
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.

Hollywood - The Second Step

The Crooked Hearts

The Thin Man

ハンナとその姉妹

Cardinal Richelieu

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Big Clock

Tugboat Annie

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

マルクス一番乗り

反撃の銃弾

The Romance of Celluloid

So This Is London

It's Showtime

What's My Line?

That's Entertainment, Part II

Pride and Prejudice

All I Desire

Hide-Out

Let Us Live

Maisie Was a Lady

悪魔の人形

A Yank at Oxford

Complicated Women

Tarzan the Ape Man

The Personal History, Adventures, Experience, & Observation of David Copperfield the Younger

Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is

Tarzan and His Mate

Hold That Kiss

The Crowd Roars

Tarzan, aux sources du mythe

アンナ・カレニナ

Where Danger Lives

Tarzan's New York Adventure

Tarzan Escapes

Woman Wanted

The Merv Griffin Show

ペギー・スーの結婚

Tarzan Finds a Son!

My Dear Miss Aldrich

The Barretts of Wimpole Street

Hollywood: The Dream Factory

West Point of the Air

A Connecticut Yankee

The River Pirates

Duffy of San Quentin

Fast Companions

With Murder in Mind

The Habitation of Dragons

Famous T&A 2

The Great Houdinis

Tarzan's Secret Treasure

Just Imagine

Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood

Payment Deferred

Ben Casey

Between Two Women

Hollywood: Style Center of the World

Robbers' Roost

The Mike Douglas Show

Strange Interlude

Okay, America!

Skyscraper Souls

Stranded

Too Scared to Scream

Bonzo Goes to College

The Voice of Bugle Ann

Stage Mother

Never Too Late

The Blessed Midnight

No Resting Place

Matinee Theater

Leg Work

The Emperor's Candlesticks

Wild Heritage

The Flame Within

Song o' My Heart

Mandy's Grandmother

The Bishop Misbehaves

Spring Madness

Sporting Blood

Cavalcade of America

Climax!

The Phynx

Mission Over Korea

The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story

The Steel Cage

Port of Seven Seas

The Big Shot

In Search of Tarzan with Jonathan Ross

Skyline

The Silver Lining

The Edge of Innocence

The Princess and the Plumber

Ellis in Freedomland

Screen Snapshots No. 11

Morning's at Seven

The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble

Jean Harlow: Platinum Bombshell