Last Friday, actor Ryan O’Neal died at the age of 83. As the son of a screenwriter and an actress, he was born into show business. Before becoming an actor, he trained to become a professional boxer, competing in 2 Golden Gloves championships in 1956 and 1957. In the late 50s, O’Neal’s father wrote for a TV series, Citizen Soldier, and moved his family to Munich, Germany. While there, Ryan struggled in school, so his mother got him a job as a stand-in on a show being filmed in the area called Tales of the Vikings. He was an extra and a stuntman on the show, which inspired his interest in acting.
He eventually returned to the U.S. to see if he could make it in Hollywood. Starting in 1964, he played Rodney Harrington on the ABC nighttime soap opera Peyton Place. It was a huge hit and made O’Neal a star. He later found success in movies, most notably in Love Story in 1970, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. He also starred in the 1973 hit movie Paper Moon with his daughter, Tatum. For her role, she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the age of 10. His other movies from this time period include Barry Lyndon, A Bridge Too Far, and The Driver. His career cooled off in the 80s, with parts in TV movies and supporting roles. His most recent appearance was on Bones in seasons 2 through 12, with his final episode airing in 2017.
He was twice-divorced, first marrying actress Joanna Moore in 1963. They had 2 children, Tatum and Griffin before separating in 1966. His second marriage was to his Peyton Place co-star Leigh Taylor-Young, with whom he had a son, Patrick. He also had a son, Redmond, with his longtime love, Farrah Fawcett. They were together for more than 30 years, until her death in 2009.
O’Neal was diagnosed with chronic leukemia in 2001 and with prostate cancer in 2012. He died at a hospital in Santa Monica on December 8, at the age of 82. No cause of death was given. Learn more here.