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Tatum Beatrice O'Neal (born November 5, 1963 in Los Angeles, California) is an Academy Award-winning American actress best known for her film work as a child actress in the 1970s.

Brief biography

O'Neal was born into the motion picture family of actor Ryan O'Neal (of mostly Irish ancestry) and actress Joanna Moore (of mostly English descent). Her brother, Griffin, was born in 1964. In 1967 her parents divorced, but they remained very close. Her father married actress Leigh Taylor-Young, the mother of her half-brother, Patrick (who was married to actress Rebecca DeMornay). Tatum's mother died in 1997 of lung cancer at age 63 after a reasonably successful career in which she had appeared in such movies as Touch of Evil.

After struggling with leukemia, Ryan reunited with his former common-law spouse, Farrah Fawcett, after many years of separation.

Troubled childhood

In her autobiography called A Paper Life, Tatum O'Neal alleged that she had been molested by a male friend of her father's. Tatum also alleges physical and emotional abuse from her father, much of which she attributes to drug use. She later said she was dragged to an opium-inspired orgy by Melanie Griffith when she was 12 years old.

Academy Award as a child

In 1974, Tatum O'Neal became the youngest person ever to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Paper Moon. She won it over another talented young actress, Linda Blair who portrayed the horrifying Regan in The Exorcist. However, Linda Blair's chances of winning were dashed when Mercedes McCambridge complained that director William Friedkin didn't put her in the credits, because she had done the demonic voice. This negative effect obviously wasn't a help for the chances of winning. This movie, which also featured her real-life father as a con-man, portrayed young Tatum as a child in the company of a crook who was being further tutored in a life of crime and corruption. The motion picture was financed by Herbert W. Armstrong's Ambassador International Cultural Foundation.

Other roles

Other movies starring O'Neal include The Bad News Bears, Nickelodeon (both 1976), International Velvet (1978), and Little Darlings (1980). Her acting career took a backseat to her personal troubles for many years, but in 2005 she began a recurring role as Maggie Gavin on the firehouse drama series Rescue Me, portraying the unbalanced and lively sister of Tommy Gavin played by Denis Leary. O'Neal's character is engaged to be married to a firefighter in her brother's firehouse.

In January 2006, she participated in the second season of ABC's smash reality series Dancing with the Stars but was the second contestant to be eliminated in the second round. She went on to do commentary for the series on Entertainment Tonight.

It was announced that Tatum will star in the lead role of Blythe in the upcoming My Network TV prime-time drama Wicked Wicked Games.

Marriage

In 1986, O'Neal wed multi-millionaire tennis superstar John McEnroe, and the couple had three children: Kevin, Sean, and Emily.

Following their divorce in 1992, she took up residence in New York City. O'Neal shares joint custody of the children with McEnroe, who married musician Patty Smyth in 1997.

Filmography

• Paper Moon (1973)
• The Bad News Bears (1976)
• Nickelodeon (1976)
• International Velvet (1978)
• Circle of Two (1980)
• Little Darlings (1980)
• Prisoners (1981)
• Certain Fury (1985)
• Little Noises (1991)
• Basquiat (1996)
• The Scoundrel's Wife (2002)
• The Technical Writer (2003)
• Rescue Me (2005)
• Wicked Wicked Games (2006)

Reference

Tatum O'Neal autobiography: A Paper Life - ISBN 0-06-054097-4.

External links

• When Young Stars Burn Out MSN Movies

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