Olivia Hussey, star of the 1968 film “Romeo and Juliet” died Friday at age 73, her family announced on social media.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Olivia Hussey Eisley, who went peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones on December 27th,” the Instagram post read. “Olivia was a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her.”
Hussey was spotted by director Franco Zeffirelli, who casted her in his adaptation of the play by William Shakespeare, when she was 15, according to the Associated Press (AP). Zeffirelli first saw her perform on stage in the play “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.”
“Romeo and Juliet” won two Oscars and Hussey was awarded a Golden Globe for best new actress for her role as Juliet, the AP reported.
Actress Olivia Hussey attending the Artistry in Cinema Awards at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hills Hilton, California, May 27th 1979. (Photo by Frank Edwards/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Hussey was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1951 and went on to live “a life full of passion, love, and dedication to the arts, spirituality, and kindness towards animals,” her family’s statement said.
Decades after the film Hussey and Leonard Whiting, who played Romeo, brought a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures, alleging sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and the conducting of a nude scene despite the actors being teenagers.
The actors, who were 15 and 16 at the time of filming, alleged that they were first told they would be wearing flesh-colored undergarments for a bedroom scene but upon the day of filming, Zeffirelli allegedly changed his mind, according to the AP. The director reportedly told the two they would wear body makeup and that the camera would be positioned a certain way in order to avoid showing nudity. (RELATED: Child Stars Accuse Studio Of Sexual Exploitation Of Minors In Iconic Adaptation Of ‘Romeo And Juliet’).
The two alleged they were filmed naked without their knowledge but the case was later dismissed in 2023 by a Los Angeles County judge who said they filed their claim too late and their depiction was not considered child pornography, the AP noted.
Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey attend the 50th Anniversary World Premiere Restoration of ‘The Producers’ presented as the Opening Night Gala of the 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival at the TCL Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California on April 26, 2018. (Photo by CHRIS DELMAS / AFP) (Photo credit should read CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)
Whiting paid tribute to his co-star in the comments of the social media post, “We have shared so much since we were two sweet innocent children clinging onto each other for dear life as every photo of us attests to. You have never been frightened of fighting to fix everything wrong in this world.”
“Rest now my beautiful Juliet no injustices can hurt you now. And the world will remember your beauty inside and out forever,” he continued.
Hussey is survived by her husband of 35 years, David Glen Eisley, her children Alex, Max, and India and her grandson, Greyson.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
