Olivia Hussey, the Argentine-British actress whose portrayal of Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 “Romeo and Juliet” redefined Shakespeare for a generation and earned her a Golden Globe, died on December 27, 2024 at her home. She was 73.
Her death was announced in a statement posted to her Instagram account, which noted she died “peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones.” The cause of death was reported to be a recurrence of breast cancer, according to her family.
Born on April 17, 1951, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Hussey moved to London with her mother and brother as a child, facing significant financial hardships before finding her footing in the entertainment industry. She enrolled at the Italia Conti Academy drama school, where her natural talent quickly became apparent. By age 13, she was performing in local theater productions, catching the attention of industry professionals.
At 15, while performing alongside Vanessa Redgrave in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,” Hussey was spotted by director Franco Zeffirelli, who immediately saw in her the perfect embodiment of Shakespeare’s Juliet. The film was shot over nine months in Italy with a budget of $850,000, and it would go on to gross $38.9 million worldwide and win two Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design.
The teenage actress’s role in Romeo and Juliet transformed her life’s trajectory, thrusting her from a young stage performer into international stardom, as she later detailed in her 2018 memoir “The Girl on the Balcony.” The role brought significant career achievements and personal challenges that would shape her entire professional journey in the entertainment industry.
Throughout the 1970s, Hussey built an impressive career, taking on challenging roles that showcased her versatility. Her portrayal of Mary in Franco Zeffirelli’s “Jesus of Nazareth” (1977) reached an estimated 380 million viewers worldwide. She followed this with appearances in “Death on the Nile” (1978) and the horror film “Black Christmas” (1974), which later became a cult classic.
The controversy surrounding “Romeo and Juliet” resurfaced in 2023 when Hussey and her co-star Leonard Whiting filed a $500 million lawsuit against Paramount Pictures. The lawsuit alleged sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and fraud over nude scenes in the film. They claimed they were initially told they would wear flesh-colored undergarments in a bedroom scene, but on the day of the shoot, Zeffirelli told them they would wear only body makeup and that the camera would be positioned to avoid showing nudity. The pair claimed the experience led to years of emotional distress, with Hussey later revealing her struggles with agoraphobia and bulimia.
The case was dismissed by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Alison Mackenzie in May 2023, who ruled that the First Amendment protected the film and that the statute of limitations had expired. The judge noted that both actors had previously defended the film’s artistic merit in numerous interviews over the decades. Despite the controversy, Hussey’s career continued to evolve. She ventured into voice acting, lending her voice to several animated features and video games. In the 1990s, she portrayed Mother Teresa in a biographical film shot in Sri Lanka and Italy, a role she considered one of her most challenging. She also appeared in “Psycho IV: The Beginning” (1990) and various independent films throughout the 2000s.
In her personal life, Hussey was married three times: first to Dean Paul Martin (son of Dean Martin) in 1971, then to Japanese singer Akira Fuse in 1980, and finally to David Glen Eisley in 1991. She had three children: Alexander Martin, Max Fuse, and India Eisley, who followed in her mother’s footsteps as an actress.
Hussey is survived by her husband, David Glen Eisley, her three children, and a grandson. At the time of her death, she was working on her second memoir and had been involved in several charitable causes.
