Olivia Hussey
Olivia Hussey | |
---|---|
Born | Olivia Osuna 17 April 1951 Buenos Aires, Argentina |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1965–present |
Spouse(s) |
|
Children | 3, including India Eisley |
Website | oliviahussey |
Olivia Hussey (born Olivia Osuna; 17 April 1951) is an English-Argentinian actress. After appearing in theatre in London, Hussey was chosen to play the role of Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet. The role lent her international recognition, and she won a Golden Globe and also the David di Donatello Award for her performance.
In 1974, she appeared as the lead character, Jess, in the cult horror film Black Christmas.[1] She would reunite with Zeffirelli in the miniseries Jesus of Nazareth (1977), as Mary, mother of Jesus, and appeared in John Guillermin's Agatha Christie adaptation Death on the Nile (1978). She would appear in several international productions throughout the 1980s, including the Japanese production Virus (1980), and the Australian horror film Turkey Shoot (1982). In 1990, she appeared in two other horror productions: Psycho IV: The Beginning and Stephen King's It.
In addition to screen acting, Hussey has also worked as a voice actress, providing voice roles in multiple 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 in Buenos Aires, Argentina,[2] the first child of Andreas Osuna, an Argentine opera singer, and Joy Hussey, a secretary originally from England.[3] Her parents divorced when she was two years old, and at age seven, Hussey moved with her mother and younger brother to London, where she spent the remainder of her early life.[3] She was raised Roman Catholic.[4]
In London, she attended the Italia Conti Academy drama school for five years.[5] At age thirteen, she began acting professionally in theatre.[3]
Career
Early work; Romeo and Juliet
Assuming her mother's maiden name as her stage name, Hussey appeared, at age thirteen, on the London stage as Jenny in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, opposite Vanessa Redgrave.[6] It was during the run of this play that Italian film director Franco Zeffirelli first spotted her because of her beauty and theatrical skill. At age fifteen,[7] she was chosen out of 500 actresses to star as Juliet in Zeffirelli's 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet, opposite Leonard Whiting's Romeo.[8] 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 61–67 (1964).[9] 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.[10]
In 1971, she appeared in the British drama All the Right Noises, followed by the crime film The Summertime Killer (1972),[9] and the musical Lost Horizon (1973), opposite Liv Ullmann, John Gielgud, and Sally Kellerman.[11] In 1974, she played the leading role of Jess 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).[12] In 1978 she played Rosalie Otterbourne in Death on the Nile with Peter Ustinov,[2] and appeared in The Cat and the Canary (1979).[13] She also starred as Marit in the Japanese film Virus (1980),[14] 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).[15]
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.[16] 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),[17][18] and in the miniseries It, an adaptation of the Stephen King novel.[19]
Later roles and voice work
In 2003 she played the lead in a film adaptation of the life of Mother Teresa, for which she was presented with a Character & Morality in Entertainment Award on 12 May 2007 in Hollywood.[2] 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.[20] In 2015 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).[21]
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 Batman Beyond, as Talia. She voiced the character of Kasan Moor in the PC/Nintendo64 game, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (1998)[22] and was also in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011) as Jedi Master Yuon Par.[23] She also lent her voice to Star Wars: Force Commander in 2000.[24]
Personal life
She quit acting for two years following the success of Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet due to an ongoing struggle with agoraphobia.[3] In 1971 Hussey married actor Dean Paul Martin, son of the singer Dean Martin. They had a son, Alexander Gunther Martin (later an actor), in 1973, before divorcing in 1978.[25] 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.[26]
In 1980 Hussey married Japanese musician Akira Fuse in two ceremonies, one at home in Los Angeles and a second, an Indian wedding, in Miami. She gave birth to her son Max in 1983. She divorced Fuse in 1989.
In 1991 Hussey married American rock musician David Glen Eisley, a son of the late actor Anthony Eisley. In October 1993 she gave birth to her daughter, India Eisley. India, also an actress, played her first major role in the American teen drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager in 2008.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1965 | The Battle of the Villa Fiorita | Donna | |
1965 | Cup Fever | Jinny | |
1968 | Romeo and Juliet | Juliet | Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer David di Donatello for Best Actress Nominated— Laurel Award |
1971 | All the Right Noises | Val | |
1971 | H-Bomb | Erica | |
1972 | The Summertime Killer | Tania Scarlotti | |
1973 | Lost Horizon | Maria | |
1974 | Black Christmas | Jess | |
1978 | Death on the Nile | Rosalie Otterbourne | |
1978 | The Pirate | Leila | Television film |
1979 | The Cat and the Canary | Cicily Young | |
1979 | The Thirteenth Day: The Story of Esther | Esther | Television film |
1980 | Virus | Marit | |
1980 | The Man with Bogart's Face | Elsa | |
1982 | Turkey Shoot | Chris Walters | |
1982 | Ivanhoe | Rebecca | Television film |
1985 | The Corsican Brothers | Annamarie de Guidice | Television film |
1987 | Distortions | Amy Marks | |
1989 | The Jeweller's Shop | Thérèse | |
1990 | Undeclared War | Rebecca Eche | |
1990 | Psycho IV: The Beginning | Norma Bates | Television film |
1993 | Quest of the Delta Knights | The Mannerjay | |
1994 | Save Me | Gail | |
1995 | Ice Cream Man | Nurse Wharton | |
1995 | Bad English I: Tales of a Son of a Brit | ||
