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The Girl on the Balcony: Olivia Hussey Finds Life after Romeo and Juliet
In 1968, Olivia Hussey became one of the most famous faces in the world, immortalized as the definitive Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo & Juliet. Now the iconic girl on the balcony shares the ups and downs of her truly remarkable life and career . . .
At only sixteen-years-old, she was an internationally celebrated overnight discovery. The part was an opportunity of a lifetime for a simple girl from Buenos Aires, Argentina. But for Olivia, admired for her beauty and innocence, and praised as a fresh and burgeoning young talent, the role of movie star was hard to play, and harder still, to live up to.
In this candid memoir, Olivia Hussey tells her story--from being an "It Girl" in swinging 60s London and her enduring friendship with Romeo & Juliet co-star Leonard Whiting, through three tumultuous marriages--including one with Dean Martin's son, Dino--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.
She brings readers intimately close to 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 finally reveals for the first time, the identity of the actor--a fellow young newcomer--who raped her, but who would not break her.
Featuring a foreword by her star-making director Franco Zeffirelli, Olivia Hussey's memoir shines with her luminous spirit and perseverance as she reflects on her unique life and experiences--inspiring, surprising, and fascinating to read about.
At only sixteen-years-old, she was an internationally celebrated overnight discovery. The part was an opportunity of a lifetime for a simple girl from Buenos Aires, Argentina. But for Olivia, admired for her beauty and innocence, and praised as a fresh and burgeoning young talent, the role of movie star was hard to play, and harder still, to live up to.
In this candid memoir, Olivia Hussey tells her story--from being an "It Girl" in swinging 60s London and her enduring friendship with Romeo & Juliet co-star Leonard Whiting, through three tumultuous marriages--including one with Dean Martin's son, Dino--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.
She brings readers intimately close to 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 finally reveals for the first time, the identity of the actor--a fellow young newcomer--who raped her, but who would not break her.
Featuring a foreword by her star-making director Franco Zeffirelli, Olivia Hussey's memoir shines with her luminous spirit and perseverance as she reflects on her unique life and experiences--inspiring, surprising, and fascinating to read about.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published July 31, 2018
191 people are currently reading
1839 people want to read
About the author
Olivia Hussey
2 books23 followersAt age 15, when most young women are nurturing dreams of romance, Olivia Hussey was giving life to Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet (1968). Her performance in one of the most celebrated roles ever written in the English language won her the Golden Globe and two successive Best Actor Donatello Awards (Italy's Oscar equivalent), an incredible achievement for an actress in only her third film.
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September 23, 2018
The Girl on the Balcony: Olivia Hussy finds life After Romeo & Juliet- by Oliva Hussy is a 2018 Kensington publication.
Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo-
Sometimes, like with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, an actor or actress personifies a role to such an extent, that character sticks to them for evermore. I think it is fair to say this about Oliva Hussy’s portrayal of ‘Juliet’ in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.
Junior High- a class trip to see the 1968 version of Romeo & Juliet. My girlfriend’s and I sat in the theatre, eaten up with our jealousy of Olivia Hussy. She was so beautiful, and Romeo, played by Leonard Whiting, was hot, hot, hot.
By the end of the movie, though, we all had tears streaming down our cheeks and red puffy eyes. Reading Shakespeare was a little tedious, especially in Junior High, so the movie was much easier for me to understand. The movie had a big impact on me, and I never forgot Olivia’s performance. It was a career defining role.
Over the years, anytime the subject of Romeo and Juliet came up and I thought about this movie- (which was a hot topic back when my daughter was in high school because she was all about the Leonardo DiCaprio adaptation,) I would wonder about Olivia Hussy and whatever became of her.
So, when I saw this memoir, I knew I had to have it. Finally, I’d know all about Oliva Hussy and discovered what her career and private life has been like after becoming the face so many of us associate with ‘Juliet”.
Well, as it turns out, she was right under my nose all this time, playing in many movies and television shows, I’d watched- some of them numerous times, in fact- but somehow I never made the connection.
Everything in this memoir was a complete surprise to me. Her marriages, children, her philosophical and religious leanings, the challenges she faced personally and professionally, and her battle with serious health issues are recounted with pragmatism and in a voice that is real enough to draw the reader into her world.
Olivia has been through some dark periods of time, and suffered through some big disappointments, and made some pretty costly mistakes. Yet, her tone is practical, occasionally resigned, but mostly upbeat. In her youth, she battled challenges by becoming depressed or drinking too much, but the older she got, she faced adversity as with much more courage and strength.
The pacing of the book is a little too brisk, occasionally abrupt, only stopping to land briefly in each milestone of Olivia’s life. On the plus side, she wasn’t overly catty, vindictive or super gossipy about colleagues, or others she worked with, but did mention some on- set tensions- one of which was hardly surprising. She had mostly pleasant remarks to make about her ex-husbands and didn’t do a lot of finger pointing, which was refreshing.
After completing this memoir, I think Olivia’s life has been an interesting one. She was so young when she found fame and has lived a life within that bubble, which is the life of an actor, but her fame was not all consuming, and as a result her life wasn’t as intruded upon by tabloids or paparazzi, as it might have been. Many aspects of her life surprised me, especially her third marriage- which was hard to imagine, but it seems to be the most stable relationship she’s known.
She’s an excellent actress, with a strong spirit, having endured several monumental events, and lived to tell the tale.
Overall, this book was revealing and interesting and I’m glad to know Olivia is well, and still working. I still have wonderful memories of watching Romeo and Juliet and was reminded of what a wonderful job Olivia did with such a challenging role- but I’m still a little jealous!
4 stars
Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo-
Sometimes, like with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, an actor or actress personifies a role to such an extent, that character sticks to them for evermore. I think it is fair to say this about Oliva Hussy’s portrayal of ‘Juliet’ in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.
Junior High- a class trip to see the 1968 version of Romeo & Juliet. My girlfriend’s and I sat in the theatre, eaten up with our jealousy of Olivia Hussy. She was so beautiful, and Romeo, played by Leonard Whiting, was hot, hot, hot.
By the end of the movie, though, we all had tears streaming down our cheeks and red puffy eyes. Reading Shakespeare was a little tedious, especially in Junior High, so the movie was much easier for me to understand. The movie had a big impact on me, and I never forgot Olivia’s performance. It was a career defining role.
Over the years, anytime the subject of Romeo and Juliet came up and I thought about this movie- (which was a hot topic back when my daughter was in high school because she was all about the Leonardo DiCaprio adaptation,) I would wonder about Olivia Hussy and whatever became of her.
So, when I saw this memoir, I knew I had to have it. Finally, I’d know all about Oliva Hussy and discovered what her career and private life has been like after becoming the face so many of us associate with ‘Juliet”.
Well, as it turns out, she was right under my nose all this time, playing in many movies and television shows, I’d watched- some of them numerous times, in fact- but somehow I never made the connection.
Everything in this memoir was a complete surprise to me. Her marriages, children, her philosophical and religious leanings, the challenges she faced personally and professionally, and her battle with serious health issues are recounted with pragmatism and in a voice that is real enough to draw the reader into her world.
Olivia has been through some dark periods of time, and suffered through some big disappointments, and made some pretty costly mistakes. Yet, her tone is practical, occasionally resigned, but mostly upbeat. In her youth, she battled challenges by becoming depressed or drinking too much, but the older she got, she faced adversity as with much more courage and strength.
The pacing of the book is a little too brisk, occasionally abrupt, only stopping to land briefly in each milestone of Olivia’s life. On the plus side, she wasn’t overly catty, vindictive or super gossipy about colleagues, or others she worked with, but did mention some on- set tensions- one of which was hardly surprising. She had mostly pleasant remarks to make about her ex-husbands and didn’t do a lot of finger pointing, which was refreshing.
After completing this memoir, I think Olivia’s life has been an interesting one. She was so young when she found fame and has lived a life within that bubble, which is the life of an actor, but her fame was not all consuming, and as a result her life wasn’t as intruded upon by tabloids or paparazzi, as it might have been. Many aspects of her life surprised me, especially her third marriage- which was hard to imagine, but it seems to be the most stable relationship she’s known.
She’s an excellent actress, with a strong spirit, having endured several monumental events, and lived to tell the tale.
Overall, this book was revealing and interesting and I’m glad to know Olivia is well, and still working. I still have wonderful memories of watching Romeo and Juliet and was reminded of what a wonderful job Olivia did with such a challenging role- but I’m still a little jealous!
4 stars
July 28, 2018
Thank you to the publisher Kensington Books who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
Although I have a penchant for celebrity biographies, I knew nothing about the subject of this one, actress Olivia Hussey. All I knew was that she was famous for playing the iconic lead role in Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo & Juliet" back in the sixties. I have never even seen the movie! However, after seeing her lovely smiling countenance as Juliet on the book's cover (when she was barely sixteen), I was drawn into wanting to find out more about her life over 50 years later.
