Woman (In Horror) Crush Wednesday: Olivia Hussey

It’s Wednesday again, my Little Monsters. So as you know, it’s time to start crushing on another wonderful Woman of Horror and this week I’ve picked a real Hussey. Now that isn’t meant to be derogatory or be a form of slut shaming. Not at all, because it just happens to be Olivia’s last name.
Olivia Hussey was originally born Olivia Osuna, the first of Joy Hussey and Andreas Osuna’s two children. Her parents divorced while she was only two years of age, and a few years later Olivia moved with her mother and younger brother to London, England.
She began her training to become an actress at an early age, studying at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, located in London. At the age of  thirteen, Olivia would adopt her mother’s maiden name as she began acting professionally. During the first run of the play, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Olivia made her debut in the role of Jenny along side  the legendary, Vanessa Redgrave. It was Olivia’s performance in this play that caught the eye of director Franco Zeffirelli. It may also be what ultimately gave her the edge over hundreds of other young actresses who auditioned for the role of Juliet in Zeffirelli’s 1968 film adaption of William Shakespeare’s immortal play, Romeo and Juliet. And while Olivia had appeared in two previous films,  The Battle of the Villa Fiorita and Cup Fever, it was her portrayal of Juliet that really made audiences take note of her acting ability. Her performance even garnered her two awards:  a New Star of the Year (Actress) Golden Globe Award, the David di Donatello Award, which she shared with co-star Leonard Whiting, and a nomination for the Laurel Award for Female New Face.

There was a lull in her career for a couple of years following Romeo and Juliet, primarily due to the fact she had been suffering from agoraphobia. After moving to Los Angeles, things were on more of an upswing as she not only returned to acting, but also was married to Dean Paul Martin, the son of legendary crooner and actor, Dean Martin. During the next three years she would put four more movies on her resume, appearing in All the Right Noises, H-Bomb, Lost Horizon, and her first entry into the horror genre –  the Bob Clark slasher classic, Black Christmas.
Over her career, Olivia has shown incredible versatility by working across many film genres, in television and even doing voice work. She lent her voice to the character of Talia al Ghul in two DC animated series: Superman and Batman Beyond as well as voicing the character of a Queen in an episode of Pinky and The Brain. Her voice work in Batman Beyond even earned her an Annie Awards nomination for “Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Television Production”. Olivia also voiced some characters in a few Star Wars based video games which include: Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Star Wars: Force Commander and Star Wars: The Old Republic.
She even got to realize a personal dream, when she was given the opportunity to portray Mother Teresa of Calcutta in the television film of the same name. Her portrayal of Mother Teresa won her a richly deserved Character and Morality in Entertainment Award.
While this role may have been a fulfilling experience, her role as a mother to two sons and one daughter is likely infinitely more-so. Especially since at one point she took a brief hiatus from the acting profession to dedicate time to raising her children.
Despite the fact that some may see her role as Jess in Black Christmas as her most memorable genre contribution, Olivia has still kept her hand in. She has also appeared in such genre fare as Turkey Shoot, Distortions, Psycho IV: The Beginning, It (mini series, 1989), Ice Cream Man, The Gardener and Headspace.
Most recently Olivia has appeared in the film Social Suicide, in which she can be seen along side her Romeo and Juliet co-star, Leonard Whiting, again for the first time since 1968. She has one film, 1066, in pre-production and is also rumored to be involved with the film One Week in Hollywood, which has been announced and is yet to start production.
I don’t know about any of you Little Monsters out there, but I think the horror genre would benefit from some more appearances from Olivia. This lovely and talented actress definitely has the goods, as her incredible beauty and intensity could make her either a formidable heroine or villain. C’mon Olivia, get back in the horror game, it’s a genre that could always use an invaluable talent such as yourself.
Well we’ve reached that do it yourself point of the story where I urge you to dig a little deeper to find out about this week’s wonderful Woman of Horror. I mean, what fun is it for me to tell you everything? Sometimes it’s more fulfilling to discover more for oneself. To find out more about Olivia there’s always her official IMDb page , her official Twitter account or even her own official website.
So until next time, my Little Monsters, remember to always follow your dreams. But DON’T follow somebody else’s dreams…for all you know their dreams are a goddamn, greasy horror show, and you DON’T NEED THAT SHIT.