She was one of the slasher sub-genre’s first final girls, and so much more.
That’s why we’re devastated to learn that actress Olivia Hussey has passed away.
Born Olivia Osuna in 1951, Hussey was the daughter of an Argentine tango singer and a British teacher. Adopting her mother’s maiden name, she embarked on a career in performing aged 14.
Whilst appearing in London’s West End, Hussey was selected out of 500 applicants for the role of Juliet Capulet in 1968’s Romeo & Juliet. The film became a success, with Hussey winning a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer.
However, the film has since been marred in controversy, as Hussey and her co-star Leonard Whiting were not of legal age, yet both appeared nude in the film.
Following her initial success, Hussey turned down roles in True Grit and Anna of the Thousand Days. She would work steadily in the following years, before landing the role that she is arguably best remembered for.
In 1974, Hussey leant her considerable star power to Bob Clark’s independent horror film Black Christmas. Considered the first mainstream slasher movie, the film begat a horror sub-genre that would dominate the box-office for the next decade. As Jess Bradford, Hussey became one of horror cinema’s first “final girls,” and has since become an icon amongst the fanbase.
Horror would be a genre Hussey would frequent over her fifty-year career, with many considering the actress a “scream queen.”
She would star in two dystopian thrillers with 1980’s Virus and 1982’s Turkey Shoot, and head a star-studded cast in 1976’s The Cat and the Canary.
On television Hussey also broached the genre, becoming the first actress to portray Norma Bates, in 1990’s Psycho IV: The Beginning. That same year, she would play a supporting role in Tommy Lee Wallace’s miniseries adaption of Stephen King’s It.
Continuing to work steadily throughout the years, Hussey was a regular at horror conventions and often spoke highly of her genre work.
The actress died December 27th at her home in Los Angeles. She had been undergoing treatment for a recurrence of breast cancer, having beaten the disease twice previously.
Hussey is survived by her two children and her husband of 34 years David Glen Eisley, she was 73 years old.
Rest in peace, Olivia. You will be sorely missed.
