Olivia Hussey, the British-Argentine actress best known for her starring role in the 1968 film version of Romeo And Juliet, has died, aged 73.
According to a posting on an Instagram account in her married name of Olivia Hussey Eisley, Hussey died peacefully at her home, surrounded by her loved ones, on Friday (December 27).
Born in Buenos Aires, Hussey went to drama school in London and began her career on the UK stage and in television and film. As a 15-year-old she was picked by director Franco Zeffirelli for his Romeo And Juliet adaptation, playing Juliet to Leonard Whiting’s Romeo. She won a David di Donatello award and a Golden Globe for her performance in the film.
Her subsequent work in Hollywood, the UK and international projects included Zeffirelli’s Jesus Of Nazareth television series, in which she played Mary, cult US horror film Black Christmas, the 1978 feature version of Death On The Nile, Lonesome Dove: The Series and 2003 TV movie Mother Teresa.
In 2022, Hussey and Whiting filed a lawsuit against Romeo And Juliet distributor Paramount Pictures alleging sexual abuse over the film’s nude scene. The suit was dismissed by a judge in Los Angeles Superior Court.
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