On Friday, December 8, actor Ryan O’Neal, who became famous in the 70s, died in Los Angeles (California, USA) at the age of 82.
Ryan O’Neal born on April 20, 1941 in the family of a screenwriter and actress. He has Irish-Jewish roots and lived for some time in Germany as a child. In his youth, he traveled a lot and was a professional boxer. He began acting in films in the late 50s.
Recognition came to him in the early 60s, when he received a prominent role in the TV series Empire. Then there were roles in the television series “Peyton Place” and in the melodrama “Love Story”, which brought him enormous popularity and even an Oscar nomination.
The general public remembers Ryan O’Neal primarily for his comedic roles in the films “What’s Up, Doc?”, “The Thief Who Came to Dinner”, “The Main Event” (1979), “Green Ice” (1981), “Partners” (1982), “Paper Moon” (1973), “Merchants of Dreams” (1976).
The actor sought to diversify his role, starring in the UK in the historical drama “Barry Lyndon” (1975) and in the war epic “A Bridge Too Far” (1977), and returning to the USA, he played in the film “The Driver” (1978).
In the 1980s-1990s, O’Neal appeared on screen less often: in the melodrama Irreconcilable Differences (1984), the thriller Cool Kids Don’t Dance (1987), the romantic comedy There Are Chances (1989), the crime comedy Fidelity ” (1996).
Rayon’s first wife was actress Joanna Moore. Their marriage lasted only 4 years (1963-1967). In 1963, they had a daughter, Tatum O’Neal, now a famous actress. A year later, in 1964, Tatum had a brother, Griffin. In 1967, Ryan O’Neal and Joanna Cook Moore divorced. Immediately after the divorce, in the same year, Ryan married actress Leigh Taylor-Young. In this marriage, he had a son, Patrick, and later another son, Redmond, from an extramarital affair with actress Farrah Fawcett. The marriage to Lee Taylor-Young lasted six years, until 1973. After this marriage, Ryan O’Neal had numerous affairs.
In April 2012, O’Neal announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Died on December 8, 2023.
