British Actress Olivia Hussey Passes Away at 73

British Actress Olivia Hussey Passes Away at 73. British actress Olivia Hussey has passed away. According to BBC, the 73-year-old actress died yesterday, Friday. The news of her death was announced through a post on her Instagram account.

Olivia gained recognition in 1968 for her role in the film Romeo and Juliet. She was only 15 years old when the film was shot. Portraying the character of Juliet brought her fame and awards, including the Golden Globe Award for Best New Actress that year.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1951, Olivia Hussey began her studies at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts before moving to London at the age of seven.

Director Franco Zeffirelli had been searching for young actors to play the lead roles for his adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. One day, he attended a performance of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, where Olivia acted opposite Vanessa Redgrave. Impressed by Olivia’s performance on stage, Zeffirelli offered the 15-year-old the role of Juliet.

In the film, the role of Romeo was played by British actor Leonard Whiting, who was 16 years old at the time. At the 1968 Oscars, Romeo and Juliet was nominated in four categories, including Best Picture and Best Director. The film won Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design.

While Romeo and Juliet played a pivotal role in Olivia Hussey’s career, it also sparked controversy. Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting filed a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures, claiming they were coerced into filming nude scenes during the production of the 1968 movie. They demanded $500 million in damages in court.

Leonard Whiting alleged that Italian director Franco Zeffirelli forced them to perform the scenes. However, last year, a judge dismissed the case, ruling that the scene was not “explicitly sexual.”

Pippo Zeffirelli, the son of the Oscar-winning director, defended the scene, stating that the love between the two characters was portrayed in the film. “Comparing that scene to pornography is completely inappropriate,” he said, adding, “The scene simply depicted an expression of love, not obscenity.”

In addition to Romeo and Juliet, Olivia Hussey also portrayed Mother Mary in the 1977 TV miniseries Jesus of Nazareth. Her final film appearance was in Suicide Squad in 2015.