The Girl on the Balcony: Olivia Hussey Finds Life after Romeo and Juliet
About this ebook
In 1968, sixteen-year-old Olivia Hussey became one of the most famous faces in the world, immortalized as Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's classic film Romeo & Juliet. For a simple girl from Buenos Aires, Argentina, the role was an opportunity of a lifetime. But for Olivia, the role of movie star wasn't so easy to play.
In this candid memoir, Hussey tells her story from her time as an “It Girl” in swinging 60s London through her three tumultuous marriages—including one with Dean Martin's son, Dino. Over the years, she experienced motherhood, stage-four breast cancer, debilitating agoraphobia, bankruptcy, and ultimately, a journey of self-discovery in India that led her on a path to fulfillment.
Hussey shares intimate memories of the legendary performers she knew, loved, worked with, and battled, including The Beatles, Vanessa Redgrave, Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Anthony Perkins, Christopher Reeve, Lawrence Olivier, Ingrid Bergman, and more. Olivia also opens up for the first time about the trauma of being raped by her boyfriend just a year after Romeo & Juliet came out.
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About the author
Olivia Hussey (1951 – 2024) was a Golden Globe and David di Donatello Award-winning actress whose career spanned more than 50 years. Best known for her leading role in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, she appeared in over 2 dozen films, including Death on the Nile, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and Black Christmas, as well as celebrated television series such as Jesus of Nazareth, The Bastard, Ivanhoe, The Last Days of Pompeii, and Lonesome Dove. She also appeared in Murder, She Wrote and Boy Meets World and did voice work for Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, and the Star Wars video game franchise. The daughter of Argentine tango singer Andrés Osuna, Hussey was born in Buenos Aires but spent most of her early life in her mother's native England. She studied drama at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London. More information can be found online at OliviaHussey.com. Alexander Martin, the son of Olivia Hussey and Dean Paul Martin Jr., moved to London after high school and attended the Central School of Speech and Drama with intention of taking up the family business. He appeared in the films Can't Hardly Wait, 21, and Josie and the Pussycats.
