R.I.P.

Olivia Hussey of ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ ‘Black Christmas’ Dies at 73

Hussey won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer after starring in the Shakespeare film adaptation.

Argentine-born British actress Olivia Hussey, known primarily for her role as Juliet in director Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and as final girl Jess Bradford in the 1974 slasher Black Christmas, died Friday. She was 73. Friend and filmmaker Marc Huestis confirmed the news to the San Francisco Chronicle. A post on Hussey’s Instagram profile informed fans: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Olivia Hussey Eisley, who went peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones. Olivia was a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her.” Hussey was born in Buenos Aires to opera singer Andrés Osuna and Joy Hussey, a legal secretary from England. Hussey studied drama at London’s Italia Conti Academy, and was a professional actress by the time she was 13. She was 16 when she starred opposite Leonard Whiting in Romeo and Juliet—roles that earned each a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer. Hussey later appeared in the films Death on the Nile, Virus, and the 1990 horror miniseries It, based on the Stephen King novel.