‘Romeo and Juliet’ star was 73

Olivia Hussey Eisley, best known for her lead performances in 1968’s Romeo and Juliet and 1974’s Black Christmas, has died at age 73.

Hussey’s family announced her death on Friday on social media, and a representative for the actress confirmed the news to Entertainment Weekly. A cause of death was not given.

“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 27,” the actress’ family wrote on Instagram. “Olivia was a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her.”

The family’s statement continued, “Olivia lived a life full of passion, love, and dedication to the arts, spirituality, and kindness towards animals. Olivia leaves behind a loving family — her children, Alex, Max, and India; her husband of 35 years, David Glen Eisley; and her grandson, Greyson — and a legacy of love that will forever be cherished in our hearts. As we grieve this immense loss, we also celebrate Olivia’s enduring impact on our lives and the industry. We thank you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time and ask for privacy as we mourn the loss of a truly special soul.”

Leonard Whiting, who played Romeo opposite Hussey’s Juliet in the film based on the classic William Shakespeare play, issued a statement to EW on Saturday. “We have shared so much since we were two sweet innocent children clinging onto each other for dear life, as every photo of us attests to. You have never been frightened of fighting to fix everything wrong in this world. Rest now, my beautiful Juliet. No injustices can hurt you now. And the world will remember your beauty inside and out forever.”

Born Olivia Osuna in Buenos Aires in 1951, Hussey was the first child of tango singer Andrés Osuna (a.k.a. Osvaldo Ribó) and legal secretary Joy Hussey. The actress grew up in London, where she attended the Italia Conti Academy to study drama. Hussey began acting professionally as a teenager, appearing on stage, on TV in an episode of Drama, and in the English films The Battle of the Villa Fiorita and Cup Fever in the mid-1960s. 

When she acted alongside Vanessa Redgrave in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie on the West End, she caught the attention of filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli, who selected her to play Juliet opposite Whiting’s Romeo in his 1968 adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy. Hussey’s acclaimed turn in the movie earned her a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year – Actress.

In 2022, Hussey and Whiting filed a lawsuit against Paramount, Romeo and Juliet‘s distributor, accusing the studio of of exploitation, sexual harassment, fraud, sexual abuse, negligence, and the distribution of nude images of children. The two actors, who were 15 and 16 when they appeared naked in the film, said Zeffirelli pressured them to strip down for a love scene after they’d been told their performances would not require nudity. After a judge tossed out the suit, Hussey and Whiting filed a second lawsuit in 2024, this time including the Criterion Collection as a defendant for its redistribution of the film. That suit was also thrown out in October.

In the early 1970s, Hussey led the drama film All the Right Noises and the crime thriller The Summertime Killer, and also appeared in the musical Lost Horizon, which reunited her with her Romeo and Juliet costar Michael York.

Hussey’s best-known performance as an adult came in 1974 with Bob Clark’s classic holiday horror flick Black Christmas. The chilling serial-killer thriller helped establish the tropes of the slasher subgenre, preceding Halloween by four years. The film was remade in 2006 and again in 2019, with Katie Cassidy and Imogen Poots playing the lead role, respectively.

The actress reteamed with Zeffirelli for his 1977 four-episode serial, Jesus of Nazareth, playing Mary, the mother of Robert Powell’s Christ. In 1978, she appeared in the movie adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, which featured a massive ensemble that included Peter Ustinov, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, Maggie Smith, and David Niven.

In the 1980s, Hussey appeared in the dystopian sci-fi films Virus and Turkey Shoot and acted opposite Burt Lancaster in The Jeweller’s Shop. She also appeared in the comedy The Man With Bogart’s Face and the TV remake of Ivanhoe.

Hussey acted in a number of prominent projects on the small screen in the 1990s, portraying Norma Bates, the mother of Anthony Perkins’ iconic killer Norman Bates, in the made-for-TV sequel Psycho IV: The Beginning. She also played supporting roles in 1990’s It miniseries and Lonesome Dove: The Series, and acted in episodes of Boy Meets World, Pinky and the Brain, and Batman Beyond. 

The actress chronicled her career in her 2018 memoir, The Girl on the Balcony: Olivia Hussey Finds Life After Romeo and Juliet. She is survived by her husband, musician David Glen Eisley, as well as her three children and grandson.