Olivia Hussey

Olivia Hussey (born Olivia Osuna; 17 April 1951) is an English film, stage, and television actress. Her awards include a Golden Globe Award and a David di Donatello Award. The daughter of Argentine opera singer Andrés Osuna, Hussey was born in Buenos Aires and spent most of her early life in her mother's native England. She aspired to become an actress at a young age and studied drama for five years Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London.

Hussey began acting professionally as an adolescent. She appeared in a 1966 London production of '' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'', opposite Vanessa Redgrave; this led to her being scouted for the role of Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film adaptation of '' Romeo and Juliet''. Hussey received widespread acclaim and international recognition for her performance.

In 1974, she appeared as the lead character Jess Bradford in the cult slasher film '' Black Christmas''. This and subsequent horror films earned her the label of scream queen. She reunited with Zeffirelli in the miniseries '' Jesus of Nazareth'' (1977) as Mary and appeared in John Guillermin's Agatha Christie adaptation ''Death on the Nile'' (1978). She appeared in several international productions throughout the 1980s, including the Japanese production ''Virus'' (1980) and the Australian dystopian action film ''Turkey Shoot'' (1982). She appeared in two made-for-television horror productions: '' Psycho IV: The Beginning'' and Stephen King's '' It'', both first screened in 1990.

In addition to screen acting, Hussey has worked as a voice actress, providing voice roles in '' Star Wars'' video games including '' Star Wars: Rogue Squadron'', '' Star Wars: Force Commander'', and '' Star Wars: The Old Republic''.

Early life

Hussey was born Olivia Osuna on 17 April 1951 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the first child of Argentine opera singer Andrés Osuna (who performed under the stage name Osvaldo Ribó), and Joy (née Hussey), a legal secretary originally from England. Her parents were both Roman Catholics, and she was raised in that denomination. "My mother was a devout Catholic," Hussey recalled. "I grew up with a mini-altar at home that she had; a candle was always alight on it. She always had a great love for God, and she instilled that in me." When Hussey was two years old, her parents separated but never divorced.

Hussey was fascinated by acting from a young age, and as a child, would dress herself and pretend to be a nun. At the age of seven, she moved with her mother and younger brother to London, where she spent the remainder of her early life. There, Hussey auditioned and was enrolled into the Italia Conti Academy drama school, Hussey negotiated reduced school fees by showing her passion for acting. She attended for five years. At 13, she began acting professionally on stage.

Career

1968–1969: Career beginnings and ''Romeo and Juliet''

Assuming her mother's maiden name as her stage name, Hussey appeared on the London stage in a West End production of ''The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'', playing the role of Jenny opposite Vanessa Redgrave. During the run of this play, Italian film director Franco Zeffirelli noticed her because "she was the only choice mature enough with experience and natural beauty to play Juliet while still looking 14." At 15, she was chosen out of 500 actresses to star as Juliet in Zeffirelli's film version of ''Romeo and Juliet'' (1968), opposite 16-year-old Leonard Whiting's Romeo. Prior to her role in ''Romeo and Juliet'', she had appeared in minor roles in two films: '' The Battle of the Villa Fiorita'' and ''Cup Fever'' (both 1965), and an episode of the television series ''Drama'' (1964). In 1969, she won a special David di Donatello Award and the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actress for her performance in ''Romeo and Juliet''.

After the success of ''Romeo and Juliet'', Hollywood producer Hal B. Wallis offered her the title role in ''Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969) and the co-starring role with John Wayne in ''True Grit'' (1969). In her 2018 memoir Hussey stated that she had "mumbled something about being interested in "Anne of the Thousand Days" but added that she "couldn't see herself with Wayne". She claims that this "adolescent and opinionated" remark inevitably ended her professional relationship with Wallis, and he immediately withdrew his offer from her. "It had taken me less than a minute to talk my way out of it", Hussey stated.

1970–2000: ''Black Christmas'' and continued acting

In 1971, she appeared in the British drama ''All the Right Noises'', followed by the crime film ''The Summertime Killer'' (1972), and the musical '' Lost Horizon'' (1973), opposite Liv Ullmann, John Gielgud, and Sally Kellerman. In 1974, she played the leading role of Jess Bradford in the Canadian horror film '' Black Christmas'' (1974), which became influential as a forerunner of the slasher film genre of horror films. She played Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the 1977 television production of '' Jesus of Nazareth'' (her second work for director Zeffirelli). In 1978, she played Rosalie Otterbourne in ''Death on the Nile'' with Peter Ustinov, and appeared in '' The Cat and the Canary'' (1979). She also starred as Marit in the Japanese film ''Virus'' (1980), and played Rebecca of York in the 1982 remake of '' Ivanhoe'' (1982); the same year, she had a lead role in the Australian horror film ''Turkey Shoot'' (1982).

In 1987, Hussey appeared in a clip for the Michael Jackson video '' Liberian Girl'', among others, who also included Steven Spielberg, John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Whoopi Goldberg, Lou Ferrigno, and Billy Dee Williams. In 1990, Hussey appeared in two horror projects, playing Norma Bates, the mother of Norman Bates, in '' Psycho IV: The Beginning'', a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's '' Psycho'' (1960), and in the miniseries '' It'', an adaptation of the Stephen King novel.

