Tatum Beatrice O'Neal (born November 5, 1963) is an American actress. At the age of 10, she became the
youngest person ever to win a competitive
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
, for her performance as Addie Loggins in ''
Paper Moon'' co-starring her father,
Ryan O'Neal. She later starred in the films ''
The Bad News Bears'', ''
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
'', and ''
Little Darlings'', and appeared in guest roles in the television series ''
Sex and the City
''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO, based on Sex and the City (newspaper column), the newspaper column and 1996 book by Candace Bushnell. It premiered in th ...
'', ''
8 Simple Rules'', and ''
Law & Order: Criminal Intent''.
Family background
O'Neal was born in the
Westwood area of Los Angeles, California,
to actors
Ryan O'Neal and
Joanna Moore. Her brother,
Griffin, was born in 1964. In 1967, her parents divorced
and her father quickly married actress
Leigh Taylor-Young, together having Tatum's half-brother,
Patrick. The two divorced in 1973. Tatum has another half-brother, Redmond, from Ryan O'Neal's relationship with actress
Farrah Fawcett. O'Neal's mother died of lung cancer at age 63, after a career in which she appeared in such movies as ''
Walk on the Wild Side'' and ''
Follow That Dream''. Her paternal ancestry is Irish, English, and
Ashkenazi Jewish.
[Profile]
familysearch.org; accessed June 22, 2014.
Career
Young career
On April 2, 1974, at age ten, Tatum O'Neal won the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...
and the
Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress for her performance in ''
Paper Moon,'' released in May 1973.
The youngest ever to win a competitive Academy Award,
she turned nine years old during filming in autumn 1972.
O'Neal played the role of Addie Loggins, a child con artist being tutored by a
Depression-era
grifter played by her father. In her 2010 appearance on ''
RuPaul's Drag Race
''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...
'', O'Neal stated that her father had not attended the Academy Awards ceremony with her due to his busy schedule.
O'Neal starred in films such as ''
The Bad News Bears'' (1976) with
Walter Matthau, ''
International Velvet'' (1978) with
Christopher Plummer and
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...
, and ''
Little Darlings'' (1980) with
Kristy McNichol, and co-starred in ''
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
'' (1976) with her father and in ''
Circle of Two'' (1980) with
Richard Burton.
She was cast in ''
Split Image'' but had to be let go during filming because she was too young (seventeen) for night schools and was replaced by
Karen Allen. She appeared as the title character in the ''
Faerie Tale Theatre'' episode "
Goldilocks and the Three Bears" (1984).
Later career
O'Neal appeared in only five films during the next 15 years, one of them being ''
Basquiat'' (1996) as Cynthia Kruger.
In the early 2000s, O'Neal returned to acting with guest appearances in ''
Sex and the City
''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO, based on Sex and the City (newspaper column), the newspaper column and 1996 book by Candace Bushnell. It premiered in th ...
'', ''
8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter'', and ''
Law & Order: Criminal Intent''. In 2005, O'Neal began a recurring role as Maggie Gavin in the firehouse drama series ''
Rescue Me'', portraying the unbalanced and lively sister of
Tommy Gavin, played by
Denis Leary.
In January 2006, she participated in the second season of
ABC's reality series ''
Dancing with the Stars'' with professional partner
Nick Kosovich. They were eliminated in the second round. She went on to do commentary for the series on ''
Entertainment Tonight
''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...
''.
From 2006 to 2007, she portrayed the vindictive and psychotic Blythe Hunter in the
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV (stylized as mynetworkTV; unofficially abbreviated MNT or MNTV) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its Fox Television Stations ...
drama ''
Wicked Wicked Games''. She appears opposite
Nashawn Kearse and
Vanessa Williams in the film ''My Brother'' (2007).
In 2008, she appeared in the
Lifetime original film ''
Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal''. The film is based on a true story which took place at
McKinney North High School in Texas. She portrayed the mother of the
main character
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...
, Brooke Tippit, and became close friends with the character's actress,
Ashley Benson, whom she mentored in acting.
In 2021, O'Neal appeared in the film ''
Not to Forget'', which aimed to raise awareness and funds for the fight against
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
. The movie, directed by Valerio Zanoli, stars
Karen Grassle and five Academy Award winners: O'Neal,
Cloris Leachman,
Louis Gossett Jr.,
George Chakiris, and
Olympia Dukakis.
Personal life
Family and romantic relationships
One of O'Neal's first reported relationships was with singer
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
in the late 1970s. In a
2002 interview with
Martin Bashir, Jackson said that O'Neal tried to seduce him, but he was terrified by the idea of sex. O'Neal adamantly denied all of Jackson's claims in her 2004 autobiography and stated that her relationship with Jackson was
platonic.
O'Neal's relationship with tennis player
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ...
began in 1984 when she moved into his
Central Park West apartment in New York City. They married in 1986.
The couple have three children: Kevin, Sean and Emily.
They separated in 1992 and were divorced in 1994.
Following the divorce, O'Neal's drug problems reemerged and she developed an addiction to heroin. As a result, McEnroe obtained custody of the children in 1998.
In 2011, Tatum and her father began to restore their relationship after 25 years. Their reunion and reconciliation process was captured in the short-lived
Oprah Winfrey Network
The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN, also known as the OWN Network) is an American multinational basic cable television network which launched on January 1, 2011, effectively replacing the Discovery Health Channel, which one month later merged with ...
series ''
Ryan and Tatum: The O'Neals''. In 2015, she said she had begun dating women, while choosing not to identify herself as homosexual, bisexual or heterosexual, saying, "I'm not one or the other."
Arrest
On June 1, 2008, O'Neal was arrested for buying
crack cocaine near her Manhattan apartment building.
When police searched her, they allegedly found two bags of drugs—one of crack cocaine, one of powder cocaine—and an unused crack pipe.
She was charged with a
misdemeanor criminal possession of a controlled substance. Authorities released her without bail.
On July 2, 2008, O'Neal pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in connection with the arrest and agreed to spend two half-day sessions in a drug treatment program.
Stroke
In May 2020, O’Neal suffered a massive stroke caused by a prescription drug overdose. She was discovered unconscious by a friend, and the stroke left her in a coma for a month and a half. When she reawakened, she could not remember how to speak. She has since struggled to relearn everything.
Autobiographies
In her 2004 autobiography, ''A Paper Life'', O'Neal alleged that she was
molested by her father's drug dealer when she was 12. She also alleges physical and
emotional abuse by her father, much of which she attributed to drug use. She also detailed her heroin addiction and its effects on her relationship with her children. Her father denied the allegations.
In a prepared statement, Ryan O'Neal said: "It is a sad day when malicious lies are told in order to become a 'bestseller.
In 2011, O'Neal wrote a new collection of memoirs, ''Found: A Daughter's Journey Home'', which dealt with her tempestuous relationship with her father, volatile marriage to McEnroe, and recent drug arrest.
Published works
''A Paper Life'' .
''Found: A Daughter's Journey Home''
Filmography
Film
Television
See also
*
List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees
This is a list of oldest and youngest Academy Awards, Academy Award winners and nominees in the award categories.
This list is based on "statistics valid through the nomination announcement for the 88th Academy Awards, announced on January 14, 2 ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneal, Tatum
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Los Angeles
American child actresses
American film actresses
American people of English descent
American people of Irish descent
American people of Jewish descent
American television actresses
Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners
Living people
American LGBTQ actresses
LGBTQ memoirists
LGBTQ people from California
New Star of the Year (Actress) Golden Globe winners
David di Donatello winners
American women memoirists
American memoirists
1963 births
Participants in American reality television series