This is a very free-flowing and fast read, such is the wonderful writing and interesting content. Ms. Hussey was born in Buenos Aries, Argentina, the product of a British mother and Spanish father...but the marriage didn't last. As a result, Olivia and her younger brother Drew grew up with a single mom who had to work and struggle to keep a roof over their heads. To alleviate burdening family and unable to handle caring for two young children while working, the kids were sent away to boarding school for a few years. Eventually, the family emigrated to London to join other relatives that were living there. Olivia knew she wanted to be an actress since the age of four, so her Mom sent her to a nearby drama school for an interview. A precocious and serious ten-year old Olivia plead her case for admission: "Oh, Miss Conti, we don't have money, but if you just give me a chance I can really act." Within just a few year's time she snagged a role in the theatre production of "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" starring Vanessa Redgrave. The show toured throughout England to packed houses, even attended one evening by the Royal Family. Performing as a part of this traveling troupe for two years was the best acting education Olivia could have received.
Playing Shakespeare's Juliet was the defining role of Olivia Hussey's life. Of Romeo & Juliet Producer Franco Zeffirelli Olivia states, "the most talented person I've ever known feels, somehow, too small for him." When someone asked Franco many years later if he had ever loved a woman, he replied, "Yes, once. With Olivia when we worked together during Romeo & Juliet." Olivia cried when she heard that. They had a wonderful understanding with each other like Olivia was Franco's muse.
There is much more to the story of Olivia's life after Romeo & Juliet. She relocated from England to Los Angeles. Incredibly, she lived for four years in the California home where the Sharon Tate murders had occurred only 5 weeks prior to her moving in! Within a short time she married the son of Dean Martin, Dino Martin, and had their son Alex. She married twice more, both to musicians, and had two more children.
Over the years she starred in other iconic roles such as playing Mary in "Jesus of Nazareth" and also Mother Teresa. On a personal note, Olivia also triumphed over the occasional battle with severe agoraphobia.
This was a very honest, interesting and well-written autobiography of British actress Olivia Hussey...highly recommended!
Although I have a penchant for celebrity biographies, I knew nothing about the subject of this one, actress Olivia Hussey. All I knew was that she was famous for playing the iconic lead role in Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo & Juliet" back in the sixties. I have never even seen the movie! However, after seeing her lovely smiling countenance as Juliet on the book's cover (when she was barely sixteen), I was drawn into wanting to find out more about her life over 50 years later.
This is a very free-flowing and fast read, such is the wonderful writing and interesting content. Ms. Hussey was born in Buenos Aries, Argentina, the product of a British mother and Spanish father...but the marriage didn't last. As a result, Olivia and her younger brother Drew grew up with a single mom who had to work and struggle to keep a roof over their heads. To alleviate burdening family and unable to handle caring for two young children while working, the kids were sent away to boarding school for a few years. Eventually, the family emigrated to London to join other relatives that were living there. Olivia knew she wanted to be an actress since the age of four, so her Mom sent her to a nearby drama school for an interview. A precocious and serious ten-year old Olivia plead her case for admission: "Oh, Miss Conti, we don't have money, but if you just give me a chance I can really act." Within just a few year's time she snagged a role in the theatre production of "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" starring Vanessa Redgrave. The show toured throughout England to packed houses, even attended one evening by the Royal Family. Performing as a part of this traveling troupe for two years was the best acting education Olivia could have received.
Playing Shakespeare's Juliet was the defining role of Olivia Hussey's life. Of Romeo & Juliet Producer Franco Zeffirelli Olivia states, "the most talented person I've ever known feels, somehow, too small for him." When someone asked Franco many years later if he had ever loved a woman, he replied, "Yes, once. With Olivia when we worked together during Romeo & Juliet." Olivia cried when she heard that. They had a wonderful understanding with each other like Olivia was Franco's muse.
There is much more to the story of Olivia's life after Romeo & Juliet. She relocated from England to Los Angeles. Incredibly, she lived for four years in the California home where the Sharon Tate murders had occurred only 5 weeks prior to her moving in! Within a short time she married the son of Dean Martin, Dino Martin, and had their son Alex. She married twice more, both to musicians, and had two more children.
Over the years she starred in other iconic roles such as playing Mary in "Jesus of Nazareth" and also Mother Teresa. On a personal note, Olivia also triumphed over the occasional battle with severe agoraphobia.
This was a very honest, interesting and well-written autobiography of British actress Olivia Hussey...highly recommended!
July 15, 2018
I didn't really know anything about Olivia Hussey going in, nothing at all. I read the synopsis of the book and I thought, why not give it a go. These type of books are not usually ones I would choose to read; I have never really enjoyed reading about someone else's life. I usually prefer to get away to a world that I can make my own.
I found this book well written and easily read. I give kudos to her and her son for doing such a great job telling her story. It wasn't over written with too much detail as to become boring. It was thoroughly enjoyable to read. I found myself opening google on many occasions to figure out who she was speaking of. I am really terrible with names and when i would see the actor or actress it was, most of the time, with recognition even though I had no idea of their name. And I would pull out google to read more about goings on during several parts of her story. Like when her first husband died, or the Manson murders because she was living in the house, or the lawyer and his wife that became the financial ruin of herself and many others. Evil is how she describes him and his wife and I would concur. Absolutely terrible people, but they are out there to be sure.
I found Olivia to very candid about her life and even herself. I also found her to be very real and down to earth. She doesn't make excuses, she doesn't pass blame; she is just who she is. I think she is a beautiful person who loves her family and has been through a lot. I'm really glad I picked it up and gave it a read. I thought it was fantastic.
I found this book well written and easily read. I give kudos to her and her son for doing such a great job telling her story. It wasn't over written with too much detail as to become boring. It was thoroughly enjoyable to read. I found myself opening google on many occasions to figure out who she was speaking of. I am really terrible with names and when i would see the actor or actress it was, most of the time, with recognition even though I had no idea of their name. And I would pull out google to read more about goings on during several parts of her story. Like when her first husband died, or the Manson murders because she was living in the house, or the lawyer and his wife that became the financial ruin of herself and many others. Evil is how she describes him and his wife and I would concur. Absolutely terrible people, but they are out there to be sure.
I found Olivia to very candid about her life and even herself. I also found her to be very real and down to earth. She doesn't make excuses, she doesn't pass blame; she is just who she is. I think she is a beautiful person who loves her family and has been through a lot. I'm really glad I picked it up and gave it a read. I thought it was fantastic.
February 20, 2024
If you have watched the 1968 Franco Zefferelli version of "Romeo and Juliet" then you might remember this 16 year old actress in the role of Juliet.
Considered one of the most beautiful women in the world at that time Olivia Hussey went on to star in films and several American miniseries.
With all that going for her I couldn't help but feel sorry for her as she related the sad tale of her childhood.
Olivia is very honest and forthcoming about her life and 3 marriages that I found fascinating to read so I'm giving it 5 stars.
Considered one of the most beautiful women in the world at that time Olivia Hussey went on to star in films and several American miniseries.
With all that going for her I couldn't help but feel sorry for her as she related the sad tale of her childhood.
Olivia is very honest and forthcoming about her life and 3 marriages that I found fascinating to read so I'm giving it 5 stars.
September 4, 2018
I was 13 when Franco Zefferilli's "Romeo and Juliet" came out in 1968. I remember the controversy over the "nudity" in the movie (laughable by what we see today), all the boys falling in love with Olivia Hussey and all the girls falling in love with Leonard Whiting (myself included). Henry Mancini's "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet aka A Time for Us" was the Number 1 song on the radio. Using two age appropriate unknowns for the roles was a novel concept and worked very well. Olivia Hussey was memorable in the role and I followed along with her career and her life whenever she appeared.
When I saw she wrote about her journey, I was curious and interested. I was totally captivated by this honest autobiography of Olivia Hussey. The list of people she met and worked with throughout her life is a who's who of Hollywood: Elizabeth Taylor, Sir Laurence Olivier, Burt Lancaster, Bette Davis, David Niven, etc. She related fascinating stories regarding her early years in Hollywood.
There was on thing that struck me throughout. She, quite literally, had no real advisor/mentor/authority figure to educate and or counsel her on the pitfalls and dangers in the cutthroat business and atmosphere of Hollywood which literally uses, abuses and spits out young people at an alarming rate. I am totally amazed that she survived and became the woman she is. Yes, it was apparent that she made some foolish choices given her youth and most probably missed out on some key roles. But, she was stubborn, headstrong and an emotional person who went with her gut and once her mind was made up, there was no going back. Her spiritual discovery and journey gave her a strength of character which helped her deal with many tragedies and challenges in her life.