2000–present: Later films and voice work

Hussey played the lead in ''Mother Teresa of Calcutta'' (2003), a biographical film about Mother Teresa, for which she was presented with a Character & Morality in Entertainment Award on 12 May 2007 in Hollywood. She stated in an interview that it had been her dream and wish to portray the role of Mother Teresa of Calcutta since she finished her role as the Virgin Mary in '' Jesus of Nazareth''. Hussey and Leonard Whiting reunited as on-screen partners in the film '' Social Suicide'' (2015), the only film that they both appeared in since ''Romeo and Juliet'' (1968). In the project, Hussey's daughter, actress India Eisley, played their fictional daughter, Julia Coulson.

Hussey has also worked as a voice actress, and was nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Television Production" at the Annie Awards for her work in the DC animated universe, as Talia, daughter of Ra's al Ghul. She voiced the character of Kasan Moor in the PC/Nintendo 64 game, '' Star Wars: Rogue Squadron'' (1998) and was also in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game '' Star Wars: The Old Republic'' (2011) as Jedi Master Yuon Par. She also lent her voice to '' Star Wars: Force Commander'' in 2000.

Personal life

Hussey abandoned acting for two years after the success of Franco Zeffirelli's '' Romeo and Juliet'', suffering from agoraphobia. As teenagers, she and Whiting dated for a brief period following production of the film and have remained friends since, reportedly speaking "at least once every 10 days."

In 1971, she married actor Dean Paul Martin, the son of singer Dean Martin, on the day of her twentieth birthday. They had a son, Alexander Gunther Martin (who became an actor), in 1973, divorcing in 1978. Dean Paul Martin died in 1987, when his National Guard F-4 Phantom jet fighter crashed in California's San Bernardino Mountains during a snowstorm.

In 1980, Hussey married Japanese singer Akira Fuse in two ceremonies: one at home in Los Angeles, and a second, an Indian wedding in Miami. She gave birth to their son Max in 1983 and divorced Fuse in 1989. In 1991, she married the American rock musician David Glen Eisley, the son of an actor Anthony Eisley. In October 1993, she gave birth to their daughter, India Eisley, now an actress.

Hussey was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. Rather than pursuing chemotherapy or radiation therapy, she underwent a double mastectomy to treat the cancer. After being in remission for nearly a decade, Hussey learned in 2018 that the breast cancer had returned when a small tumour was discovered growing between her heart and lungs. She opted to use radiation and chemotherapy to treat the tumour, stating: "I'd refused chemotherapy and radiation treatment 10 years ago, wanting to avoid those poisons, but last year I had no choice, and they saved my life. The tumour shrank, I'm hoping to the size of a pea, and I'm doing well now. I'm healthy and happy."

Hussey's memoir, ''The Girl on the Balcony: Olivia Hussey Finds Life After Romeo and Juliet'', was published on 31 July 2018.

Legal issues

On 30 December 2022, a lawsuit was filed by Hussey and Leonard Whiting against Paramount Pictures complaining of a nude scene in the 1968 film '' Romeo and Juliet''. Hussey was 15 at the time of the production and Whiting was 16. The allegations are sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, and fraud. The court filing says that Hussey and Whiting have suffered emotional damage and mental anguish for decades. They are suing Paramount Pictures, according to The Washington Post for damages of more than $100 million reflecting the film's success since then, with worldwide earnings in excess of $500 million. The suit alleges that director Franco Zeffirelli, who died in 2019, initially told the two that they would wear flesh-coloured undergarments in the bedroom scene. They were also told that there would be no filmed nude scenes. According to the suit they were filmed nude in violation of California and federal laws against indecency and against exploitation of children.

In an interview in August 2018 with Stephanie Nolasco for Fox News to promote the release of her autobiography ''Girl on the Balcony'', Hussey discussed her nude scene in the film and recalled how she felt at ease on the set. "We shot it at the end of the film. So by that time...we've become one big family. It wasn't that big of a deal. And Leonard wasn't shy at all! In the middle of shooting I just completely forgot I didn't have clothes on."

In another interview with ''Variety'' in 2018, Hussey defended the nude scene. "Nobody my age had done that before," she said, adding that Zeffirelli shot it tastefully. "It was needed for the film. Everyone thinks they were so young they didn't realize what they were doing. But we were very aware. We both came from drama schools and when you work you take your work very seriously."

Hussey has admitted she had a huge "crush" on Zeffirelli, the inference being the Director had undue influence on the teenager's nudity scenes.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Stage credits

References

Sources

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External links

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Olivia Hussey
at the British Film Institute

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hussey, Olivia
1951 births
20th-century English actresses
21st-century English actresses
Actresses from Buenos Aires
Actresses from London
Argentine emigrants to England
Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
British women memoirists
David di Donatello winners
English film actresses
English memoirists
English Roman Catholics
English Shakespearean actresses
English television actresses
English video game actresses
English voice actresses
Living people
New Star of the Year (Actress) Golden Globe winners