Cast

Maureen O'Sullivan

Acting

Cast

Maureen O'Sullivan

Known for

Acting

Born

1911-05-17

From

Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland

Died

1998-06-23

Also known as Maureen Paula O'Sullivan, Maureen O’Sullivan

Biography

Maureen Paula O'Sullivan was born in County Roscommon, Ireland, on May 17, 1911. The future mother of Mia Farrow was a schooldays classmate of Vivien Leigh at the Convent of the Sacred Heart at Roehampton in London. Even as a schoolgirl, Maureen desired an acting career; she studied hard and read widely. When the opportunity to be an actress came along, it almost dropped in her lap. The director Frank Borzage was in Dublin filming “Song o’ My Heart” (1930) when Maureen, then 18, met him. Borzage suggested a screen test, which she took. The results were more than favorable, as she won the part of Eileen O’Brien. The part was a substantial one, so much so that Maureen went on to Hollywood to complete the filming. Once in sunny California, Maureen wasted no time landing roles in other films such as “Just Imagine” (1930), “Princess and the Plumber” (1930), and “So This Is London” (1930). Maureen was on a roll that her contemporaries could only have wished for when they were coming up through the ranks. In 1932, Maureen was teamed up with Olympic medal winner Johnny Weissmuller for the first time in “Tarzan the Ape Man” (1932). Five other Tarzan films followed, the last being “Tarzan’s New York Adventure” (1942). The Tarzan epics rank as one of the most memorable series ever made. Most people agree that those movies would not have been successful had it not been for the fine acting talents, not to mention beauty, of Maureen O’Sullivan. But she was more than Jane Parker in the Tarzan films; she had great roles and played beautifully in films such as “The Flame Within” (1935), “David Copperfield” (1935), and “Anna Karenina” (1935). She turned in yet another fine performance in “Pride and Prejudice” (1940). After the 1940s, Maureen made far fewer films, not because she lost popularity but by choice. It isn’t always easy to walk away from a lucrative career, but she did because she wanted to devote more time to her husband, John Farrow, an Australian writer, and their seven children. The couple were married from 1936 until his death in 1963. She did not, however, retire completely; Maureen still found time to make an occasional appearance in films or TV or on the stage. Later movie-goers remember her as Elizabeth Alvorg in the hit film “Peggy Sue Got Married” (1986). Her final silver screen appearance was in “The River Pirates” (1988). Some TV movies followed, but only until 1996. She maintained homes in New Hampshire and Arizona, and it was in Scottsdale that Maureen died on June 23, 1998, of a heart attack. She was 87 years old.

Maureen O'Sullivan

Maureen O'Sullivan

Biography

Hannah and Her Sisters

Peggy Sue Got Married

Tarzan the Ape Man

The Thin Man

Tarzan and His Mate

Tarzan Escapes

Anna Karenina

Pride and Prejudice

A Day at the Races

Just Imagine

The Big Clock

That's Entertainment, Part II

The Emperor's Candlesticks

Good Old Boy

Too Scared to Scream

All I Desire

It's Showtime

So This Is London

David Copperfield

Tarzan's Secret Treasure

The Phynx

Tarzan's New York Adventure

Tarzan Finds a Son!

The Steel Cage

The Devil-Doll

Port of Seven Seas

A Yank at Oxford

Skyscraper Souls

Famous T&A 2

Where Danger Lives

Skyline

Okay, America!

The Barretts of Wimpole Street

The Crooked Hearts

The Tall T

Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood

The Blessed Midnight

Mandy's Grandmother

Bonzo Goes to College

Stranded

Complicated Women

A Connecticut Yankee

Let Us Live

Jean Harlow: Platinum Bombshell

West Point of the Air

Tugboat Annie

The Great Houdinis

The Romance of Celluloid

With Murder in Mind

The Bishop Misbehaves

My Dear Miss Aldrich

The Voice of Bugle Ann

The Crowd Roars

Hollywood: Style Center of the World

Hide-Out

Fast Companions

Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is

Screen Snapshots No. 11

Wild Heritage

Checking Out: Grand Hotel

Cardinal Richelieu

Strange Interlude

The Habitation of Dragons

The Edge of Innocence

Between Two Women

Duffy of San Quentin

Maisie Was a Lady

Ellis in Freedomland

Woman Wanted

Spring Madness

Song o' My Heart

Never Too Late

The Princess and the Plumber

Stage Mother

Screen Actors

Mission Over Korea

Hold That Kiss