There were so many stories that I remembered happening and learning about in real time in this book. It was wonderful to learn what was really going on behind the scenes from her perspective. From her earliest memories as a child, her parents' separation, moving from country to country, her relationship with her mother, her acting experiences and interactions with those in the industry, her losses and tragedies experienced, her marriages, her children, her spiritual awakening, right through to her later health issues make a fascinating read.
I googled a lot while reading this book. (Curious about her wedding pictures with Dino Martin. Oh my, they were so young.) I was more than pleasantly surprised by the quality of this book. It was a page-turner. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
When I saw she wrote about her journey, I was curious and interested. I was totally captivated by this honest autobiography of Olivia Hussey. The list of people she met and worked with throughout her life is a who's who of Hollywood: Elizabeth Taylor, Sir Laurence Olivier, Burt Lancaster, Bette Davis, David Niven, etc. She related fascinating stories regarding her early years in Hollywood.
There was on thing that struck me throughout. She, quite literally, had no real advisor/mentor/authority figure to educate and or counsel her on the pitfalls and dangers in the cutthroat business and atmosphere of Hollywood which literally uses, abuses and spits out young people at an alarming rate. I am totally amazed that she survived and became the woman she is. Yes, it was apparent that she made some foolish choices given her youth and most probably missed out on some key roles. But, she was stubborn, headstrong and an emotional person who went with her gut and once her mind was made up, there was no going back. Her spiritual discovery and journey gave her a strength of character which helped her deal with many tragedies and challenges in her life.
There were so many stories that I remembered happening and learning about in real time in this book. It was wonderful to learn what was really going on behind the scenes from her perspective. From her earliest memories as a child, her parents' separation, moving from country to country, her relationship with her mother, her acting experiences and interactions with those in the industry, her losses and tragedies experienced, her marriages, her children, her spiritual awakening, right through to her later health issues make a fascinating read.
I googled a lot while reading this book. (Curious about her wedding pictures with Dino Martin. Oh my, they were so young.) I was more than pleasantly surprised by the quality of this book. It was a page-turner. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
September 23, 2018
Thank you to Net Galley, the author Olivia Hussey and the publishers.
With apologies for the delay, as demand by many authors and publishers to read their books, seem to always fall behind.
An interesting and honest and detailed autobiography. Olivia speaks honestly about her tough life in films but more so in her private life.
Reading this book I learned so much about her life the many film greats she worked with and met, through her early life and marriage to Dino Martin.
I knew till I read this book about her life in L.A, her tough marriages, her fears, her lack of confidence, her all to easy to trust people.
The book starts well for me, I am happy to many autobiographies tell you about their great grandparents, grandparents, parents, and you have read nearly a third of a book and are bored stiff.
Here Olivia stories gains pace quickly, and within in a chapter or two we learn about her film career from such a young age, her stage work.
The massive casting for her role as Juliet, great stories about the greats, her love of the good old British legends like David Niven, Sir Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov, the coldness of Bette Davis, and so much more.
This story shows life as a film star is no always as good as you think it is, long days, travelling, leaving children, relationships, Olivia speaks openly about taking film roles for the money.
I am sure this is the same for many working actors, who are not on the millions per film.
Olivia went through many tough relationships, lost friends, lost homes, turned to religion, fought illness, but came out a better person.
An interesting, honest autobiography.
Four stars
With apologies for the delay, as demand by many authors and publishers to read their books, seem to always fall behind.
An interesting and honest and detailed autobiography. Olivia speaks honestly about her tough life in films but more so in her private life.
Reading this book I learned so much about her life the many film greats she worked with and met, through her early life and marriage to Dino Martin.
I knew till I read this book about her life in L.A, her tough marriages, her fears, her lack of confidence, her all to easy to trust people.
The book starts well for me, I am happy to many autobiographies tell you about their great grandparents, grandparents, parents, and you have read nearly a third of a book and are bored stiff.
Here Olivia stories gains pace quickly, and within in a chapter or two we learn about her film career from such a young age, her stage work.
The massive casting for her role as Juliet, great stories about the greats, her love of the good old British legends like David Niven, Sir Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov, the coldness of Bette Davis, and so much more.
This story shows life as a film star is no always as good as you think it is, long days, travelling, leaving children, relationships, Olivia speaks openly about taking film roles for the money.
I am sure this is the same for many working actors, who are not on the millions per film.
Olivia went through many tough relationships, lost friends, lost homes, turned to religion, fought illness, but came out a better person.
An interesting, honest autobiography.
Four stars
October 15, 2018
I'm sorry to say that I came to this because, in connection with #metoo discussions, someone mentioned a nasty sexual assault on Olivia Hussey, taking place in the same house as the Manson murders only months afterwards. I'm also sorry to say that incident is indeed in this autobiography.
However, I have some very tender memories of the Hussey/Whiting/Zeffirelli Romeo and Juliet, a film I saw (like so many of my generation) in my teens while studying the play, so I was very happy to read Olivia Hussey's stories about the making of that film, when she was herself a mere teenager. It seems she got along with Zeffirelli very well indeed, and had a little fling with her gorgeous co-star to boot.
For the remainder of her career, Hussey was (at least for me), one of those "I know that face" actresses; she had parts in any number of films and TV miniseries I am sure I have seen, but of which I have no very vivid recollection. It appears she struggled with anxiety and agoraphobia (she mentions it more in her stories about her youth, but she doesn't say she ever completely overcame it); that in itself is adequate explanation for why she never made that last breakthrough to the top echelon of movie stars. She appears, however, to have more or less made a go of it, right up until she was completely impoverished by a crooked manager (this is not libel - he was prosecuted).
She appears to have been attracted by highly extroverted and performative men: her 3 husbands were Dean Paul Martin (son of Dean Martin), a Japanese singer, and an American rock singer. The first two marriages fell apart within a few years, but the third has lasted several decades. She had a child from each marriage, and Alex, the son of the first marriage, is credited as co-author on this book. There's also quite a lot about the budding acting career of her daughter, India, from the third marriage, but very little about the middle son.
Hussey goes into considerable detail about her discipleship, formed early, of an Indian guru she called "Baba"; I seriously doubt that he was quite so unequivocally virtuous and wise as she portrays him, and I completely doubt all the little anecdotes she delights in of his predicting all the twists and turns of her life before they occurred. However, she does seem to have been a bit of a religious seeker, and he apparently gave her a fair bit of balance and calm, so it isn't kind to be too censorious. Her reliance on "Baba", however, seems symptomatic of another pattern throughout the book - Olivia doesn't seem to have done well, or even desired to do well, without a man to lean on. The organizing principle of the book, such as it is, is not her progression from professional role to professional role (indeed, she leaves some things out altogether, especially towards the end of her career - you would never know she's a voice-over artist, for instance) but from marriage to marriage. And of course it's her prerogative, but one often gets the sense that even her account of that progression leaves out a lot of (probably painful) detail. In her description of her relationship with Dean Paul Martin, for instance, she tells how they separated after only a few years, and divorced a few years later, but she makes it seem as though he might still have been interested in coming back to her when they were both a bit more mature. The name of Dorothy Hamill (the skater, and Dean Paul Martin's wife for a few years in the early 80s) is never mentioned, and neither is that marriage.
Hussey satisfies with some grace what she must know would be a major attraction of her account, namely stories about interactions with actors more famous than herself, such as Laurence Olivier, David Niven, Dean Martin (of course) and Bette Davis (apparently an absolute harridan in her late-life appearance in Death on the Nile). Hussey is not a mean-spirited chronicler; she seems quite self-aware about her own failings, and she does not complain over-much about the truly nasty financial ill luck that attended both her early childhood and her later years, though we can read into her stories about moving from place to place the strain that must have placed on her.
There is a section of about 3 dozen photographs, some colour, many of them family, but some from her roles; this section was very well hidden (no chapter heading) in the e-version of the book, and so came as a pleasant surprise at the end of the text. From it, we easily gather that the people around her have been the most important thing in Hussey's life, and also that she has remained into later years remarkably good-looking.
Recommended if you like anecdotal film memoirs of the 60s/70s.
However, I have some very tender memories of the Hussey/Whiting/Zeffirelli Romeo and Juliet, a film I saw (like so many of my generation) in my teens while studying the play, so I was very happy to read Olivia Hussey's stories about the making of that film, when she was herself a mere teenager. It seems she got along with Zeffirelli very well indeed, and had a little fling with her gorgeous co-star to boot.
For the remainder of her career, Hussey was (at least for me), one of those "I know that face" actresses; she had parts in any number of films and TV miniseries I am sure I have seen, but of which I have no very vivid recollection. It appears she struggled with anxiety and agoraphobia (she mentions it more in her stories about her youth, but she doesn't say she ever completely overcame it); that in itself is adequate explanation for why she never made that last breakthrough to the top echelon of movie stars. She appears, however, to have more or less made a go of it, right up until she was completely impoverished by a crooked manager (this is not libel - he was prosecuted).
