Olivia Hussey, known for her role in the film The 1968 “Romeo and Juliet” star has died. She was 73.
Hussey died on Friday. “At home, peacefully. Surrounded by the people she loves,” a statement posted on her Instagram account said.
“Olivia was an incredible person, whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness impacted the lives of everyone who knew her,” the statement continued.
Olivia Hussey reprises role ‘Romeo and Juliet’ conflict at age 16 reveals personal tragedy
“Romeo and Juliet” features a 1968 portrait of Olivia Hussey. (Screenshot Gallery/Getty Images)
“Olivia lived a life filled with passion, love, and dedication to art, spirituality, and compassion for animals… As we grieve this great loss, We also celebrate Olivia’s lasting impact on our lives and the industry.”
“We appreciate your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. And we ask for privacy as we mourn the loss of a truly special soul,” the caption concluded.
Hussey was born on April 17, 1951 in Buenos Aires. Argentina and moved to London as a child
Circa 1967: British actors Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting team up in “Romeo and Juliet.” (Larry Ellis/Express/Getty Images)
Hussey became a movie star at age 15 when she was cast as the most famous doomed couple in 1968’s “Romeo and Juliet.” She won the coveted role of Juliet in the film of Franco Zeffirelli, who became a sensation all over the world.
She wrote a memoir, “Girl on the Balcony,” about the ups and downs she endured in Hollywood.
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“It was actually very overwhelming,” Hussey told Fox News Digital in 2018. “Even when we were filming, We also had reporters waiting to interview during lunch and tea breaks. And they come from all over the world.”
“I celebrated my 16th birthday while filming… When the movie was released We travel all over the world. And I wasn’t able to spend my teenage years like other teenagers… Everyone would come up to us to get pictures, autographs, but it was really an experience of a lifetime.”
film director “Romeo and Juliet” Franco Zeffirelli (left), actors Olivia Hussey (center) and Leonard Whiting appear after the premiere of The film was filmed in Paris on September 9, 25, 1968. (AP Photo/Eustache Cardenas)
The film made headlines before it even hit theaters when, at age 16, Hussey stripped off her clothes to perform a love scene showing her wedding night with Leonard Whiting (Ro Her co-star, Mio, was also 16 when he took on the role.
Despite being visibly topless in this series, Hussey said at the time that she felt comfortable on set.
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“I think because it’s done so tastefully,” she explains, “and in Europe it’s very different. In America, it’s very taboo, but in Europe a lot of movies have nudity. No one thought much about it. But being only 16, I got a lot out of it. of public relations… The large team we worked with was reduced to just mediocre people, which was done later when work wasn’t as busy…
“Romeo and Juliet” won two Oscars, and Hussey won a Golden Globe for best new actor for his role as Juliet.
Leonard Whiting played Romeo Montague and Olivia Hussey played Juliet Capulet in the 1968 production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, directed by Franco Zeffirelli. (Bettman)
Decades later Hussey and Whiting have filed a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures for sexual harassment. sexual harassment and fraud involving nude scenes in the film, according to the Associated Press.
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They allege that they initially said they would wear flesh-colored lingerie in the bedroom scenes. But on the day of filming, Zeffirelli told the couple they would only wear body makeup. And the cameras were positioned in such a way that nudity was not shown. They allege that they were photographed nude without their knowledge.
The case was dismissed by a Los Angeles County judge in 2023, who found that their depiction did not constitute child pornography. And both filed their claims too late.
Hussey is survived by her husband of 35 years, David Glen Eisley, her three children. and one grandson (David Livingston/Getty Images)
She also acted 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.”
Hussey is survived by her husband of 35 years, David Glen Eisley, her three children. and one grandson
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Stephanie Nolasco at Fox News Digital and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
