Olivia Hussey Eisley, greatest identified for her lead performances in 1968's Romeo and Juliet and 1974's Black Christmas, has died at age 73.

Hussey's household introduced her demise on Friday on social media, and a consultant for the actress confirmed the information to Leisure Weekly. A explanation for demise was not given.

"It’s with profound disappointment that we announce the passing of Olivia Hussey Eisley, who went peacefully at residence surrounded by her family members on December 27," the actress' household wrote on Instagram. "Olivia was a outstanding particular person whose heat, knowledge, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her."

The household's assertion continued, "Olivia lived a life filled with ardour, love, and dedication to the humanities, spirituality, and kindness in direction of animals. Olivia leaves behind a loving household — her kids, Alex, Max, and India; her husband of 35 years, David Glen Eisley; and her grandson, Greyson — and a legacy of affection that can perpetually be cherished in our hearts. As we grieve this immense loss, we additionally have a good time Olivia’s enduring impression on our lives and the business. We thanks in your ideas and prayers throughout this tough time and ask for privateness as we mourn the lack of a very particular soul."

Leonard Whiting, who performed Romeo reverse Hussey's Juliet within the movie primarily based on the traditional William Shakespeare play, issued an announcement to EW on Saturday. "We’ve shared a lot since we have been two candy harmless kids clinging onto one another for pricey life, as each photograph of us attests to. You could have by no means been fearful of combating to repair every thing unsuitable on this world. Relaxation now, my lovely Juliet. No injustices can harm you now. And the world will bear in mind your magnificence inside and outside perpetually."

Born Olivia Osuna in Buenos Aires in 1951, Hussey was the primary youngster of tango singer Andrés Osuna (a.ok.a. Osvaldo Ribó) and authorized secretary Pleasure Hussey. The actress grew up in London, the place she attended the Italia Conti Academy to review drama. Hussey started appearing professionally as a teen, showing on stage, on TV in an episode of Drama, and within the English movies The Battle of the Villa Fiorita and Cup Fever within the mid-Sixties.

When she acted alongside Vanessa Redgrave in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie on the West Finish, she caught the eye of filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli, who chosen her to play Juliet reverse Whiting's Romeo in his 1968 adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy. Hussey's acclaimed flip within the film earned her a Golden Globe for New Star of the 12 months – Actress.

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In 2022, Hussey and Whiting filed a lawsuit in opposition to Paramount, Romeo and Juliet's distributor, accusing the studio of of exploitation, sexual harassment, fraud, sexual abuse, negligence, and the distribution of nude photos of kids. The 2 actors, who have been 15 and 16 after they appeared bare within the movie, mentioned Zeffirelli pressured them to strip down for a love scene after they'd been instructed their performances wouldn’t require nudity. After a decide tossed out the swimsuit, Hussey and Whiting filed a second lawsuit in 2024, this time together with the Criterion Assortment as a defendant for its redistribution of the movie. That swimsuit was additionally thrown out in October.

Within the early Nineteen Seventies, Hussey led the drama movie All of the Proper Noises and the crime thriller The Summertime Killer, and likewise appeared within the musical Misplaced Horizon, which reunited her along with her Romeo and Juliet costar Michael York.

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Hussey's best-known efficiency as an grownup got here in 1974 with Bob Clark's traditional vacation horror flick Black Christmas. The chilling serial-killer thriller helped set up the tropes of the slasher subgenre, previous Halloween by 4 years. The movie was remade in 2006 and once more in 2019, with Katie Cassidy and Imogen Poots taking part in the lead function, respectively.

The actress reteamed with Zeffirelli for his 1977 four-episode serial, Jesus of Nazareth, taking part in Mary, the mom of Robert Powell's Christ. In 1978, she appeared within the film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Loss of life on the Nile, which featured an enormous ensemble that included Peter Ustinov, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, Maggie Smith, and David Niven.

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Within the Nineteen Eighties, Hussey appeared within the dystopian sci-fi movies Virus and Turkey Shoot and acted reverse Burt Lancaster in The Jeweller's Store. She additionally appeared within the comedy The Man With Bogart's Face and the TV remake of Ivanhoe.

Hussey acted in numerous distinguished initiatives on the small display screen within the Nineties, portraying Norma Bates, the mom of Anthony Perkins' iconic killer Norman Bates, within the made-for-TV sequel Psycho IV: The Starting. She additionally performed supporting roles in 1990's It miniseries and Lonesome Dove: The Sequence, and acted in episodes of Boy Meets World, Pinky and the Mind, and Batman Past.

The actress chronicled her profession in her 2018 memoir, The Lady on the Balcony: Olivia Hussey Finds Life After Romeo and Juliet. She is survived by her husband, musician David Glen Eisley, in addition to her three kids and grandson.

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