Olivia Hussey, who played Rebecca in the New Year's classic "Ivanhoe", and Julia in director Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Julia" from 1968, is dead. She died on Friday – five days before her annual appearance on Swedish TV.
Her role in the British TV film "Ivanhoe" from 1982 has been forgotten in the rest of the world, but for us Swedes, the knight drama has become a New Year's tradition.
The film was first shown on Swedish TV on New Year's Eve 1982 and has returned almost every year since then.
Hollywood Star's Greeting
The story of how the young nobleman Wilfred of Ivanhoe (Anthony Andrews) is rescued by the Jewish girl Rebecca and her family, but ultimately chooses to leave her to be with Lady Rowena (Lysette Anthony) has struck a chord with many Swedes.
Hollywood star Sam Neill, who played the film's villain Brian de Bois-Guilbert at the beginning of his career, usually sends a greeting to Swedes on social media every year, noticeably annoyed that a role he barely remembers gets so much attention.
The role in "Ivanhoe" came almost 15 years after Olivia Hussey's big breakthrough. She was 15 years old when she, together with 16-year-old Leonard Whiting, who played Romeo, starred in the Oscar-winning version of the Shakespeare tragedy.
Sued the Film Company
The two leading actors were awarded a Golden Globe each for their performance – but filed a lawsuit against the film company in 2023 for sexual exploitation of children.
The case concerned a controversial nude scene in the film, which the actors claimed they were forced to participate in against their will. A judge dismissed the lawsuit the same year.
"Olivia was a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and kindness touched everyone who knew her," writes her family in a tribute on Hussey's Instagram account.
TV3 will show "Ivanhoe" at 3 pm on New Year's Day 2025.
