What has happened to Leonard Whiting, the star of Franco Zeffirelli’s version of “Romeo and Juliet”?
Leonard Whiting (born June 30, 1950 in London, England) is a British actor who starred as Romeo in the 1968 Zeffirelli film version of Romeo and Juliet opposite Olivia Hussey’s Juliet, a role which earned him the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year – Actor. Biography [edit] Early life Whiting was born in the Wood Green area of London, England, the only son of Arthur Leonard Whiting and Peggy Joyce O’Sullivan. He has English, Irish, and some Romani/Gypsy ancestry.[1] Whiting attended the St. Richard of Chichester School, Camden and graduated just a week or two before beginning work on Romeo and Juliet (1968). [edit] Career Whiting was spotted by an agent at a recording studio at the age of 12. After hearing him sing, the agent suggested he try out for Lionel Bart’s Oliver! which constantly needed replacement for its child performers. Whiting played the Artful Dodger in the long-running London musical for 18 months, and for 13 months appeared in the National Theatre production of
