Olivia Hussey Eisley, star of “Romeo and Juliet,” dies at 73

Olivia Hussey Eisley, the British-Argentine actress who rose to fame as a teenager as Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 production of “Romeo and Juliet” and later starred in “Black Christmas” and “Death on the Nile,” died Friday. She was 73.

Filmmaker Marc Huestis told the San Francisco Chronicle that Hussey died of cancer and announced it on Instagram. She had breast cancer in 2008 and again in 2018.

“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,” reads the social media post. Olivia was a very lovely and wise lady who touched the lives of all who knew her. Olivia dedicated her life to the arts, spirituality, and animal welfare.

Hussey appeared in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,” starring Vanessa Redgrave, in the West End before landing a role in Zeffirelli’s film adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. She was 15 when cast and 16 throughout filming. Hussey and Leonard Whiting played star-crossed lovers in the film, which started both teens’ careers. The film was a smash for casting actors closer to the characters’ ages, a rarity at the time, and it received a G rating despite brief nudity. Each received a nomination for most promising rookie at the 1969 Golden Globe Awards in their respective categories, and Zeffirelli’s film garnered four Oscar nominations, including best picture and director.

Though she told Variety in 2018 that Zeffirelli shot the naked sequences tastefully and that they were needed for the film, Hussey and Whiting sued Paramount in 2022 for sexually exploiting and sharing nude photographs.  “I never agreed to it. “I did it because I couldn’t say no,” she said throughout the lawsuit. Issues related to the statute of limitations led to the dismissal of the claim in 2023. They sued again earlier this year, but the judge dismissed it in October, saying they consented to the scenes.

Hussey led Bob Clark’s 1974 horror picture “Black Christmas,” a slasher pioneer, after “All the Right Noises” and “The Summertime Killer.” Hussey played Jessica, a sorority sister under the stalking of a demented killer. With Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot, Hussey participated in Agatha Christie’s 1978 adaptation “Death on the Nile.”

oliviahusseyarchive Instagram profile

Other significant roles include Norma Bates, Norman Bates’ mother, in “Psycho IV: The Beginning” and Mary in “Jesus of Nazareth,” which reunited her with Zeffirelli.

Hussey voiced several video games, including “Star Wars: Rogue Squadron” and “Star Wars: The Old Republic.”

Hussey is survived by David Glen Eisley, her children Alex, Max, and India, and her grandson Greyson.