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Olivia Hussey, the Argentine-born actress who gained global fame at 15 for her portrayal of Juliet in the 1968 film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, has passed away at 73. Hussey died on Friday surrounded by family, as confirmed in a statement shared on her Instagram.
The actress, who was raised in London, earned a Golden Globe Award for Best New Actress for her role as Juliet. However, years later, she made headlines by suing Paramount Pictures, claiming she was sexually abused during the film’s iconic nude scene, filmed when she was just 15 years old.
Another notable role of Hussey’s was portraying Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the 1977 TV miniseries Jesus of Nazareth.
A statement shared on Instagram celebrated Hussey’s lasting influence, saying, “As we grieve this immense loss, we also honor Olivia’s profound impact on our lives and the entertainment industry.”
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1951, Hussey moved to London at the age of seven, where she studied at the Italia Conti Academy. She was discovered by director Franco Zeffirelli at 15 while performing in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie opposite Vanessa Redgrave. Zeffirelli cast her as Juliet in his definitive 1968 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, alongside 16-year-old Leonard Whiting as Romeo.
The film earned multiple Oscar nominations, though Hussey herself did not receive an Academy Award nomination in a highly competitive year. However, she won the Golden Globe for Best New Star of the Year.
Years later, both Hussey and Whiting filed a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures, claiming Zeffirelli pressured them into filming the nude scenes after initially assuring them it would not be required. They sought over $500 million in damages, citing emotional distress and financial losses from the film’s earnings. However, a judge dismissed the case in 2023, ruling the scene was not sexually explicit enough to meet the legal standards.
Hussey continued her career with a return to working with Zeffirelli in Jesus of Nazareth, where she played the Virgin Mary. She also appeared in Death on the Nile (1978) and became known for her roles in early horror films, including Black Christmas (1974) and Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990), solidifying her status as a “scream queen.”
In her later years, she lent her voice to numerous video game projects and had a final reunion with Leonard Whiting in the 2015 British film Social Suicide, a modern take on Romeo and Juliet set in the age of social media.