1996 | The Dark Mist | Voice of the Ancients (Voice) | |
1996 | Dead Man's Island | Rosie, the housemaid | Television film |
1998 | The Gardener | Mrs. Carter | |
1998 | Shame, Shame, Shame | Therapist | |
2000 | Bloody Proof | Laura | |
2001 | Island Prey | Catherine Gaits | |
2003 | Mother Teresa of Calcutta | Mother Teresa | Television film |
2005 | Headspace | Dr. Karen Murphy | |
2006 | Seven Days of Grace | Jewel | |
2007 | Tortilla Heaven | Petra | |
2008 | Three Priests | Rachel | |
2008 | I Am Somebody: No Chance in Hell | Mrs. Duncan | |
2015 | Social Suicide | Julia's Mother |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1964 | Drama 60–67 | Mrs. Ken's daughter | Episode: "Studio '64 – The Crunch" |
1977 | Jesus of Nazareth | Mary, mother of Jesus | Miniseries |
1978 | The Bastard | Alicia | Miniseries |
1984 | The Last Days of Pompeii | Ione | Miniseries |
1984 | Murder, She Wrote | Kitty Trumbull | Episode: "Sing a Song of Murder" |
1990 | It | Audra Phillips Denbrough | Miniseries |
1994 | Lonesome Dove: The Series | Olivia Jessup | Episodes: "Where the Heart Is" "Law and Order" "Firebrand" |
1997 | Boy Meets World | Aunt Prudence Curtis | Episode: "A Long Walk To Pittsburgh (Part 2)" |
1998 | Pinky and the Brain | Queen (Voice) | "The Megalomaniacal Adventures of Brainie the Poo", "Melancholy Brain" |
1999 | Superman: The Animated Series | Talia (Voice) | Episode: "The Demon Reborn" |
2000 | Batman Beyond | Talia (Voice) | Episode: "Out of the Past" |
Video games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | Star Wars: Rogue Squadron | Kasan Moor | |
2000 | Star Wars: Force Commander | AT-AA Driver, Abridon Refugee 2 | |
2011 | Star Wars: The Old Republic | Jedi Master Yuon Par |
Awards and nominations
- 2001: Nominated, "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Television Production" – Batman Beyond
- 1969: Won, "Best Actress" – Romeo and Juliet
- 1969: Won, "Most Promising Female Newcomer" – Romeo and Juliet
- 1970: Nominated, "Female New Face" – Romeo and Juliet
Notes
- ^ "The 25 Most Badass Horror Movie Heroines". Complex. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- ^ a b c Staff (4 March 2002). "Part of me thinks I am Juliet". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d Podolsky, J.D. (16 March 1992). "Forever Juliet – For Olivia Hussey, Life After Romeo and Juliet Brought Sweetness and Sorrow". People. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ Mario, Conte. "God & I: Olivia Hussey". saintanthonyofpadua.net. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Olivia Hussey—Romeo and Juliet Interview—01/10/08". grouchoreviews.com. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ^ Redgrave 1991, p. 128.
- ^ Daileader 2001, p. 188.
- ^ Rapf, Maurice (6 September 1968). "Generation Gap in Verona". Life. Google Books: 10.
- ^ a b "Olivia Hussey". British Film Institute (BFI). Retrieved 29 December 2016.
- ^ "Olivia Hussey". Golden Globes. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ^ "Lost Horizon Found". Film Brain. 19 May 2006. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
- ^ Boyle, Donna-Marie Cooper (9 June 2014). "An Iconic Screen Presence". Catholic World Report. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
- ^ Mayo 2013, p. 397.
- ^ Sussex Publishers, LLC (February 1990). "Go East, Old Actors". Spy: 38.
- ^ "A Film that Makes Viewers Dream of Escape". Philadelphia Daily News. Newspapers.com. 6 September 1983. p. 44.
- ^ Donovan, Frank (24 February 2015). "The 50 Most WTF Celebrity Cameos in Music Video History". MTV. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ^ Hinman, Catherine (15 July 1990). "Whirlwind Affair: `Psycho Iv` Wraps Up". Orlando Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ Mayo 2013, p. 288.
- ^ Mayo 2013, p. 435.
- ^ Cooper Boyle, Donna-Marie. "An Iconic Screen Presence". thecatholicworldreport.com. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ Ford, Rebecca (29 September 2014). "Romeo and Juliet Stars Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey Reuniting for 'Social Suicide'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ Factor 5 (3 December 1998). Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. Electronic Arts, LucasArts.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ BioWare (20 December 2011). Star Wars: The Old Republic. Electronic Arts, LucasArts. Scene: closing credits, 11:07 in, English Cast.
- ^ "Star Wars: Force Commander Credits". Lucas Arts. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ "Dean Martin's Son is dead in Jet". The New York Times. 27 March 1987. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ Arias, Ron (13 April 1987). "Actor, Athlete and Dashing Pilot, Dean Paul Martin Dies When His Jet Crashes on a Mountainside". People. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
References
- Daileader, Celia R. (8 October 2001). "Nude Shakespeare in film and nineties popular feminism". In Alexander, Catherine M.S.; and Stanley Wells (ed.). Shakespeare and Sexuality. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-80475-2.
{{cite book}}
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(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link) - Mayo, Mike (2013). The Horror Show Guide: The Ultimate Frightfest of Movies (2 ed.). Visible Ink Press. ISBN 978-1-578-59420-7.
{{cite book}}
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(help) - Redgrave, Vanessa (1991). Vanessa Redgrave: An Autobiography. Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-40216-9.
{{cite book}}
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External links
- 1951 births
- 20th-century English actresses
- 21st-century English actresses
- Actresses from London
- Argentine emigrants to England
- Argentine people of English descent
- Argentine Roman Catholics
- Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
- David di Donatello winners
- English film actresses
- English Shakespearean actresses
- English television actresses
- English video game actresses
- English voice actresses
- English Roman Catholics
- Living people
- New Star of the Year (Actress) Golden Globe winners