A well-celebrated star, Olivia Hussey Eisley, who acted in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 Romeo and Juliet and Black Christmas, a horror classic released in 1974, died at the age of 73, as reported in a statement shared on her Instagram page.
“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 27th,” the statement posted on her Instagram reads. “Olivia was a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her.”
Eisley was born in the city of Buenos Aires on April 17, 1951, and she became very popular for her role as Juliet, which earned her a Golden Globe.
During her time as a professional actress, she played roles in Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth, released in 1977, where she acted as Mary; she also took part in Agatha Christie’s adaptation Death on the Nile (1978). She went further to play roles in Psycho IV: The Beginning and Stephen King’s ‘It’ in the 1990s. She also took part in movies that were released in the 2000s, including Mother Teresa and El Grito.
Hussey Eisley and a colleague in the movie industry, Leonard Whiting, filed a case in 2022 over nude scenes in Romeo and Juliet, where they alleged exploitation as underage; the suit was dismissed a year after, in 2023.
She will not be forgotten for her spirituality, passion, and kindness to animals. Hussey Eisley leaves behind a legacy in film and beyond.
