish it. 
Drop your comment in the section below, and don’t forget to share the post.