Romeo and Juliet star Olivia Hussey has died at the age of 73.
Hussey was just 15 when she starred in the 1968 film adaptation of Shakespeare, winning a Golden Globe.
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Olivia Hussey as Juliet in the 1968 film Credit: Alamy
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Actress with Leonard Whiting as Romeo Credits: Kobal Collection
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Olivia Hussey has died aged 73 Credit: AFP
Hussey, who was born in Argentina, died on Friday surrounded by her loved ones, according to a statement on her Instagram.
It said: “While we mourn this tremendous loss, we also celebrate Olivia’s lasting impact on our lives and the industry.”
Hussey was born in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires in 1951 before moving to London at the age of seven.
She studied at the drama school Italia Conti Academy, and the director Franco Zeffirelli noticed her when she was only 15 years old.
Zeffirelli saw her on stage playing opposite Vanessa Redgrave in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
He shared it with 16-year-old British actor Leonard Whiting, who played Romeo.
Teen star Hussey won the Golden Globe for Best New Star that year for her role as Juliet.
Hussey and Whiting later sued Paramount Pictures – claiming that Zeffirelli forced them to shoot nude scenes despite their age.
Last year, a judge dismissed the case, saying the scene was not “sufficiently sexually suggestive.”
Hussey’s second major film role was Mary, the mother of Jesus, in Zeffirelli’s 1977 TV miniseries Jesus of Nazareth.
Watch the teaser for 1996’s Romeo and Juliet as cinemas begin warning fans of disturbing subject matter
She later appeared in Agatha Christie’s adaptation of Death On The Nile.
Hussey played the “scream queen” in the TV movie Psycho IV and the slasher film Black Christmas.
She continued to work as a voice actress – appearing in many popular video games.
The actress reunited with her Romeo when she and Whiting starred together in the 2015 film Social Suicide.
The film was based on Romeo and Juliet and was set in the age of social media.
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Teen star Hussey won the Golden Globe for Best New Star in 1968. Credit: Alamy
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Hussey reunites with Whiting in 2018. Credit: AFP
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Hussey 2007. Credit: Getty – Contributor
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