When Shakespeare penned Romeo and Juliet, he likely couldn't have foreseen the enduring presence of his love story across various media.
Franco Zeffirelli's film adaptation, featuring the young talents Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, became a commercial triumph. However, the actors have recently filed a $500 million lawsuit against Paramount, alleging s---al exploitation and unauthorized distribution of images from their teenage years.
Leonard Whiting has experienced multiple marriages, with his first in 1971 to model Cathee Dahmen. They had a daughter, Sarah, before divorcing in 1977. His subsequent relationship with actress Valerie Tobin resulted in another daughter, Charlotte. In 1995, he married his assistant, Lynn Presser, and they currently reside outside London.
Despite his early success, Whiting humorously echoes Orson Welles' sentiment: "I started at the top and went down." His innate singing talent led him to work with Laurence Olivier in the musical Oliver! as a child. After leaving cinema in 1975, he returned two decades later for "Social Suicide," a suspenseful take on Romeo and Juliet, reuniting with Olivia Hussey.
Olivia Hussey, born in Buenos Aires, enjoyed a successful film career alongside iconic figures like Bette Davis and Maggie Smith. Following Romeo and Juliet and her role in the series "Jesus of Nazareth" (1977), she married Dean Paul Martin, the son of Dean Martin.
Tragically, Martin died in a plane crash at 35. Her second marriage to Japanese musician Akira Fuse lasted from 1980 to 1989, and her third husband, David Glen Eisley, has been her partner since 1991. In 2008, Olivia faced a life-altering diagnosis of breast cancer, opting for a double mastectomy a decade later after the cancer recurred.
Despite the challenges, Olivia Hussey continues to spend limited time in film and television, emphasizing her resilience in the face of personal trials.
