Maureen O'Sullivan
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.
Known for
What's My Line?
Self - Mystery Guest
Climax!
Lady Dominey
Climax!
Miriam
Ben Casey
Four Star Playhouse
Minna Baxter
Matinee Theater
The Big Clock
Georgette Stroud
Sporting Blood
Linda Lockwood
Okay, America!
Sheila Barton
Payment Deferred
Winnie Marble
West Point of the Air
'Skip' Carter
Stranded
Grace Clark
Woman Wanted
Ann
The Tall T
Doretta Mims
It's Showtime
Self (archive footage)
Tarzan and His Mate
Jane Parker
Tugboat Annie
Patricia 'Pat' Severn
Cardinal Richelieu
Lenore
Tarzan's Secret Treasure
Jane
The Emperor's Candlesticks
Maria Orlich
Lux Video Theatre
Agnes Fisher
Lux Video Theatre
Self - Intermission Guest
Lux Video Theatre
Intermission Guest
Lux Video Theatre
Mary
Lux Video Theatre
Stella
So This Is London
Elinor Worthing
Tarzan Escapes
Jane
Hannah and Her Sisters
Norma
The Blessed Midnight
Sister Mary Benedict
Cavalcade of America
Sister Mary Benedict
The Whistler
Jean Harlow: Platinum Bombshell
Self
The Steel Cage
Gladys Duffy
Skyline
Katherine Kearny
Anna Karenina
Kitty
Just Imagine
LN-18
Peggy Sue Got Married
Elizabeth Alvorg
Leg Work
Dorothy Richardson
Ellis in Freedomland
The Dishwasher (voice)
Song o' My Heart
Eileen
Let Us Live
Mary Roberts
Tarzan the Ape Man
Jane Parker
The Thin Man
Dorothy Wynant
The Great Houdinis
Lady Conan Doyle
A Day at the Races
Judy Standish
Screen Actors
Self (uncredited)
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Bennet
That's Entertainment, Part II
(archive footage)
A Yank at Oxford
Molly Beaumont
David Copperfield
Dora Spenlow
Famous T&A 2
Jane Porter (archive footage) (uncredited)
Tarzan's New York Adventure
Jane
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
Henrietta Barrett
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Self (archive footage)
Good Old Boy
Aunt Sue
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
Self
Tarzan Finds a Son!
Jane Parker
Mandy's Grandmother
Grandmother
Too Scared to Scream
Marian Hardwick
Skyscraper Souls
Lynn Harding
With Murder in Mind
Aunt Mildred
The Crowd Roars
Sheila 'Shelia' Carson
No Resting Place
Nan Kyle
All I Desire
Sara Harper
The Phynx
Maureen O'Sullivan
Never Too Late
Edith Lambert
A Connecticut Yankee
Alisande / Woman in Mansion
Hide-Out
Pauline Miller
Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is
Eleanor Biddlecomb
Where Danger Lives
Julie
Stage Mother
Shirley Lorraine
Complicated Women
Self (archive footage)
The Devil-Doll
Lorraine Lavond
The Crooked Hearts
Lillian Stanton
Hold That Kiss
June Evans
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Self
The Big Shot
Doris Thompson
In Search of Tarzan with Jonathan Ross
Self
Checking Out: Grand Hotel
Self (archive footage)
Strange Interlude
Madeline Arnold
Wild Heritage
Emma Breslin
Duffy of San Quentin
Gladys Duffy
The Bishop Misbehaves
Hester Grantham
Mission Over Korea
Nancy Slocum
Bonzo Goes to College
Marion Gateson Drew
The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble
Molly Kelly
Maisie Was a Lady
Abby Rawlston
The Flame Within
Linda Belton
Spring Madness
Alexandra Benson
The Voice of Bugle Ann
Camden Terry
Fast Companions
Sally
The Habitation of Dragons
Helen Taylor
The Romance of Celluloid
Self
Between Two Women
Claire Donahue
Port of Seven Seas
Madelon
Robbers' Roost
Helen Herrick
The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story
Mother
Tarzan Revisited
Self (archive footage)
The Edge of Innocence
Julia Williams
My Dear Miss Aldrich
Martha Aldrich
Screen Snapshots No. 11
Herself
The Princess and the Plumber
Princess Louise
The Silver Lining
Joyce Moore
Where Danger Lives: White Rose for Julie
Morning's at Seven
Esther "Esty" Crampton
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
Hollywood - The Second Step
Herself
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
The Merv Griffin Show
Self