Actor shot to fame after being cast in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film adaptation of Shakespeare’s play when she was just 15. Olivia Hussey, who mesmerised audiences as the female lead in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, has died aged 73.
![[Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting at the London premiere of ‘Romeo and Juliet’, 1968]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/05/26/06/newFile.jpg)
The news was shared from her official Instagram account in a statement that said the Argentina-born star died “at home, surrounded by her loved ones”. Hussey was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and underwent a double mastectomy. The illness returned in 2017 and she underwent treatment to remove a small tumour growing between her heart and lungs.
![[Zeffirelli with Hussey and Whiting on the set of ‘Romeo and Juliet’]](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2019/06/15/13/franco-zafrelli-1.jpg)
“Olivia was a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her,” her family’s statement said. It continued: “Olivia lived a life full of passion, love, and dedication to the arts, spirituality, and kindness towards animals.”.
![[Whiting and Hussey pictured together in 2019]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/05/25/23/Romeo_and_Juliet_Lawsuit_62998.jpg)
Hussey, who grew up in London, was just 15 when she was discovered by Zeffirelli while performing opposite Vanessa Redgrave in a stage production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. The director had been searching for someone young enough to play a convincing Juliet, in what he hoped would become the defining film adaptation of Shakespeare’s play.
Hussey was cast opposite 16-year-old British actor Leonard Whiting as Romeo in the Oscar-nominated film, which also earnt her a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year. Decades later, Hussey and Whiting sued Paramount Pictures, alleging that Zeffirelli – who died in 2019 – had duped them into appearing in nude scenes despite being told they would not be required to.
