Maureen O'Sullivan
Actor
Born May 17, 1911 in Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland
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.
Filmography
Famous T&A 2
Jane Porter (archive footage) (uncredited)
Tarzan Revisited
Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women
Self (archive footage)
In Search of Tarzan with Jonathan Ross
Self
Jean Harlow: Platinum Bombshell
Self
Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is
Eleanor Biddlecomb
The Habitation of Dragons
Helen Taylor
With Murder in Mind
Aunt Mildred
Good Old Boy
Aunt Sue
Stranded
Grace Clark
Leg Work
Dorothy Richardson
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
Self
Peggy Sue Got Married
Elizabeth Alvorg
Hannah and Her Sisters
Norma
Too Scared to Scream
Marian Hardwick
Morning's at Seven
Esther "Esty" Crampton
Mandy's Grandmother
Grandmother
The Great Houdinis
Lady Conan Doyle
That's Entertainment, Part II
(archive footage)
It's Showtime
Self (archive footage)
The Crooked Hearts
Lillian Stanton
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Self (archive footage)
The Phynx
Maureen O'Sullivan
Never Too Late
Edith Lambert
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
The Merv Griffin Show
Self
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
Ben Casey
Wild Heritage
Emma Breslin
The Edge of Innocence
Julia Williams
The Tall T
Doretta Mims
The Blessed Midnight
Sister Mary Benedict
Matinee Theater
The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story
Mother
The Steel Cage
Gladys Duffy
Climax!
Lady Dominey
The Whistler
Duffy of San Quentin
Gladys Duffy
Mission Over Korea
Nancy Slocum
All I Desire
Sara Harper
Cavalcade of America
Sister Mary Benedict
Four Star Playhouse
Minna Baxter
Bonzo Goes to College
Marion Gateson Drew
Ellis in Freedomland
The Dishwasher (voice)
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
No Resting Place
Nan Kyle
Where Danger Lives
Julie
What's My Line?
Self - Mystery Guest
The Big Clock
Georgette Stroud
Tarzan's New York Adventure
Jane
Tarzan's Secret Treasure
Jane
Maisie Was a Lady
Abby Rawlston
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Bennet
Sporting Blood
Linda Lockwood
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Self
Tarzan Finds a Son!
Jane Parker
Let Us Live
Mary Roberts
Spring Madness
Alexandra Benson
The Crowd Roars
Sheila 'Shelia' Carson
Port of Seven Seas
Madelon
Hold That Kiss
June Evans
A Yank at Oxford
Molly Beaumont
My Dear Miss Aldrich
Martha Aldrich
The Romance of Celluloid
Self
Between Two Women
Claire Donahue
The Emperor's Candlesticks
Maria Orlich
A Day at the Races
Judy Standish
Tarzan Escapes
Jane
The Devil-Doll
Lorraine Lavond
Hollywood - The Second Step
Herself
The Voice of Bugle Ann
Camden Terry
The Bishop Misbehaves
Hester Grantham
Anna Karenina
Kitty
Woman Wanted
Ann
The Flame Within
Linda Belton
Cardinal Richelieu
Lenore
West Point of the Air
'Skip' Carter
David Copperfield
Dora Spenlow
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
Henrietta Barrett
Hide-Out
Pauline Miller
The Thin Man
Dorothy Wynant
Tarzan and His Mate
Jane Parker
Screen Snapshots No. 11
Herself
Stage Mother
Shirley Lorraine
Tugboat Annie
Patricia 'Pat' Severn
The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble
Molly Kelly
Strange Interlude
Madeline Arnold
Robbers' Roost
Helen Herrick
Payment Deferred
Winnie Marble
Okay, America!
Sheila Barton
Skyscraper Souls
Lynn Harding
Fast Companions
Sally
The Silver Lining
Joyce Moore
Tarzan the Ape Man
Jane Parker
The Big Shot
Doris Thompson
Skyline
Katherine Kearny
A Connecticut Yankee
Alisande / Woman in Mansion
The Princess and the Plumber
Princess Louise
Just Imagine
LN-18
So This Is London
Elinor Worthing
Song o' My Heart
Eileen