Maureen O'Sullivan

Acting · 1.2 popularity

Age

115

Movies

Born: May 17, 1911 – June 23, 1998
From: Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland

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.

Works

92 films

Hannah and Her Sisters

19867.5

Tarzan the Ape Man

19326.6

Peggy Sue Got Married

19866.1

Pride and Prejudice

19406.9

Tarzan and His Mate

19346.6

The Thin Man

19347.5

The Tall T

19577.0

Tarzan Escapes

19366.8

David Copperfield

19356.7

Anna Karenina

19356.6

The Big Clock

19487.3

Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood

19876.0

A Day at the Races

19377.1

Tarzan's Secret Treasure

19415.9

Complicated Women

20036.9

It's Showtime

19767.5

That's Entertainment, Part II

19767.0

The Emperor's Candlesticks

19374.9

Tarzan's New York Adventure

19426.4

Tarzan Finds a Son!

19396.2

Just Imagine

19305.8

Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is

19946.6

All I Desire

19537.0

Too Scared to Scream

19845.2

The Devil-Doll

19366.8

Hollywood: Style Center of the World

19405.8

Hollywood: The Dream Factory

19727.3

The Phynx

19703.5

Where Danger Lives

19506.4

The Steel Cage

19547.0

The Romance of Celluloid

19377.0

Stage Mother

19336.3

The Crooked Hearts

19727.6

My Dear Miss Aldrich

19376.3

The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble

193310.0

A Yank at Oxford

19386.7

The Barretts of Wimpole Street

19346.2

Cardinal Richelieu

19357.3

The Blessed Midnight

19565.0

Tugboat Annie

19337.3

Good Old Boy

19887.0

Stranded

19875.6

Mandy's Grandmother

19784.4

Hold That Kiss

19387.0

Skyline

19318.0

Famous T&A 2

20226.5

Jean Harlow: Platinum Bombshell

1996

Wild Heritage

19586.0

A Connecticut Yankee

19316.1

So This Is London

19307.0

Maisie Was a Lady

19417.0

Port of Seven Seas

193810.0

With Murder in Mind

19926.2

The Bishop Misbehaves

19356.0

Let Us Live

19396.8

The Great Houdinis

19766.3

Strange Interlude

19325.6

Mission Over Korea

19536.0

Woman Wanted

19356.8

West Point of the Air

19357.0

Bonzo Goes to College

19526.0

The Edge of Innocence

1957

Sporting Blood

19404.2

Ellis in Freedomland

1952

Screen Actors

19506.3

The Crowd Roars

19387.0

Checking Out: Grand Hotel

20047.0

Hide-Out

19347.3

Skyscraper Souls

19325.5

The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story

19553.5

Never Too Late

19655.3

The Habitation of Dragons

19926.0

Okay, America!

19325.8

The Big Shot

193110.0

Between Two Women

19376.0

The Voice of Bugle Ann

19365.5

Duffy of San Quentin

19546.6

Fast Companions

19327.5

The Princess and the Plumber

193010.0

Tarzan Revisited

20176.5

In Search of Tarzan with Jonathan Ross

1998

The Flame Within

19355.0

Spring Madness

19384.9

The Silver Lining

19327.0

Song o' My Heart

19304.8

Screen Snapshots No. 11

1934

No Resting Place

19516.3

Robbers' Roost

19326.0

Morning's at Seven

19829.0

Hollywood - The Second Step

19368.7

Payment Deferred

19325.7

Where Danger Lives: White Rose for Julie

2007