She appears to have been attracted by highly extroverted and performative men: her 3 husbands were Dean Paul Martin (son of Dean Martin), a Japanese singer, and an American rock singer. The first two marriages fell apart within a few years, but the third has lasted several decades. She had a child from each marriage, and Alex, the son of the first marriage, is credited as co-author on this book. There's also quite a lot about the budding acting career of her daughter, India, from the third marriage, but very little about the middle son.
Hussey goes into considerable detail about her discipleship, formed early, of an Indian guru she called "Baba"; I seriously doubt that he was quite so unequivocally virtuous and wise as she portrays him, and I completely doubt all the little anecdotes she delights in of his predicting all the twists and turns of her life before they occurred. However, she does seem to have been a bit of a religious seeker, and he apparently gave her a fair bit of balance and calm, so it isn't kind to be too censorious. Her reliance on "Baba", however, seems symptomatic of another pattern throughout the book - Olivia doesn't seem to have done well, or even desired to do well, without a man to lean on. The organizing principle of the book, such as it is, is not her progression from professional role to professional role (indeed, she leaves some things out altogether, especially towards the end of her career - you would never know she's a voice-over artist, for instance) but from marriage to marriage. And of course it's her prerogative, but one often gets the sense that even her account of that progression leaves out a lot of (probably painful) detail. In her description of her relationship with Dean Paul Martin, for instance, she tells how they separated after only a few years, and divorced a few years later, but she makes it seem as though he might still have been interested in coming back to her when they were both a bit more mature. The name of Dorothy Hamill (the skater, and Dean Paul Martin's wife for a few years in the early 80s) is never mentioned, and neither is that marriage.
Hussey satisfies with some grace what she must know would be a major attraction of her account, namely stories about interactions with actors more famous than herself, such as Laurence Olivier, David Niven, Dean Martin (of course) and Bette Davis (apparently an absolute harridan in her late-life appearance in Death on the Nile). Hussey is not a mean-spirited chronicler; she seems quite self-aware about her own failings, and she does not complain over-much about the truly nasty financial ill luck that attended both her early childhood and her later years, though we can read into her stories about moving from place to place the strain that must have placed on her.
There is a section of about 3 dozen photographs, some colour, many of them family, but some from her roles; this section was very well hidden (no chapter heading) in the e-version of the book, and so came as a pleasant surprise at the end of the text. From it, we easily gather that the people around her have been the most important thing in Hussey's life, and also that she has remained into later years remarkably good-looking.
Recommended if you like anecdotal film memoirs of the 60s/70s.
March 14, 2019
Now if you, like me, were 13 when you saw Romeo & Juliet in a theatre and you bought the soundtrack album and still to this day have the whole thing memorized and remember when Olivia and Len Whiting were THE THING and you took Len's "Love Test" in "16" magazine and were disappointed that he sounded sort of like a jerk, (cynical even then, ay me) you will be unable to resist this book. I wondered what had happened to Olivia, she popped up here and there in the ensuing years, but not that often. I knew she had been married to Dean Martin Jr, and I had heard she suffered from agoraphobia (something she doesn't really go into as much as I thought she would) but that was about it. So most of this was unpredictable. Some very interesting, some distressing, (Ryan's Daughter was another fave movie of mine at the time, the Christopher Jones stuff....AAAACKKKKK!) some just sort of sad and depressing. But it certainly kept my attention.
February 17, 2021
Like many people, the 1968 Zeffrelli film "Romeo and Juliet" became the definitive "Romeo and Juliet" for me. The youth of the stars made it real in a way that 35 year olds, no matter how talented, cannot. Since then, Olivia Hussey seemed forever 15 to me, so it was with great interest I read what happened to my Juliet after that. She tells her story with honesty and verve, and is a perfect example of the truth that life is full of highs and lows for all of us, albeit her highs were higher than most of us will ever experience, as well as her lows being lower.
It's a good guide for life, as well as a great read.
It's a good guide for life, as well as a great read.
May 31, 2020
Olivia Hussey is hands-down one of my favourite actresses. I think I was about six years old when I first saw Romeo & Juliet on tv back in the early 1990s and I thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. As the child of Chilean parents, the fact that Olivia was born in Argentina and spoke Spanish as her first language just like me was another thing I liked about her. As an adult, I even toyed with the idea of naming my daughter "Olivia" but ended up naming her "Juliet" instead. When I found out she had released an autobiography, I immediately bought it but have only now been able to listen to it (having to save my eyesight for the dozens of books I have to read for work) and I really enjoyed it, although I was quite sad sometimes listening to the troubles she has encountered. I was mesmerised by her adventures around the world and the encounters she had with various people. I got a little lost with the mysticism in the book, though I appreciate that this provided her with a great sense of well-being and joy. The book is well-written and comes to a satisfying end of maturity and hope.
November 24, 2018
First let me say that years ago my neighbor took her daughter and myself to see Romeo and Juliet at the theatre. Guess she figured we needed a little culture. I'd like to say that viewing the movie changed my life by endearing me to Shakespeare and I've since become a scholar on the subject of his plays, but alas, the only memory I took away from the movie was seeing a boy's bum. :0
Anyway, I always thought the author was a sweet innocent. Funny how childhood impressions are so wrong sometimes. She lead a less than pure life and this book airs her dirty laundry as all autobiographies usually do. Still, I found the story very interesting and saw how throughout all the set backs and heartbreaks she didn't give up but came out a stronger woman for it. Also reading brought back memories of events long past that I had forgotten about.
I would recommend this book. Very easy to read and I found myself reading huge chunks at a time and when I wasn't reading kept thinking about the book and planning when I could get back to it.
Anyway, I always thought the author was a sweet innocent. Funny how childhood impressions are so wrong sometimes. She lead a less than pure life and this book airs her dirty laundry as all autobiographies usually do. Still, I found the story very interesting and saw how throughout all the set backs and heartbreaks she didn't give up but came out a stronger woman for it. Also reading brought back memories of events long past that I had forgotten about.
I would recommend this book. Very easy to read and I found myself reading huge chunks at a time and when I wasn't reading kept thinking about the book and planning when I could get back to it.
December 31, 2020
I was 14 when Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet came out; just the age to be completely enraptured by the youth and romanticism of his vision. It was a very big deal at the time that Zeffirelli cast age-appropriate actors for the film. This was back before even videocassettes, so once the film was out of the theaters, that was that. But there was a sound recording of the whole film on a boxed set of LPs, and I remember my mother managed to get me one for Christmas that year. I still have it, more than 50 years later.
Over the years, I would occasionally see celebrity news stories about Olivia Hussey and was interested to know what she were doing. I saw an enjoyable joint interview with her and her Romeo, Leonard Whiting, on the occasion of the film’s 50th anniversary in 2018.
As this calamitous 2020 draws to a close, I wanted to read something for just pure entertainment. As it happens, I bought this memoir in a daily deal a few months ago, so I picked it for my year-end read (along with my annual re-read of Rosamunde Pilcher’s Winter Solstice).
You can really feel Olivia Hussey’s personality come through in the writing. As she was raised in straitened circumstances by a single mother who knew nothing about the theater or film business, so much of her experiences demonstrate the pitfalls of the business for those who are naïve and unprotected. Time after time, she misses opportunities, is taken advantage of, defrauded and even abused. It made me realize how much of Hollywood success depends on factors other than talent.
Still, she doesn’t spend much time feeling sorry for herself, and is full of gratitude for many people in her life. The book is full of famous names, and it’s particularly fun to hear Olivia describe her experiences with actors from old Hollywood.
An entertaining personal and professional memoir.
Over the years, I would occasionally see celebrity news stories about Olivia Hussey and was interested to know what she were doing. I saw an enjoyable joint interview with her and her Romeo, Leonard Whiting, on the occasion of the film’s 50th anniversary in 2018.
As this calamitous 2020 draws to a close, I wanted to read something for just pure entertainment. As it happens, I bought this memoir in a daily deal a few months ago, so I picked it for my year-end read (along with my annual re-read of Rosamunde Pilcher’s Winter Solstice).
You can really feel Olivia Hussey’s personality come through in the writing. As she was raised in straitened circumstances by a single mother who knew nothing about the theater or film business, so much of her experiences demonstrate the pitfalls of the business for those who are naïve and unprotected. Time after time, she misses opportunities, is taken advantage of, defrauded and even abused. It made me realize how much of Hollywood success depends on factors other than talent.
Still, she doesn’t spend much time feeling sorry for herself, and is full of gratitude for many people in her life. The book is full of famous names, and it’s particularly fun to hear Olivia describe her experiences with actors from old Hollywood.
An entertaining personal and professional memoir.
