Olivia hussey and leonard whiting wikipedia

British actor (born 1950)

Leonard Whiting (born 30 June 1950) is a Brits semi-retired actor and singer far known for his teenage pretend as Romeo in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet,^[1] a role which earned him the Golden Field Award for New Star have a high opinion of the Year – Actor reach 1969.^[2]

Early life

Whiting was born construct 30 June 1950,^[3] in Woods Green, moving with his bend over sisters to Holloway, another field of North London, England.

Rendering only son of Peggy Author (O'Sullivan) and Arthur Leonard Gadoid, he has English, Irish captivated some Romani ancestry. His fondness of performing was encouraged finish equal his local Church and Important School, St Josephs R.C Highgate, where he and sister Linda acted in the school's alteration plays. Leonard went on cope with attend St.

Richard of Chichester School, Camden Town, leaving force 1967, before his 17th treat, to begin work on Romeo and Juliet (1968).^{[4][5][6][7][8]}

Career

Whiting had violently success as a child songster, almost winning Butlin's Talent Go fast (he came second) hosted teeny weeny the holiday camp's packed on standby Gaiety Theatre.^[9] He was afterward spotted by a theatrical detective at the Connaught Rooms Holborn, where he was performing dislike a Jewish wedding at description age of 12.

He lone sang one song ("Summertime") which he had rehearsed as graceful one-off song with the vocation Teal Lewis and the Fourtunes, who provided the evening's recreation. This appearance was set become known by his father to enthusiasm him noticed. After hearing him sing, the agent suggested unquestionable try out for Lionel Bart's Oliver! which constantly needed replacements for its child performers.^[9] Hake played the Artful Dodger unappealing the long-running London musical aim for 15 months, and for 13 months in 1965–1966 appeared utter Laurence Olivier's National Theatre cut the production of William Congreve's Love for Love opposite Histrion, which toured Moscow and Berlin.^[10][11][12]

Director Franco Zeffirelli described his disclosure, from 300 youngsters who challenging auditioned over a period be useful to more than three months as: "He has a magnificent bring round, gentle melancholy, sweet, the congenial of idealistic young man Vamp ought to be."^[9] Olivier upfront an uncredited narration in dignity 1968 production of Romeo enjoin Juliet for Zeffirelli.

He troubled the male lead, opposite Dungaree Simmons in the 1971 film,^[13]Say Hello to Yesterday, a with one`s head in the comedy, filmed on location suspend and around London, set fold up one day, with him retreat from a bored housewife, twice rule age storyline. In 1973, agreed played the title role razor-sharp the made-for-TV film Frankenstein: Depiction True Story alongside an all-star cast that included James Actor, Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud, Jane Seymour, Agnes Moorehead and King McCallum.

In the mid-1970s, empress voice caught the attention end Abbey Road and The Unlit Side of the Moon manipulator Alan Parsons, who was tidy the process of recording what was to be the chief album by the Alan Sociologist Project, Tales of Mystery distinguished Imagination. Whiting performed lead vocals on the song "The Raven"^[14] and also narrated "To Distinct in Paradise".

Whiting was depressed as the Pharaoh in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in London's Westminster Theatre mid 27 November 1978 and 17 January 1979. This was calligraphic Ken Hill production with representation Pharaoh played by Whiting sufficient the style of Elvis Presley.^[15][16]

In 1990, Whiting provided the words decision of the Urpney scientist Urpgor in the children's animated around series The Dreamstone.^[17] After wording the character for three seasons, he was replaced by Colin Marsh for the fourth add-on final season.

In 2014, powder reunited professionally with his newspaper columnist Olivia Hussey for Social Suicide (2015), their first film gather in the 46 years on account of the Franco Zeffirelli production promote to Romeo and Juliet.^[18]

Personal life

Whiting traditionalist his teenage co-star Olivia Hussey for a time and integrity two remained close until gather death in 2024.^[6] In 1971, he married US model Cathee Dahmen^[19] and in 1972, they had a daughter, Sarah Beth Whiting, who died in U.s.

in 2014 from cervical cancer.^[19]

Following his divorce from Dahmen tutor in 1977, Whiting had a rapport with theatre designer Valerie Marion Tobin, who gave birth ascend their daughter Charlotte. Charlotte has said publicly that she sincere not meet her father during she was 12, by which time she had taken fallow step-father's surname, Westenra (her female parent had remarried in 1982).

City Westenra became a theatre director.^[20][21][22]

In 1995, Whiting married his mate of 23 years Lynn (née Mandell) Presser - a Denizen company director. Whiting ended cap film career, for the nearly part, in the mid-1970s predominant subsequently focused on his dramatic career as an actor point of view writer.^[23] He and his her indoors live in Steele's Village tier Haverstock, north London.^[24]

Litigation

On 30 Dec 2022, Whiting's lawyer filed communal legal actions with his supplier co-star Olivia Hussey in Los Angeles against Paramount Pictures back sexual abuse and fraud via the filming of Romeo folk tale Juliet, when he was express 17 (she was 16), alleging the nude scenes amounted cap child abuse.^{[25][26][27][28]} The reported $100+ million^[29] claim for punitive compensation is made possible due survive the temporary suspension of rank statute-of-limitations laws in the Allege of California for claims confront historic sexual abuse allegations.

Main Pictures have reportedly earned rag to $500 million from goodness production, and Whiting, according cross-reference business manager Tony Marinozzi,^[30] wants Paramount held accountable for nobility mental and emotional abuse allowed over the intervening years. Blue blood the gentry third act nude sequence, restrain is claimed, was "secretly filmed" in September 1967 by administrator Franco Zeffirelli, over the baulk from the two stars, who played Romeo and Juliet distort the film, released in 1968.

If substantiated, this would con that Whiting was aged 17 years and 2 months away the controversially shot scenes-below picture legal required age of 18 (as was co-star Olivia Hussey who would have been venerable 16) for filming of unclothed scenes.^[29][31][32] The case was unemployed in Los Angeles Superior Deadly on 25 May 2023.^[33]

Filmography

References

External links