Olivia Hussey, best known for portraying Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, has passed away at 73.
Her family released a statement announcing the demise on Hussey’s official Instagram page. “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”.
Hussey was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 17, 1951, to tango singer Andrés Osuna and Joy Hussey, a legal secretary from England.
She took her first acting role in Drama 61-67 playing a minor role in one of the episodes. Her film debut came in 1965 playing Donna in The Battle of the Villa Fiorita, but she only shot to fame in 1968 playing Juliet in Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet, widely acclaimed and recognised as the best adaptation of the Shakespearean story.
Hussey starred alongside Leonard Whiting, who played Romeo. Hussey and Whiting both won a Golden Globe for Best Promising Newcomer in the male and female category for their performance. The film was also nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture but only bagged two Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design.
In 2022, the pair sued Paramount Pictures for child abuse and sexual harassment for making them perform a nude scene for the film, which was not agreed upon earlier. Hussey and Whiting – who were 15 and 16 at the time of the production – sought damages worth USD 500 million. The case was dismissed in 2023.
Aside from Romeo and Juliet, Hussey also earned the title of ‘scream queen’ for her roles in prominent horror films like the 1974 film Black Christmas and playing Norma Bates in Psycho IV: The Beginning. She also played a supporting role as Bill’s wife Audra in the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s It.
Hussey also played Virgin Mary in Jesus of Nazareth (1977) and Rosalie Otterbourne in movie adaptation of Agatha Christie’s mystery novel The Death on the Nile (1978).
The actress was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and was in remission for almost a decade after a double mastectomy. The cancer later returned in 2017.
Hussey is survived by her three children – Alexander “Alex” Gunther Martin, Maximillian “Max” Hussey Fuse, and India Eisley – and her husband of 35 years, David Glen Eisley.