Sally O'Neil (born Virginia Louise Concepta Noonan; October 23, 1908 – June 18, 1968) was an American film actress of the 1920s. She appeared in more than 40 films, often with her name above the title.

Early years

O'Neil was one of eleven children born to Judge Thomas Francis Patrick Noonan and his wife, Hannah Kelly, a Metropolitan Opera singer, in

Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, in the Gateway Region on Bergen Neck, a peninsula between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York ...

. One of her sisters was actress Suzanne Dobson Noonan, an actress known professionally as Molly O'Day. Another sister, Isabelle, also acted in films.

Films

Convent-educated, she started her career in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

, billed as Chotsie Noonan and known for her petite but curvaceous frame and curly brown hair. She broke into films in 1925 at the Hal Roach studio, playing flappers or hoydenish tomboys in short-subject comedies. During her tenure with Roach she was billed as Sue O'Neil or Sue "Bugs" O'Neil. She was teamed with Constance Bennett and

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...

in the

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

film '' Sally, Irene and Mary'' (

1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...

), directed by Edmund Goulding, which was "her big break." She appeared with Joan Crawford again as a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1926. Her fame began to subside after silent pictures gave way to sound. Although her broad "Joisey" accent in early talkies like '' Jazz Heaven'' was unsuitable for most ingenue roles, Warner Bros. signed her to play streetwise girls in its feature films of 1929-30. After Warners released her in 1930, O'Neil freelanced at various studios. ''

The Brat ''The Brat'' is a 1931 American pre-Code comedy film directed by John Ford, starring Sally O'Neil, and featuring Virginia Cherrill. The film is based on the 1917 play by Maude Fulton. A previous silent film had been made in 1919 with Al ...

'', a 1931 pre-Code film directed by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

, was revived at New York City's

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

in November 2016. A showcase for O'Neil, the movie involves a brash chorus girl's effect upon a snobbish family when their son brings her home in order to research a novel. Her last American film was released in 1935; she traveled to England in 1937 for one final film, '' Kathleen Mavourneen'', of interest today for a guest appearance by comedian Arthur Lucan as Old Mother Riley.

Stage

Sally O'Neil appeared on Broadway in ''When We Are Married'' (1940). She continued on stage and toured with the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

until the 1950s.

Personal life

In October 1953, O'Neil married businessman S.S. Battles. They divorced in 1957, but they soon remarried.

Death

O'Neil died of pneumonia in

Galesburg, Illinois Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The city is northwest of Peoria, Illinois, Peoria. At the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, its population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County and the principal cit ...

, aged 59, on June 18, 1968.

Partial filmography

* '' Don't'' (1925) * '' Sally, Irene and Mary'' (1925) * '' Mike'' (1926) * '' The Auction Block'' (1926) * '' Battling Butler'' (1926) * '' Slide, Kelly, Slide'' (1927) * ''

The Callahans and the Murphys ''The Callahans and the Murphys'' is a 1927 American silent film, silent comedy film directed by George Hill (director), George W. Hill. The film was based on a novel by Kathleen Norris, and was the first of several MGM films to star Marie Dressl ...

'' (1927) * '' Frisco Sally Levy'' (1927) * '' Becky'' (1927) * '' The Lovelorn'' (1927) * '' The Battle of the Sexes'' (1928) * '' Mad Hour'' (1928) * '' Bachelor's Paradise'' (1928) *'' The Floating College'' (1928) * '' Girl on the Barge'' (1929) * '' Broadway Scandals'' (1929) * '' The Sophomore'' (1929) * '' Jazz Heaven'' (1929) * '' A Real Girl'' (1929) * '' On with the Show'' (1929) * '' The Show of Shows'' (1929) * '' Broadway Fever'' (1929) * '' Girl of the Port'' (1930) * '' Hold Everything'' (1930) * '' Kathleen Mavourneen'' (1930) * '' Murder by the Clock'' (1931) * '' Salvation Nell'' (1931) * ''

'' (1931) * '' By Appointment Only'' (1933) * '' The Moth'' (1934) * '' Beggar's Holiday'' (1934) * '' Convention Girl'' (1935) * '' Too Tough to Kill'' (1935) * '' Kathleen Mavourneen'' (1937)

References

External links

*
Sally O'Neil
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Oneil, Sally 1908 births 1968 deaths American silent film actresses American film actresses Deaths from pneumonia in Illinois Actresses from Bayonne, New Jersey People from Galesburg, Illinois American vaudeville performers 20th-century American actresses