Olivia Hussey, the beloved actress who played Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s iconic 1968 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, passed away on Friday at the age of 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 shared in a statement on her Instagram account.
Born in Buenos Aires, Hussey was only 15 years old when she starred opposite Leonard Whiting in the Oscar-winning adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy. Her performance earned her a Golden Globe for “New Star of the Year.”
In 2023, Hussey and Whiting made headlines after filing a lawsuit against the film studio, alleging child abuse over a controversial nude scene that featured the two actors, both minors at the time. The case was dismissed later that year.
In a 2018 interview with Variety, Hussey defended the scene, calling it tastefully done under Zeffirelli’s direction. “Everyone thinks they were so young they probably didn’t realize what they were doing,” she said. “But we were very aware. We both came from drama schools and when you work, you take your work very seriously.”
Whiting reflected on their experience, telling Variety in 2023, “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.”
Hussey’s career extended beyond Romeo and Juliet. She appeared in the 1974 slasher classic Black Christmas and the 1978 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, among other roles.
She is survived by her husband, David Eisley, their three children, and a grandchild.
