Pat Heywood, a seasoned Scottish actress who made her film debut as Olivia Hussey’s nurse and confidante in Franco Zeffirelli’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, died. She was 92 years old.
The Scottish Daily Mail wrote that the actress had left June 26, but it was not until July 24 that the information saw the light of day.
Born on 1 August 1931 in Gretna Green, Scotland, Heywood studied at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and spent more than a decade with its theatre company, including five years in Julian Slade’s London musical Salad Days.
During your forty-year career, Heywood played a maid in Freddie Francis’ horror comedy Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly (1970) and the wife of British criminal John Christie (Richard Attenborough) in Richard Fleischer’s 10 Rillington Place (1971).
Movie “Romeo and Juliet” (1968) Directed by Zeffirelli and co-starring Leonard Whiting, it was a box office success, introducing a new generation to Shakespearean tragedy. It won Oscars for cinematography and costumes, and was nominated for best picture and director, and Heywood received a BAFTA nomination for a supporting role.
Her film resume also included Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), Staircase (1969), All the Way Up (1970), Young Winston (1972), The Nelson Affair (1973) and Wish You Were Here (1987).
Heywood’s television credits include the 1976 ITV sitcom Lucky Feller and the 1978 BBC miniseries Wuthering Heights.
She was married to actor Oliver Neville, director of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. The couple were together from 1964 until Oliver’s death in 2021. Pat is survived by daughter, Sarah Neville, also an actress.