‘Romeo and Juliet’ star passes away

American actress Olivia Hussey, who played Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet” in 1968, has died at the age of 73.

According to Variety , she passed away surrounded by her family on December 27. On the San Francisco Chronicle , Olivia Hussey’s friend – event organizer Marc Huestis – said the actress died of cancer.

The family representative wrote on Instagram : “Olivia was a wonderful person. Her warmth and intelligence touched the hearts of those around her.

Olivia lived a life full of passion, dedication to art and animal protection activities.”

Olivia Hussey was born in Argentina in 1951 and grew up in England. She studied art from a young age and began acting at the age of 13.

After making her debut in the play The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie , Hussey was cast in the film Romeo and Juliet – directed by Italian Franco Zeffirelli – at the age of 15.

According to People , after the film’s release, Olivia Hussey shined, becoming a top British star and one of the legendary beauties in 20th-century Hollywood.

She and co-star Leonard Whiting received Golden Globe nominations in 1969, while Zeffirelli’s film received four Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Director.

After starring in All the Right Noises (1971) and The Summertime Killer (1972), Hussey was cast in the horror film Black Christmas (1974) by Bob Clark, considered a pioneer of the slasher genre.

She also appeared in Death on the Nile , Star Wars: Rogue Squadron , Star Wars: Force Commander , Star Wars: The Old Republic , Psycho IV: The Beginning .

Olivia Hussey’s teenage years were both glamorous and painful.

According to People , after Romeo and Juliet , she had to stop working for two years due to anxiety disorder and agoraphobia, and did not return until 1971.

In an interview with Variety in 2018, the actress said that the nude scenes of her and Leonard Whiting were necessary for the film, but then the two sued Paramount Pictures “for exploitation, dissemination of nude images and sexual exploitation” in 2022.

A year later, the lawsuit was dismissed . They sued again earlier this year but were also dismissed in October because the court found that they had agreed to perform these scenes.

Olivia Hussey’s last project was Social Suicide (2015), after which she became active in the field of animal protection.

The artist lives with her third husband – musician David Glen Eisley – in the US. The couple have been together for 33 years and have a daughter, actress India Eisley.

Olivia Hussey also has two sons with her two ex-husbands.

In 2008, Hussey was diagnosed with breast cancer. The disease went into remission after she had a mastectomy.

However, in 2018, Hussey told Express that doctors had discovered a new tumour growing between her heart and lungs, and she had to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

“I regret not taking on more substantial roles. But instead, I took time off, raised my three children, which was more important than my career.

Overall, I’ve done some very proud roles and I’m very happy in my life,” the actress said.