Actress Olivia Hussey, who shot to worldwide prominence as a young person for her function within the acclaimed 1968 movie model of Romeo and Juliet, has died aged 73.
The Argentine-born actress, who grew up in London, died on Friday surrounded by her family members, an announcement posted on her Instagram stated.
Hussey received one of the best new actress Golden Globe for her half as Juliet, however many years later she sued Paramount Footage for sexual abuse as she was aged simply 15 when she filmed the film’s nude scene.
Her different most notable display screen function was as Mary, mom of Jesus, in 1977 TV miniseries Jesus of Nazareth.
“As we grieve this immense loss, we additionally have a good time Olivia’s enduring affect on our lives and the trade,” the assertion stated.
Hussey was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1951, earlier than transferring to London aged seven and learning on the Italia Conti Academy drama college.
She was 15 when Romeo and Juliet director Franco Zeffirelli found her onstage, enjoying reverse Vanessa Redgrave within the play The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
Zeffirelli was searching for somebody who was younger sufficient to be a convincing Juliet in what he meant to be the definitive cinematic model of the Shakespeare play.
He solid Hussey alongside British 16-year-old Leonard Whiting as Romeo within the movie.
The movie was nominated for an Oscar for greatest image and director. Hussey missed out on an Oscar nomination herself in a powerful yr through which Barbra Streisand received the primary award for Humorous Lady.
However at that yr’s Golden Globes, Hussey received the award for greatest new star.
Many years later, she and Whiting sued Paramount Footage alleging Zeffirelli – who died in 2019 – had inspired them to movie nude scenes regardless of earlier assurances they might not need to.
The pair sought damages of greater than $500m (£417m), primarily based on struggling they stated that they had skilled and the income introduced in by the movie since its launch.
However final yr a decide dismissed the case, discovering the scene was not “sufficiently sexually suggestive”.
In 1977, Hussey had reunited with Zeffirelli for Jesus of Nazareth to play the Virgin Mary, earlier than showing in Demise on the Nile a yr later primarily based on Agatha Christie’s novel.
Her roles in early slasher movie Black Christmas (1974) and TV movie Psycho IV: The Starting earned her recognition as a scream queen. Within the latter, she performed Norman Bates’s mom in a prequel storyline.
In later years she additionally took on work as a voice actress, showing continuously in video video games.
However she did have one remaining reunion along with her former Romeo – as she and Whiting appeared collectively within the 2015 British movie Social Suicide, which was loosely primarily based on Romeo and Juliet and set within the social media period.