September 23, 2018
Romeo and Juliet is my favorite Shakespearean play, and I could not wait to see two young unknowns
playing the principle roles. I loved the movie, and I love it still. I have wondered many times what happened to Olivia Hussey after she married Dino Martin, but that was about all I knew. In Olivia Hussey’s memoirs with the assistance of her son, Alexander Martin, The Girl on the Balconey, Olivia Hussey Finds Life After Romeo & Juliet, Ms. Hussey tells her story. Her emotions are quite evident as much in her life was not easy, and I do not mention this lightly. My emotions are very evident also as I associate this woman (or as she was when Zeffirelli ‘s Romeo & Juliet was released - a 16 year old girl) with a particular time in my life which was a very sad time for me. I admire Ms. Hussey for her candidness, her unbelievable courage, and her lifelong friendship with ‘Romeo’, Leonard Whiting. She includes photos of R & J, her marriage to Dino Martin, her children, and some other roles that she played. She will never know the role she played in my life, but I thank her for sharing her life with me through the pictures included in her book and the words which revealed her not-so-easy life.
playing the principle roles. I loved the movie, and I love it still. I have wondered many times what happened to Olivia Hussey after she married Dino Martin, but that was about all I knew. In Olivia Hussey’s memoirs with the assistance of her son, Alexander Martin, The Girl on the Balconey, Olivia Hussey Finds Life After Romeo & Juliet, Ms. Hussey tells her story. Her emotions are quite evident as much in her life was not easy, and I do not mention this lightly. My emotions are very evident also as I associate this woman (or as she was when Zeffirelli ‘s Romeo & Juliet was released - a 16 year old girl) with a particular time in my life which was a very sad time for me. I admire Ms. Hussey for her candidness, her unbelievable courage, and her lifelong friendship with ‘Romeo’, Leonard Whiting. She includes photos of R & J, her marriage to Dino Martin, her children, and some other roles that she played. She will never know the role she played in my life, but I thank her for sharing her life with me through the pictures included in her book and the words which revealed her not-so-easy life.
March 10, 2019
Franco Zeffirelli’s ROMEO AND JULIET was quite a phenomenon when it was released in 1968. Young folks who ordinarily wouldn’t be caught dead voluntarily going to a Shakespeare production lined up in theater queues ... and didn’t complain when their schools scheduled field trips to see the film again. It was the first time (to my knowledge) that the lead actors of the title roles were age appropriate. And there was that love theme, “A Time For Us,” that even showed up on Top 40 radio playlists.
Amid all the furor were Leonard Whiting who played Romeo and Olivia Hussey who played Juliet. They were featured on pretty much any teen magazine cover that ever existed, gossip spread that they were actually “a couple,” ... and the HUGE DEAL for me and my friends was that Olivia Hussey had a brief flash of nudity onscreen ... and the film’s rating still allowed us to see it!
Flash forward to 2018 and we have Olivia Hussey’s autobiography (written with her son, Alexander Martin), THE GIRL ON THE BALCONY: OLIVIA HUSSEY FINDS LIFE AFTER “ROMEO AND JULIET.” It is not the best autobiography I’ve read, but I still give it highest marks because it seems thoroughly honest, there are many “behind the scenes” stories, it is not filled with gossipy “axe to grind” revelations against others, and it genuinely offers helpful glimpses about how one person learned to identify what held the most value in her life.
The writer was 15 when she began work on ROMEO AND JULIET and was 16 when it finished. Since many Readers will most closely identify her with that movie, there are multiple chapters dedicated to it, and they were fascinating to read. For the teenaged boy who still resides inside of me and still has a crush on Olivia Hussey (his other crush was Susan Dey of “The Partridge Family”), it was a bit sobering to learn that she was quite a handful at this time. In fact, though she never uses the term, a friend of mine would call her “High Maintenance.”
At one point, Olivia Hussey says, “... if I’m honest, I’m no picnic. I’m moody, stubborn, sensitive to the point of neurosis, and racked by insecurities and peculiar vulnerabilities. It’s no easy thing to be loved by me, I know.”
Despite that, she comes to peace with her life (which included bouts of agoraphobia), cares deeply about her work, introduces the Reader to many famous people in the entertainment industry, describes in unflinching detail the dark side of her career (and she does not spare herself in culpability), relates her fight against cancer, and provides quite a bit of detail regarding her spiritual faith.
What emerges is the portrait of a remarkably talented, flawed, yet deeply moving and honest individual. One example that stands out for me was filming a movie during a trying time in her life. Although Zeffirelli had referred to her as “One Take Hussey” at one time, in this scene she had just two lines and she kept getting them wrong ... in take after take after take. During a break, she goes to each person on the set and apologizes for holding up their production. This is not told as a form of self-aggrandizement, but as a natural courtesy to the hard working people around her.
I laughed out loud several times while reading THE GIRL ON THE BALCONY, and felt tears forming on a couple of occasions. Ultimately, the better autobiographies don’t only tell details well, but they intimately involve the Reader. This one felt as if I was having a congenial conversation with Olivia Hussey. And, yes, my inner teenaged boy is saying, “You should be so lucky!”
Amid all the furor were Leonard Whiting who played Romeo and Olivia Hussey who played Juliet. They were featured on pretty much any teen magazine cover that ever existed, gossip spread that they were actually “a couple,” ... and the HUGE DEAL for me and my friends was that Olivia Hussey had a brief flash of nudity onscreen ... and the film’s rating still allowed us to see it!
Flash forward to 2018 and we have Olivia Hussey’s autobiography (written with her son, Alexander Martin), THE GIRL ON THE BALCONY: OLIVIA HUSSEY FINDS LIFE AFTER “ROMEO AND JULIET.” It is not the best autobiography I’ve read, but I still give it highest marks because it seems thoroughly honest, there are many “behind the scenes” stories, it is not filled with gossipy “axe to grind” revelations against others, and it genuinely offers helpful glimpses about how one person learned to identify what held the most value in her life.
The writer was 15 when she began work on ROMEO AND JULIET and was 16 when it finished. Since many Readers will most closely identify her with that movie, there are multiple chapters dedicated to it, and they were fascinating to read. For the teenaged boy who still resides inside of me and still has a crush on Olivia Hussey (his other crush was Susan Dey of “The Partridge Family”), it was a bit sobering to learn that she was quite a handful at this time. In fact, though she never uses the term, a friend of mine would call her “High Maintenance.”
At one point, Olivia Hussey says, “... if I’m honest, I’m no picnic. I’m moody, stubborn, sensitive to the point of neurosis, and racked by insecurities and peculiar vulnerabilities. It’s no easy thing to be loved by me, I know.”
Despite that, she comes to peace with her life (which included bouts of agoraphobia), cares deeply about her work, introduces the Reader to many famous people in the entertainment industry, describes in unflinching detail the dark side of her career (and she does not spare herself in culpability), relates her fight against cancer, and provides quite a bit of detail regarding her spiritual faith.
What emerges is the portrait of a remarkably talented, flawed, yet deeply moving and honest individual. One example that stands out for me was filming a movie during a trying time in her life. Although Zeffirelli had referred to her as “One Take Hussey” at one time, in this scene she had just two lines and she kept getting them wrong ... in take after take after take. During a break, she goes to each person on the set and apologizes for holding up their production. This is not told as a form of self-aggrandizement, but as a natural courtesy to the hard working people around her.
I laughed out loud several times while reading THE GIRL ON THE BALCONY, and felt tears forming on a couple of occasions. Ultimately, the better autobiographies don’t only tell details well, but they intimately involve the Reader. This one felt as if I was having a congenial conversation with Olivia Hussey. And, yes, my inner teenaged boy is saying, “You should be so lucky!”
