Olivia Hussey dead: Romeo and Juliet star who found fame at 15 and won Golden Globe for role dies aged 73
ROMEO and Juliet star Oliva Hussey has died aged 73.
Hussey was just 15 when she starred in the 1968 Shakespeare film adaptation, scooping a Golden Globe.
Argentinian-born Hussey died on Friday surrounded by her loved ones, a statement on her Instagram said.
It read: “As we grieve this immense loss, we also celebrate Olivia’s enduring impact on our lives and the industry.”
Hussey was born in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires in 1951 before moving to London aged seven.
She studied at the Italia Conti Academy drama school and was spotted by director Franco Zeffirelli aged just 15.
Zeffirelli saw her onstage playing opposite Vanessa Redgrave in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
He cast her opposite 16-year-old British actor Leonard Whiting, who played Romeo.
Teen star Hussey won a Golden Globe for best new star that year for her role as Juliet.
Hussey and Whiting later sued Paramount Pictures – alleging Zeffirelli forced them to film nude scenes despite their age.
Last year a judge dismissed the case, saying the scene was not “sufficiently sexually suggestive”.
Hussey’s other most notable screen role was as Mary, mother of Jesus, in Zeffirelli’s 1977 TV miniseries Jesus of Nazareth.
She later appeared in the Agatha Christie adaptation Death on the Nile.
Hussey starred as a “scream queen” in made-for-TV film Psycho IV and slasher flick Black Christmas.
She went on to work as a voice actress – appearing in many popular video games.
The actress reunited with her Romeo when she and Whiting starred together in 2015 film Social Suicide.
The film was loosely based on Romeo and Juliet, and was set in the age of social media.