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Tatum O'NealActress
Date of Birth: 05.11.1963
Country:  USA |
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Biography of Tatum O'Neal
Early LifeTatum Beatrice O'Neal was born on November 5, 1963, in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was born into a cinematic family, with her father Ryan O'Neal being an actor and her mother Joanna Cook Moore being an actress. Tatum has a younger brother, Griffin, born in 1964. Her parents divorced in 1967, and her father remarried actress Leigh Taylor-Young, with whom he had another son named Patrick. Tatum also has another half-brother, Redmond, from her father's relationship with actress Farrah Fawcett. Tatum's mother passed away in 1997 at the age of 63 from lung cancer, having achieved prominence in the film industry with her role in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie".
Rise to Fame
In her autobiography, "A Paper Life," Tatum O'Neal claims that one of her father's friends harassed her. She stated that her father treated her cruelly, including both physical and emotional abuse, which she attributed to his wife's drug addiction. In the book, Tatum describes her mother's heroin addiction and the strained relationship it created with her children. In 1974, at the age of 10, Tatum became the youngest person to win an Academy Award. As of 2008, she still holds this record. She won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Addie Loggins in Peter Bogdanovich's comedy film "Paper Moon." In the film, she portrayed a young con artist who smoked cigarettes and was taught by her real-life father, Ryan O'Neal, who played the unsuccessful con artist.
Acting Career
Aside from "Paper Moon," Tatum O'Neal appeared in other notable films such as "The Bad News Bears" and "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training," "International Velvet," and "Little Darlings." She also played the lead role in an episode of the children's television series "Faerie Tale Theatre," where real children were cast, in the episode "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."
Later Career
Tatum's acting career was put on hold when she married professional tennis player John McEnroe. However, in 2005, she returned to acting and portrayed Maggie Gavin in the drama series "Rescue Me," playing the unbalanced and energetic sister of Tommy Gavin, portrayed by Denis Leary. Tatum also participated in the reality show "Dancing with the Stars" in 2006 and appeared on the entertainment news show "Entertainment Tonight." From 2006 to early 2007, she starred in the prime-time drama series "Wicked Wicked Games," playing the vengeful and psychotic character Hunter. She also appeared in various other television shows such as "CBS Schoolbreak Special," "Sex and the City," "8 Simple Rules," and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." Tatum has also appeared in several films, including "The Scoundrel's Wife," "Technical Writer," "Prisoners," "Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal," and "Saving Grace."
Personal Life
Tatum describes her upbringing as chaotic. Her mother struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and constantly neglected Tatum and her brother Griffin, while her father often did not live with them and would have outbursts of anger and rage towards them, possibly due to his own personal issues and problems with his wife. After her parents' divorce, Tatum came under her father's custody, and she began to experience the lifestyle of a celebrity bachelor, which started to change her character.
In her autobiography, Tatum wrote that when she was 14 years old, her father took her on a trip to Europe with his girlfriend, Melanie Griffith, where she witnessed her father and Melanie having sex in their hotel room. Tatum claims that during her father's absence on a film shoot, she and Melanie smoked opium together, and then Melanie invited a hairdresser and his friends to their hotel room. The four of them engaged in an orgy, including Melanie, who invited Tatum to join them.
Tatum also mentioned in her biography that she lived with Michael Jackson for a period of time. The pop icon later revealed to the press that Tatum was his first love. Their relationship lasted until 1979 when his manager reportedly told her it was not acceptable for her to date a black man.
In 1986, Tatum married superstar John McEnroe. None of her family members attended the wedding ceremony. The couple has three children: Kevin, Sean, and Emily. McEnroe and O'Neal ended their relationship in 1992 and officially divorced in 1994. Following the divorce, Tatum's drug problems resurfaced, and she became addicted to heroin again. As a result, custody of the children was awarded to McEnroe in 1998.
On June 1, 2008, Tatum was arrested for allegedly buying cocaine at her Manhattan home. During a police search, two bags were found containing crack cocaine and a new cocaine pipe.
On July 2, 2008, O'Neal pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct during her arrest and agreed to participate in a drug treatment program. If she successfully completed the program and paid the fines by September 4, 2008, all charges against her would be dropped.