March 30, 2019
Olivia Hussey, by her own admission, has not managed her career well. All too often, she went through periods where she simply didn’t care about working or not. Her biggest success, as most know, was as Juliet in the film Romeo and Juliet. In the autobiography The Girl on the Balcony, she milks that memory for everything it’s worth. She devotes almost a hundred pages to this experience. And rightly so, not only because it was her initial triumph but also because it was a life-changing experience for her, and we want to go on that journey with her. The rest of her career, spanning more than forty years, has not been as stellar. There have been some successes and some duds. Her life, too, can be described in that way. Married three times, she makes it clear that she loved—and still loves—her first two husbands dearly, but the final marriage is the one that succeeded, having lasted almost thirty years. I saw this book, and although I’ve wondered over the years what she accomplished post-Juliet, her relative anonymity didn’t make her stay on my mind. But when I read the blurb, I thought this sounded like an interesting examination of a woman who never quite achieved stardom, despite her impact at age fifteen in Romeo and Juliet. I have to say I found her life not fascinating but interest-capturing. She writes well (with the help of a co-writer) but at times I felt her language a bit too flowery, her delivery a bit stilted. That may just be the British in her. She devotes several pages each to her favorite and more successful films, and those memories are enlightening and enjoyable. I was disappointed that she devotes less than a page to the blockbuster musical flop Lost Horizon, letting us know that it is considered the tenth biggest financial disaster in Hollywood history. Despite that, I find the movie horribly entertaining, and I would have liked to have heard more of her experiences making the film and her interplay with her co-stars, particularly with Liv Ullman, for whom I’ve had a life-long passion. So in that respect, I found the book disappointing. I also think Hussey was too trusting, which she freely admits, as she depicts a life of financial and relationship problems. But I was also heartened to hear of her plunge into meditation and her complete adoration of Swami Muktananda. Having tried and failed to master transcendental meditation, I was heartened that she not only succeeded but benefitted from it immensely. Her complete devotion to the practice and her guru leads her to reveal episodes where the guru seems to be able to predict the future—which I am skeptical about—but if the practice has brought her peace, I am all for it. In short, The Girl on the Balcony is a tale of a woman whose career peaked at a very early age, leaving her to a life that severely needed sorting out. I’m happy to say she seems to have completed that sorting and is happy today. This is a departure from Hollywood memoirs in that it is not a superstar relating the inevitable “and then I made…” stories, but it is enjoyable and instructive nonetheless.
September 28, 2018
This was absolutely wonderful. I've been a lifelong fan of Olivia Hussey and Zeffirelli's adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. My only real issue is that this wasn't as polished as it could have been, childhood, relationships, etc. were at times brushed over, or explained minimally, while subjects like Olivia's spiritual beliefs, and love of India (both country and daughter) were sometimes over done.
Still, very enjoyable. Loved the little tidbits about Olivia having to have her appendix removed the day before filming began. Or her love for the potion/poison scene, and how a majority of that monologue was drastically cut from the final piece. Also loved knowing that LW had to wear flesh colored tape during the morning after scene because...urm, he was excited.
Still, very enjoyable. Loved the little tidbits about Olivia having to have her appendix removed the day before filming began. Or her love for the potion/poison scene, and how a majority of that monologue was drastically cut from the final piece. Also loved knowing that LW had to wear flesh colored tape during the morning after scene because...urm, he was excited.
March 6, 2024
Mi sono imbattuta in questo memoir totalmente a caso, anche se ho sempre ammirato Olivia Hussey, attrice di origine argentina conosciuta soprattutto per il ruolo di Giulietta nel meraviglioso film del 1968 diretto da Franco Zeffirelli (ma vi consiglio anche Black Christmas - Un Natale rosso sangue (1974) e Assassinio sul Nilo (1978), che a me sono piaciuti moltissimo).
Il libro racconta tutta la sua vita, partendo dall'infanzia dell'attrice a Buenos Aires.
Grazie alla sua straordinaria bellezza e naturale talento, Olivia ha ottenuto rapidamente il successo, grazie al ruolo di Giulietta a solo sedici anni.
Ma il suo racconto non si limita agli aneddoti e all'esperienza in Italia, c'è molto, molto di più.
La Hussey ha vissuto tra Londra e LA, dove ha ottenuto successo e trovato l'amore, una vera "It Girl" della sua generazione e della Hollywood dorata degli anni'70.
Si è sposata giovanissima con il figlio di Dean Martin, Dino, e gli è rimasta molto legata anche dopo il loro divorzio, fino alla tragica morte di lui. Altri due matrimoni e tre figli, la sua vita non è stata tutta rose e fiori, ha dovuto lottare anche contro la sua agorafobia, il cancro al seno, e una violenza sessuale.
Il suo è il ritratto di una donna molto forte, e allo stesso tempo di una persona umile e genuina.
Mi è piaciuto che la Hussey non si sia astenuta dal raccontarci i suoi fallimenti, le sue ingenuità e fragilità.
Come lei stessa ammette, probabilmente non ha giocato al meglio le sue carte e non si è concentrata sufficientemente sulla sua carriera, il che a mio parere non le ha permesso di avere i riconoscimenti che si sarebbe meritata.
Eppure quella ragazza sul balcone per me avrà sempre un posto speciale nel mio cuore e mi ha commossa leggere delle sua vita, una storia che sembra scritta come un grande romanzo di formazione, inaspettato e affascinante, che si legge tutto d'un fiato.
Seconda lettura in inglese dell'anno.
🌹
Il libro racconta tutta la sua vita, partendo dall'infanzia dell'attrice a Buenos Aires.
Grazie alla sua straordinaria bellezza e naturale talento, Olivia ha ottenuto rapidamente il successo, grazie al ruolo di Giulietta a solo sedici anni.
Ma il suo racconto non si limita agli aneddoti e all'esperienza in Italia, c'è molto, molto di più.
La Hussey ha vissuto tra Londra e LA, dove ha ottenuto successo e trovato l'amore, una vera "It Girl" della sua generazione e della Hollywood dorata degli anni'70.
Si è sposata giovanissima con il figlio di Dean Martin, Dino, e gli è rimasta molto legata anche dopo il loro divorzio, fino alla tragica morte di lui. Altri due matrimoni e tre figli, la sua vita non è stata tutta rose e fiori, ha dovuto lottare anche contro la sua agorafobia, il cancro al seno, e una violenza sessuale.
Il suo è il ritratto di una donna molto forte, e allo stesso tempo di una persona umile e genuina.
Mi è piaciuto che la Hussey non si sia astenuta dal raccontarci i suoi fallimenti, le sue ingenuità e fragilità.
Come lei stessa ammette, probabilmente non ha giocato al meglio le sue carte e non si è concentrata sufficientemente sulla sua carriera, il che a mio parere non le ha permesso di avere i riconoscimenti che si sarebbe meritata.
Eppure quella ragazza sul balcone per me avrà sempre un posto speciale nel mio cuore e mi ha commossa leggere delle sua vita, una storia che sembra scritta come un grande romanzo di formazione, inaspettato e affascinante, che si legge tutto d'un fiato.
Seconda lettura in inglese dell'anno.
🌹
September 12, 2018
One of those actresses that perhaps you haven't thought about in a long time but it's interesting to hear about their recent activities.
February 14, 2019
A little long, but always entertaining. The most unexpected thing about this television, Hollywood and theater star was her friendship with the guru she called Baba. He seemed to be the real deal--prayerful, insightful, loving and honest. I wish I'd known him.
If you're a person who is interested in Hollywood in the late 1960s and 70s, you have to read this book. Most of the name dropping was lost on me; of course I knew Dean Martin but not his son whom she married, and Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando and the many, many other actors she worked with in her long career. But there's much more to this story than, "I saw him," or "I worked with her, her and her." There's a true story of a flawed and wonderful human being.
If you're a person who is interested in Hollywood in the late 1960s and 70s, you have to read this book. Most of the name dropping was lost on me; of course I knew Dean Martin but not his son whom she married, and Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando and the many, many other actors she worked with in her long career. But there's much more to this story than, "I saw him," or "I worked with her, her and her." There's a true story of a flawed and wonderful human being.
December 22, 2019
Lovely book by the woman who was my teenage idol when I was in my early teens. She played Juliet in a movie I have I have seen at least 25 times. Great to read about her ups and downs and her loves and losses and her children. Thank you for telling us your story Olivia Hussey!
January 9, 2025
This book actually made me sad because of how naive Olivia was in various situations. It was nice to hear about the behind the scenes of Romeo & Juliet and how she found love 3 separate times. She definitely didn't have an easy life.
July 9, 2025
Can you go to Hollywood without "going Hollywood"?
There's a theater tradition that no actress can properly play Shakespeare's 13-year-old Juliet until she's old enough to play Juliet's middle-aged nurse. It's considered a difficult role requiring years of acting experience. When George Cukor filmed the classic Hollywood movie, Juliet was played by 34-year-old Norma Shearer.
So it caused a sensation when in 1968 Italian director Franco Zeffirelli announced he was making a movie of the play using teen actors in the starring roles. He picked Olivia Hussey to play Juliet and billed her as "an innocent girl from Argentina." As usual, the truth is more complicated than the hype.
She was born in Buenos Aires to an Argentine father (a singer) and a mother who was part of the English colony there. The mismatched couple produced a son and daughter, then parted acrimoniously. Soon Alma Joy Hussey moved her small children to London, where she worked as a secretary. Post-WWII London was grim and the family was poor, but both mother and daughter loved the movies.
Hussey claims to have known even as a very young child that she would be an actress. She talked her way into a scholarship at the prestigious Italia Conti school, which trained dancers, singers, and actors. Before she auditioned for Zaffirelli, she'd played onstage with Vanessa Redgrave and small parts in several movies.
