Tatum Beatrice O'Neal (born November 5, 1963 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress, and the daughter of actor Ryan O'Neal and actress Joanna Moore.

Brief biography

Tatum Beatrice O'Neal was born in 1963 into the motion picture family of actor Ryan O'Neal and actress Joanna Moore . Her mother died in 1997 of lung cancer after a successful career in which she had appeard in such movies as Touch of Evil. Her father Ryan who is struggling with a form of leukemia, recently reunited with Farrah Fawcett after many years of separation.

Troubled childhood

In her autobiography called A Paper Life, Tatum O'Neal alleged that she had been the victim of child molestation by her father.

Academy Award as a child

In 1974, Tatum O'Neal became the youngest person ever to receive the Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Paper Moon. This controversial 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 movie roles

Other movies starring Tatum O'Neal include The Bad News Bears, Nickelodeon (both 1976), International Velvet (1978), and Little Darlings (1980).

Marriage

Tatum O'Neal wed tennis superstar John McEnroe with whom she had three children: Kevin, Sean, and Emily. Following the failure of her marriage she took up residence in New York City.

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)

Reference

Tatum O'Neal autobiography: A Paper Life - ISBN 0060540974.

External links