Assuming her mother's maiden name as her stage name, Olivia Hussey appeared on the London stage as Jenny in
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie opposite
Vanessa Redgrave. It was during the run of this play that Italian film director Franco Zeffirelli first spotted her. Chosen out of 500 actresses, she appeared in her first starring (and star making) role, as Juliet in Zeffirelli's 1968 film version of
Romeo and Juliet opposite
Leonard Whiting's Romeo. In 1969, she won a
David di Donatello award for Best Actress.
Hussey did a brief nude scene in the film, notable for the fact that she was only fifteen years of age when filming occurred. Hussey was, in fact,
unable to attend the premiere of the film as she was deemed too young to watch it due to censorship laws at that time.