A child actor is unlikely to remain "innocent" into his/her teens. While the movie was being filmed in Rome, Zeffirelli discovered that Hussey liked to hit the discos. Not wanting newspaper pictures of his Juliet dancing with a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other, he attempted to reign her in, but she was a strong-minded young lady. The movie was successful financially and critically. The filming and promotion took two years of her life and netted her the equivalent of $3,000. Unknowns have little leverage in negotiations, but Hussey was now a star.
Although determined to be an actress, she always put her personal life before her career. She married Dean Paul (Dino) Martin (then a pop singer) and had a son before he left her. She married a popular Japanese singer and had a son before they divorced. She married an American rocker and had a daughter and that marriage has lasted three decades.
She suffers from insecurity and debilitating agoraphobia, which makes it hard to be a movie star. She found peace with an Indian "guru" who had a large following among entertainers. Whatever works for you, I say.
As with many celebrity memoirs, she (or her publisher) assumes that the reader is only interested in reading about celebrities. She opens with a bizarre story of attending Liza Minnelli's wedding. Elizabeth Taylor was the Matron of Honor and who could be more qualified? Michael Jackson was the Best Man. Hmmm. She met a lot of famous people, but tells us nothing we haven't read a million times. Liz Taylor was gutsy and down-to-earth. David Niven was funny and charming. Laurence Olivier was modest and self-deprecating. Bette Davis was a stinker.
I wanted to read more about her early life. Why did her mother leave her loving family and move her children to London? What was their life like there? Why was a English girl with no taste for celebrity life so taken with Los Angeles? Why did she go six years without seeing her mother and brother after she moved to the U.S.? What was the relationship with her father that she only hints about? There are a lot of unanswered questions.
She's a poor judge of character. She portrays the Dean Martin family as eternally happy, raving about Martin's charm. His abrupt, no-explanation-given dumping of his long-time wife is excused as part of his "cool" personality. In reality, Martin was emotionally distant and his wives and children competed desperately for his attention and approval. How could Hussey have been so close to the family without knowing that?
Like many entertainers, she was robbed by dishonest managers. How does it happen? Are entertainers lazy or naive or just exhausted from pursuing a career that requires such sacrifice? Her sensible third husband smelled a rat, but not in time to save her from permanent financial insecurity.
Don't know if she wrote this book herself or used a ghost-writer, but it's well-written and moves along quickly. I started the book knowing nothing about Hussey, but finished it with admiration for her. If she wasn't always wise, she was never mean. If she didn't make the most of her career opportunities, she supported herself and kept her children together. All are grown now and apparently doing well. What other legacy does anyone need?
There's a theater tradition that no actress can properly play Shakespeare's 13-year-old Juliet until she's old enough to play Juliet's middle-aged nurse. It's considered a difficult role requiring years of acting experience. When George Cukor filmed the classic Hollywood movie, Juliet was played by 34-year-old Norma Shearer.
So it caused a sensation when in 1968 Italian director Franco Zeffirelli announced he was making a movie of the play using teen actors in the starring roles. He picked Olivia Hussey to play Juliet and billed her as "an innocent girl from Argentina." As usual, the truth is more complicated than the hype.
She was born in Buenos Aires to an Argentine father (a singer) and a mother who was part of the English colony there. The mismatched couple produced a son and daughter, then parted acrimoniously. Soon Alma Joy Hussey moved her small children to London, where she worked as a secretary. Post-WWII London was grim and the family was poor, but both mother and daughter loved the movies.
Hussey claims to have known even as a very young child that she would be an actress. She talked her way into a scholarship at the prestigious Italia Conti school, which trained dancers, singers, and actors. Before she auditioned for Zaffirelli, she'd played onstage with Vanessa Redgrave and small parts in several movies.
A child actor is unlikely to remain "innocent" into his/her teens. While the movie was being filmed in Rome, Zeffirelli discovered that Hussey liked to hit the discos. Not wanting newspaper pictures of his Juliet dancing with a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other, he attempted to reign her in, but she was a strong-minded young lady. The movie was successful financially and critically. The filming and promotion took two years of her life and netted her the equivalent of $3,000. Unknowns have little leverage in negotiations, but Hussey was now a star.
Although determined to be an actress, she always put her personal life before her career. She married Dean Paul (Dino) Martin (then a pop singer) and had a son before he left her. She married a popular Japanese singer and had a son before they divorced. She married an American rocker and had a daughter and that marriage has lasted three decades.
She suffers from insecurity and debilitating agoraphobia, which makes it hard to be a movie star. She found peace with an Indian "guru" who had a large following among entertainers. Whatever works for you, I say.
As with many celebrity memoirs, she (or her publisher) assumes that the reader is only interested in reading about celebrities. She opens with a bizarre story of attending Liza Minnelli's wedding. Elizabeth Taylor was the Matron of Honor and who could be more qualified? Michael Jackson was the Best Man. Hmmm. She met a lot of famous people, but tells us nothing we haven't read a million times. Liz Taylor was gutsy and down-to-earth. David Niven was funny and charming. Laurence Olivier was modest and self-deprecating. Bette Davis was a stinker.
I wanted to read more about her early life. Why did her mother leave her loving family and move her children to London? What was their life like there? Why was a English girl with no taste for celebrity life so taken with Los Angeles? Why did she go six years without seeing her mother and brother after she moved to the U.S.? What was the relationship with her father that she only hints about? There are a lot of unanswered questions.
She's a poor judge of character. She portrays the Dean Martin family as eternally happy, raving about Martin's charm. His abrupt, no-explanation-given dumping of his long-time wife is excused as part of his "cool" personality. In reality, Martin was emotionally distant and his wives and children competed desperately for his attention and approval. How could Hussey have been so close to the family without knowing that?
Like many entertainers, she was robbed by dishonest managers. How does it happen? Are entertainers lazy or naive or just exhausted from pursuing a career that requires such sacrifice? Her sensible third husband smelled a rat, but not in time to save her from permanent financial insecurity.
Don't know if she wrote this book herself or used a ghost-writer, but it's well-written and moves along quickly. I started the book knowing nothing about Hussey, but finished it with admiration for her. If she wasn't always wise, she was never mean. If she didn't make the most of her career opportunities, she supported herself and kept her children together. All are grown now and apparently doing well. What other legacy does anyone need?
April 15, 2023
This is an interesting memoir that is more successful in the first half when focusing on her career than in the last half, which includes weird allegiance to a "guru" who appears to her in dreams and making bad decisions that she refuses to take accountability for. It is filled with some surprising details for those of us that know her work but almost nothing about her personal life. Read it in 2018 and again in 2023, and my thoughts haven't changed.
She is Latina, born in Argentina, and not born British. Her mother took her and her brother to England when she was young, abandoning the father that she ended up never knowing. Hussey is her mother's last name. The author glosses over her childhood (failing to explain her very odd accent even though she takes voice lessons) and gives few details beyond how poor they were. Once her acting career starts in her teens her beauty is what gets her roles, and after a long audition process she becomes the lead in Romeo and Juliet.
The book devotes a large section to the famous movie. If only the rest of it focused on her work or private life. I am a huge fan of Lost Horizon and saw the original (much longer) version in the movie theater when it first came out, but Hussey says almost nothing about the famous flop here beyond a couple minor paragraphs. She also tells little about most of her film or TV work, except some depth regarding Jesus of Nazareth, including the affairs she was having while playing Virgin Mary. Hussey also mentions her abortion, and while she ended up later having three children with three different husbands, she fails to adequately address the pregnancy from a rape by an actor that she abandoned everything to follow and who she had no problem living next to after he had abused her repeatedly.
The number of big-name famous people that she knew is amazing. The problem is there aren't really many memories about them. How can you go for a long evening walk in London with Paul McCartney and say you remember nothing about it? Sinatra had the Mafia fix things for her, she had dinner with Prince Charles, she spent hours giggling with Liz Taylor, and ate regular lunches with Christopher Reeve. Add in all the famous old Hollywood stars she worked with, and you come up with almost no actual detailed stories of any of these encounters.
She does mention some names when talking about her love life but two very big stories about men go nameless, which is a disappointment. The love of her life was Dean Martin's son Dino, and even after they divorced she seemed to pine for him. Maybe the fact that he died at 35 makes her write more positively of him in retrospect, but she does nothing but praise her ex-husband. And the same with all her husbands, boyfriends, even the abusers.
You see Olivia's main problems are that she seems incredibly naive, even as she ages, and almost all of her decisions were wrong. Ironically, she claims she always follows her "gut," yet that instinct was rarely right. She rejected major roles she should have taken, clings to her abusive boyfriend and ends up living next to him before he rapes her, goes years without working and then is surprised no one will hire her, finds out she has a lump in her breast and not only refuses to tell anyone but waits a year to see a doctor, and falls for any man that she sets her eye on, including a random guy that walked into a restaurant while she was out with her boyfriend.
