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Maureen O'Sullivan
Acting
Biography
Maureen Paula O'Sullivan was born in County Roscommon, Ireland, on May 17, 1911. The future mother of Mia Farrow was a schooldays classmate of Vivien Leigh at the Convent of the Sacred Heart at Roehampton in London. Even as a schoolgirl, Maureen desired an acting career; she studied hard and read widely. When the opportunity to be an actress came along, it almost dropped in her lap. The director Frank Borzage was in Dublin filming “Song o’ My Heart” (1930) when Maureen, then 18, met him. Borzage suggested a screen test, which she took. The results were more than favorable, as she won the part of Eileen O’Brien. The part was a substantial one, so much so that Maureen went on to Hollywood to c…
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Maureen Paula O'Sullivan was born in County Roscommon, Ireland, on May 17, 1911. The future mother of Mia Farrow was a schooldays classmate of Vivien Leigh at the Convent of the Sacred Heart at Roehampton in London. Even as a schoolgirl, Maureen desired an acting career; she studied hard and read widely. When the opportunity to be an actress came along, it almost dropped in her lap. The director Frank Borzage was in Dublin filming “Song o’ My Heart” (1930) when Maureen, then 18, met him. Borzage suggested a screen test, which she took. The results were more than favorable, as she won the part of Eileen O’Brien. The part was a substantial one, so much so that Maureen went on to Hollywood to complete the filming. Once in sunny California, Maureen wasted no time landing roles in other films such as “Just Imagine” (1930), “Princess and the Plumber” (1930), and “So This Is London” (1930). Maureen was on a roll that her contemporaries could only have wished for when they were coming up through the ranks. In 1932, Maureen was teamed up with Olympic medal winner Johnny Weissmuller for the first time in “Tarzan the Ape Man” (1932). Five other Tarzan films followed, the last being “Tarzan’s New York Adventure” (1942). The Tarzan epics rank as one of the most memorable series ever made. Most people agree that those movies would not have been successful had it not been for the fine acting talents, not to mention beauty, of Maureen O’Sullivan. But she was more than Jane Parker in the Tarzan films; she had great roles and played beautifully in films such as “The Flame Within” (1935), “David Copperfield” (1935), and “Anna Karenina” (1935). She turned in yet another fine performance in “Pride and Prejudice” (1940). After the 1940s, Maureen made far fewer films, not because she lost popularity but by choice. It isn’t always easy to walk away from a lucrative career, but she did because she wanted to devote more time to her husband, John Farrow, an Australian writer, and their seven children. The couple were married from 1936 until his death in 1963. She did not, however, retire completely; Maureen still found time to make an occasional appearance in films or TV or on the stage. Later movie-goers remember her as Elizabeth Alvorg in the hit film “Peggy Sue Got Married” (1986). Her final silver screen appearance was in “The River Pirates” (1988). Some TV movies followed, but only until 1996. She maintained homes in New Hampshire and Arizona, and it was in Scottsdale that Maureen died on June 23, 1998, of a heart attack. She was 87 years old.
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BODY OF WORK
Maureen O'Sullivan's Filmography
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Famous T&A 2
as Jane Porter (archive footage) (uncredited)
Tarzan Revisited
as Self (archive footage)
No Poster
Where Danger Lives: White Rose for Julie
No Poster
Checking Out: Grand Hotel
as Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women
as Self (archive footage)
In Search of Tarzan with Jonathan Ross
as Self
Jean Harlow: Platinum Bombshell
as Self
Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is
as Eleanor Biddlecomb
The Habitation of Dragons
as Helen Taylor
With Murder in Mind
as Aunt Mildred
Good Old Boy
as Aunt Sue
Stranded
as Grace Clark
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
as Self
Peggy Sue Got Married
as Elizabeth Alvorg
Hannah and Her Sisters
as Norma
Too Scared to Scream
as Marian Hardwick
Morning's at Seven
as Esther "Esty" Crampton
Mandy's Grandmother
as Grandmother
The Great Houdinis
as Lady Conan Doyle
That's Entertainment, Part II
as (archive footage)
It's Showtime
as Self (archive footage)
The Crooked Hearts
as Lillian Stanton
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
as Self (archive footage)
The Phynx
as Maureen O'Sullivan
Never Too Late
as Edith Lambert
Wild Heritage
as Emma Breslin
The Edge of Innocence
as Julia Williams
The Tall T
as Doretta Mims
The Blessed Midnight
as Sister Mary Benedict
The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story
as Mother
The Steel Cage
as Gladys Duffy
Duffy of San Quentin
as Gladys Duffy
Mission Over Korea
as Nancy Slocum
All I Desire
as Sara Harper
Bonzo Goes to College
as Marion Gateson Drew
Ellis in Freedomland
as The Dishwasher (voice)
No Resting Place
as Nan Kyle
Where Danger Lives
as Julie
No Poster
Screen Actors
as Self (uncredited)
The Big Clock
as Georgette Stroud
Tarzan's New York Adventure
as Jane
Tarzan's Secret Treasure
as Jane
Maisie Was a Lady
as Abby Rawlston
Pride and Prejudice
as Jane Bennet
Sporting Blood
as Linda Lockwood
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
as Self
Tarzan Finds a Son!
as Jane Parker
Let Us Live
as Mary Roberts
Spring Madness
as Alexandra Benson
The Crowd Roars
as Sheila 'Shelia' Carson
Port of Seven Seas
as Madelon
Hold That Kiss
as June Evans
A Yank at Oxford
as Molly Beaumont
My Dear Miss Aldrich
as Martha Aldrich
The Romance of Celluloid
as Self
Between Two Women
as Claire Donahue
The Emperor's Candlesticks
as Maria Orlich
A Day at the Races
as Judy Standish
Tarzan Escapes
as Jane
The Devil-Doll
as Lorraine Lavond
Hollywood - The Second Step
as Herself
The Voice of Bugle Ann
as Camden Terry
The Bishop Misbehaves
as Hester Grantham
Anna Karenina
as Kitty
Woman Wanted
as Ann
The Flame Within
as Linda Belton
Cardinal Richelieu
as Lenore
West Point of the Air
as 'Skip' Carter
David Copperfield
as Dora Spenlow
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
as Henrietta Barrett
Hide-Out
as Pauline Miller
The Thin Man
as Dorothy Wynant
Tarzan and His Mate
as Jane Parker
Screen Snapshots No. 11
as Herself
Stage Mother
as Shirley Lorraine
Tugboat Annie
as Patricia 'Pat' Severn
The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble
as Molly Kelly
Robbers' Roost
as Helen Herrick
Strange Interlude
as Madeline Arnold
Payment Deferred
as Winnie Marble
Okay, America!
as Sheila Barton
Skyscraper Souls
as Lynn Harding
Fast Companions
as Sally
The Silver Lining
as Joyce Moore
Tarzan the Ape Man
as Jane Parker
The Big Shot
as Doris Thompson
Skyline
as Katherine Kearny
A Connecticut Yankee
as Alisande / Woman in Mansion
The Princess and the Plumber
as Princess Louise
Just Imagine
as LN-18
So This Is London
as Elinor Worthing
Song o' My Heart
as Eileen