Olivia Hussey, captivating star of Romeo and Juliet, dies aged 73 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.
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.
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.