Hussey can't seem to accept responsibility for her bad choices. Instead, when things get really bad and she loses everything after she trusted a business manager that stole everything, living in small rentals for almost a decade (that she mentions in just a few paragraphs), she doesn't seem to want to learn from her mistakes and change how she makes decisions. Instead she continues on a tangent by following a weird Buddhist guru that she thinks has psychic powers, clearing all her major decisions through him and even claiming to hear him after he dies. He and others in that spiritual world seem to mysteriously come up with visions of her future, with her falling for everything they say instead of skeptically seeing that these guy prey on rich famous people. It makes her come across like a ditzy, directionless Hollywood actress, which is exactly who she is based in this book.
Olivia never seems to grow from that teen Juliet--innocent, naive, trusting, searching for a man to replace her daddy. While she seems happy now with her third husband, a rock musician who helped her through cancer recovery, she is still that smiling girl on the balcony looking for love in the wrong places and figuratively killing herself with bad choices.
She is Latina, born in Argentina, and not born British. Her mother took her and her brother to England when she was young, abandoning the father that she ended up never knowing. Hussey is her mother's last name. The author glosses over her childhood (failing to explain her very odd accent even though she takes voice lessons) and gives few details beyond how poor they were. Once her acting career starts in her teens her beauty is what gets her roles, and after a long audition process she becomes the lead in Romeo and Juliet.
The book devotes a large section to the famous movie. If only the rest of it focused on her work or private life. I am a huge fan of Lost Horizon and saw the original (much longer) version in the movie theater when it first came out, but Hussey says almost nothing about the famous flop here beyond a couple minor paragraphs. She also tells little about most of her film or TV work, except some depth regarding Jesus of Nazareth, including the affairs she was having while playing Virgin Mary. Hussey also mentions her abortion, and while she ended up later having three children with three different husbands, she fails to adequately address the pregnancy from a rape by an actor that she abandoned everything to follow and who she had no problem living next to after he had abused her repeatedly.
The number of big-name famous people that she knew is amazing. The problem is there aren't really many memories about them. How can you go for a long evening walk in London with Paul McCartney and say you remember nothing about it? Sinatra had the Mafia fix things for her, she had dinner with Prince Charles, she spent hours giggling with Liz Taylor, and ate regular lunches with Christopher Reeve. Add in all the famous old Hollywood stars she worked with, and you come up with almost no actual detailed stories of any of these encounters.
She does mention some names when talking about her love life but two very big stories about men go nameless, which is a disappointment. The love of her life was Dean Martin's son Dino, and even after they divorced she seemed to pine for him. Maybe the fact that he died at 35 makes her write more positively of him in retrospect, but she does nothing but praise her ex-husband. And the same with all her husbands, boyfriends, even the abusers.
You see Olivia's main problems are that she seems incredibly naive, even as she ages, and almost all of her decisions were wrong. Ironically, she claims she always follows her "gut," yet that instinct was rarely right. She rejected major roles she should have taken, clings to her abusive boyfriend and ends up living next to him before he rapes her, goes years without working and then is surprised no one will hire her, finds out she has a lump in her breast and not only refuses to tell anyone but waits a year to see a doctor, and falls for any man that she sets her eye on, including a random guy that walked into a restaurant while she was out with her boyfriend.
Hussey can't seem to accept responsibility for her bad choices. Instead, when things get really bad and she loses everything after she trusted a business manager that stole everything, living in small rentals for almost a decade (that she mentions in just a few paragraphs), she doesn't seem to want to learn from her mistakes and change how she makes decisions. Instead she continues on a tangent by following a weird Buddhist guru that she thinks has psychic powers, clearing all her major decisions through him and even claiming to hear him after he dies. He and others in that spiritual world seem to mysteriously come up with visions of her future, with her falling for everything they say instead of skeptically seeing that these guy prey on rich famous people. It makes her come across like a ditzy, directionless Hollywood actress, which is exactly who she is based in this book.
Olivia never seems to grow from that teen Juliet--innocent, naive, trusting, searching for a man to replace her daddy. While she seems happy now with her third husband, a rock musician who helped her through cancer recovery, she is still that smiling girl on the balcony looking for love in the wrong places and figuratively killing herself with bad choices.
November 20, 2018
While not the worst memoir I have ever read, it's pretty close to the bottom of the list! By nature of it being a memoir, of course the author has to show a little narcissism to write it, but she REALLY thinks a lot of her talent and her beauty, especially considering, I would challenge almost anyone to name more than two other projects she did beyond starring in 'Romeo and Juliet'! What really bothered me tho, was the poor woman can't do simple math! She starts the book with giving her birth date early on as being in 1951. Then, she proceeds to name the wrong amount of years in every single comment she makes in the rest of the book where she refers to her age, or how long she did something. For example, she talks of coming to LA in the fall of 1969 and only knowing two people, one of whom is Rudy Altobelli, whom she knows from her time working on 'R&J" in Italy. He offers her a place to stay, in the home he owns, and often rents out. She takes him up on it, and finds herself living in the home where only just weeks prior, Sharon Tate and her friends were all slaughtered by the Manson Family! She goes on to say she wasn't at all bothered being there, even tho just weeks before the murders, she had spoken briefly to Sharon on the phone That made me feel she ust not be very empathetic, or intuitive at all. But, here's the math thing. Then she says she went on to live there for the next FOUR YEARS! WRONG!!! She tells us in following chapters, that she married Dino Martin and moved into their own home in 1971. So she could not have lived in the former Tate/Polanski residence for four years. This type of goofy math happens in pretty much every chapter! Another example, when filming 'Death on the Nile' in 1978, she mentions being AGE 24, and so much younger than much of the cast! 1078-1951 doesn't add up to 24. I could give at least six to eight more examples, and I know it's petty, but the book is so lightly written that the errors really stand out! There are also numerous editing errors, words missing in sentences, or double printed. Not her fault, of course, but sheesh, get a decent editor! Anyway, just a bit of lazy fluff, so if you choose to read it, be prepared!
February 17, 2019
This memoir answers the question: what happens to a girl who becomes world-famous at age 15 for being drop-dead gorgeous and who lacked a solid family foundation of normalcy? The answer is: she makes many poor choices of boyfriend, marries three times, does not have the good sense to manage and safeguard her money, and succumbs to Hollywood name-dropping to fill up her memoir. Like most other teens of 1968, I saw Romeo and Juliet multiple times and remember it vividly to this day. No question Olivia was wonderful in the film. Her on-screen chemistry with Leonard Whiting was epic, phenomenal, and authentic. But what she has done with her life since and the values evident in her story disappointed me. Examples: continuing to live in close proximity to an abusive boyfriend, leaving her very young child in the care of a negligent babysitter, leaving her young children for many months to go to distant movie locations. Her narrative in the memoir does not reveal a lot of self-reflection and maturation. She seems hopelessly naive and like a somewhat lost soul to me. A girl this beautiful and talented needed solid grounding in self-protection and less time spent with the callow rich and famous. In this lengthy memoir she says nothing that I would consider insightful or thought-provoking. For that reason, I can't give the book more than three stars.
September 5, 2018
This was a really quick, enjoyable read. Ms. Hussey, forever to be remembered as Juliet in Zefferelli's masterpiece, embraces this and acknowledges how the role changed her life. Her life is a bit like a movie itself, aren't all celebrities a bit like this? From a broken family, a move to another country, growing up and becoming a teenage actress, finding worldwide acclaim as a teenager, and then what the rest of life becomes is bittersweet. She has lived a full, varied life and yet, even with the heartaches and disappointments, she does not come across as bitter, angry, or regretful. Ms. Hussey seems as peace that life is full of ups and downs and that how you react and use these lessons determines a lot of how you cope. Written with her son, the book is a very pleasant insight into the heights of Hollywood and the depths of not being A list as an actress. A highly recommendable read!
November 14, 2023
I, like so many others, remember the beautiful Juliet and wanted to be just like her. But life, thank goodness, does not imitate art. It appears she had little direction and instruction from trusted adults in her life and not even a good mentor. I can’t imagine making the decisions she did at such a young age. As a mother, I definitely cannot imagine letting my 17 year old live in another country as me!
All in all it is an interesting read.
All in all it is an interesting read.
October 22, 2018
Besides the Baz Luhrman version, Franco Zefferillis version of Romeo and Juliet remains my favorite. Olivia Hussey comes across and pretentious and arrogant , which in her star sign Aries are the bad qualities. However later on in the book, I did empathize with her health issues. I loved the description of the swinging 60's in London and the scene in Hollywood.
October 25, 2018
She's an uninteresting, dopey person. The co-author makes it readable.
October 1, 2020
A little disappointed. A beautiful girl who became famous too young, had terrible taste in men, and made a lot of bad decisions.
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