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. 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 born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

, billed as Chotsie Noonan and known for her petite but curvaceous frame and curly brown hair. She was teamed with

Constance Bennett Constance Campbell Bennett (October 22, 1904 – July 24, 1965) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress and producer. She was a major Hollywood star during the 1920s and 1930s; during the early 1930s, she was the highest-paid ...

and

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was si ...

in the

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

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* January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Itali ...

), directed by

Edmund Goulding Edmund Goulding (20 March 1891 – 24 December 1959) was a British screenwriter and film director. As an actor early in his career he was one of the 'Ghosts' in the 1922 silent film '' Three Live Ghosts'' alongside Norman Kerry and Cyril Chadwi ...

, which was "her big break." She was paired with Crawford again as a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1926. Her fame began to subside after sound films replaced silent pictures; she also had a problem with stage fright. Her pictures include ''

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 Alla Nazim ...

'', a 1931 pre-Code film directed by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

and screened 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 between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

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.

Stage

O'Neil appeared on Broadway in ''When We Are Married'' (1940).

Later years

By the late 1930s, her film career was over, but 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. At the 2010 census, its population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County and the principal city of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical ...

, aged 59, on June 18, 1968.

Partial filmography

* '' Don't'' (1925) * '' Sally, Irene and Mary'' (1925) * ''

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'' (1926) * ''

The Auction Block ''The Auction Block'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Hobart Henley. The film stars Charles Ray and Eleanor Boardman. It is written by Fanny and Frederic Hatton and is based on the novel of the same name by Rex Beach. The ...

'' (1926) * ''

Battling Butler ''Battling Butler'' is a 1926 American comedy silent film directed by and starring Buster Keaton. It is based on the 1923 musical '' Battling Buttler''. The film entered the public domain in 2022. Plot Alfred Butler is a scion of a wealthy ...

'' (1926) * ''

Slide, Kelly, Slide ''Slide, Kelly, Slide'' is a 1927 American comedy film, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Edward Sedgwick, and starring William Haines, Sally O'Neil, and Harry Carey. Cast * William Haines as Jim Kelly (fictionalized version of M ...

'' (1927) * ''

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

'' (1927) * '' Frisco Sally Levy'' (1927) * '' Becky'' (1927) * '' The Lovelorn'' (1927) * '' The Battle of the Sexes'' (1928) * ''

Mad Hour ''Mad Hour'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Joseph Boyle and starring Sally O'Neil, Alice White and Donald Reed. It was adapted from a 1914 novel by Elinor Glyn. Cast * Sally O'Neil as Cuddles * Alice White as Aimee * D ...

'' (1928) * ''

Bachelor's Paradise ''Bachelors' Paradise'' (german: Paradies der Junggesellen) is a 1939 German comedy film directed by Kurt Hoffmann and starring Heinz Rühmann, Josef Sieber, and Hans Brausewetter. It was based on a novel by Johannes Boldt. It was shot at the B ...

'' (1928) *'' The Floating College'' (1928) * ''

Girl on the Barge ''The Girl on the Barge'' is a 1929 American drama film directed by Edward Sloman and starring Jean Hersholt and Sally O'Neil. Released during the transition to talkies, the Universal Pictures production was essentially a silent film with some ta ...

'' (1929) * ''

Broadway Scandals ''Broadway Scandals'' is a 1929 American Pre-Code musical film. Cast * Sally O'Neil - Mary * Jack Egan - Ted Howard * Carmel Myers - Valeska * J. Barney Sherry - Le Claire * Charles C. Wilson - Jack Lane * Doris Dawson - Bobby * Wild Bill Ell ...

'' (1929) * ''

The Sophomore ''The Sophomore'' is a 1929 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Eddie Quillan, Sally O'Neil and Jeanette Loff.Munden p.747 Made during the early sound era, it was shot using the RCA Photophone sound system with a se ...

'' (1929) * ''

Jazz Heaven ''Jazz Heaven'' is a 1929 American pre-Code romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such ...

'' (1929) * '' A Real Girl'' (1929) * '' On with the Show'' (1929) * ''

The Show of Shows ''The Show of Shows'' is a 1929 American pre-Code musical revue film directed by John G. Adolfi and distributed by Warner Bros. The all-talking Vitaphone production cost $850,000 and was shot almost entirely in Technicolor. ''The Show o ...

'' (1929) * ''

Broadway Fever ''Broadway Fever'' is a 1929 American silent comedy film directed by Edward F. Cline and starring Sally O'Neil, Roland Drew and Corliss Palmer.Pitts p.408 It is now considered a lost film. Cast * Sally O'Neil as Sally McAllister * Roland Drew ...

'' (1929) * '' Girl of the Port'' (1930) * '' Hold Everything'' (1930) * '' Kathleen Mavourneen'' (1930) * ''

Murder by the Clock ''Murder by the Clock'' is a 1931 American pre-Code murder mystery film starring William "Stage" Boyd and Lilyan Tashman. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Rufus King and the play ''Dangerously Yours'' by Charles Beahan. Pl ...

'' (1931) * '' Salvation Nell'' (1931) * ''

'' (1931) * '' By Appointment Only'' (1933) * ''

The Moth The Moth is a non-profit group based in New York City dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. Founded in 1997, the organization presents a wide range of theme-based storytelling events across the United States and abroad, often featuring ...

'' (1934) * ''

Beggar's Holiday ''Beggar's Holiday'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by John La Touche and music by Duke Ellington. History and background The project originated with black scenic designer Perry Watkins, who envisioned a jazz-driven adaptation of John G ...

'' (1934) * ''

Convention Girl ''Convention Girl, also known as Atlantic City Romance,'' is a 1935 American comedy film starring Rose Hobart and featuring Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges. The film was directed by Luther Reed. Plot Cast *Rose Hobart as Cynthia "Babe" Lava ...

'' (1935) * ''

Too Tough to Kill ''Too Tough to Kill'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by D. Ross Lederman and starring Victor Jory. Cast * Victor Jory as John O'Hara * Sally O'Neil as Ann Miller * Johnny Arthur as Willie Dent * Robert Gleckler as Bill Anderson * Mon ...

'' (1935) * '' Kathleen Mavourneen'' (1937)

References

External links

* *
Sally O'Neil
at Virtual History * http://www.fanpix.net/gallery/sally-o-neil-pictures.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Oneil, Sally 1908 births 1968 deaths Actresses from New Jersey American silent film actresses American film actresses Deaths from pneumonia in Illinois Actors from Bayonne, New Jersey People from Galesburg, Illinois Vaudeville performers 20th-century American actresses WAMPAS Baby Stars