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. B

orzage 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.

Born

May 17, 1911

Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland

Died

Jun 23, 1998

Known For

Acting

Movies

92 acting

0 crew

Popularity

1.0

movie

Known For

Tarzan the Ape Man

1932 • as Jane Parker

★ 6.6

Peggy Sue Got Married

1986 • as Elizabeth Alvorg

★ 6.1

Hannah and Her Sisters

1986 • as Norma

★ 7.5

The Thin Man

1934 • as Dorothy Wynant

★ 7.5

Pride and Prejudice

1940 • as Jane Bennet

★ 6.9

Tarzan and His Mate

1934 • as Jane Parker

★ 6.6

David Copperfield

1935 • as Dora Spenlow

★ 6.7

Tarzan's New York Adventure

1942 • as Jane

★ 6.4

That's Entertainment, Part II

1976 • as (archive footage)

★ 7.0

A Day at the Races

1937 • as Judy Standish

★ 7.1

Tarzan Escapes

1936 • as Jane

★ 6.9

Tarzan Finds a Son!

1939 • as Jane Parker

★ 6.1

Tarzan's Secret Treasure

1941 • as Jane

★ 5.9

Too Scared to Scream

1984 • as Marian Hardwick

★ 5.2

The Tall T

1957 • as Doretta Mims

★ 7.0

Anna Karenina

1935 • as Kitty

★ 6.6

A Yank at Oxford

1938 • as Molly Beaumont

★ 6.8

The Barretts of Wimpole Street

1934 • as Henrietta Barrett

★ 6.2

Just Imagine

1930 • as LN-18

★ 5.8

Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood

1987 • as Self

★ 6.0

The Emperor's Candlesticks

1937 • as Maria Orlich

★ 5.0

Famous T&A 2

2022 • as Jane Porter (archive footage) (uncredited)

★ 6.0

The Big Clock

1948 • as Georgette Stroud

★ 7.3

With Murder in Mind

1992 • as Aunt Mildred

★ 6.2

Hollywood: The Dream Factory

1972 • as Self (archive footage)

★ 7.4

Hollywood: Style Center of the World

1940 • as Self

★ 5.8

Where Danger Lives

1950 • as Julie

★ 6.4

The Phynx

1970 • as Maureen O'Sullivan

★ 3.6

The Devil-Doll

1936 • as Lorraine Lavond

★ 6.8

The Crooked Hearts

1972 • as Lillian Stanton

★ 7.6

All I Desire

1953 • as Sara Harper

★ 7.0

So This Is London

1930 • as Elinor Worthing

★ 7.0

Duffy of San Quentin

1954 • as Gladys Duffy

★ 6.2

Let Us Live

1939 • as Mary Roberts

★ 6.8

The Romance of Celluloid

1937 • as Self

★ 7.0

Complicated Women

2003 • as Self (archive footage)

★ 6.9

West Point of the Air

1935 • as 'Skip' Carter

★ 7.0

Sporting Blood

1940 • as Linda Lockwood

★ 4.2

Maisie Was a Lady

1941 • as Abby Rawlston

★ 7.0

Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is

1994 • as Eleanor Biddlecomb

★ 6.6

It's Showtime

1976 • as Self (archive footage)

★ 7.5

My Dear Miss Aldrich

1937 • as Martha Aldrich

★ 6.2

The Crowd Roars

1938 • as Sheila 'Shelia' Carson

★ 7.0

Stage Mother

1933 • as Shirley Lorraine

★ 6.3

The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble

1933 • as Molly Kelly

★ 10.0

Wild Heritage

1958 • as Emma Breslin

★ 6.0

The Voice of Bugle Ann

1936 • as Camden Terry

★ 5.5

Stranded

1987 • as Grace Clark

★ 5.3

The Steel Cage

1954 • as Gladys Duffy

★ 7.0

Screen Snapshots No. 11

1934 • as Herself

Jean Harlow: Platinum Bombshell

1996 • as Self

Woman Wanted

1935 • as Ann

★ 6.8

Hold That Kiss

1938 • as June Evans

★ 7.0

Port of Seven Seas

1938 • as Madelon

★ 10.0

Never Too Late

1965 • as Edith Lambert

★ 5.3

Song o' My Heart

1930 • as Eileen

★ 4.8

Cardinal Richelieu

1935 • as Lenore

★ 7.3

movie

Checking Out: Grand Hotel

2004 • as Self (archive footage)

★ 7.0

The Great Houdinis

1976 • as Lady Conan Doyle

★ 6.4

Bonzo Goes to College

1952 • as Marion Gateson Drew

★ 6.0

The Silver Lining

1932 • as Joyce Moore

★ 7.0

Skyline

1931 • as Katherine Kearny

★ 8.0

Good Old Boy

1988 • as Aunt Sue

★ 7.0

Okay, America!

1932 • as Sheila Barton

★ 5.8

Hollywood - The Second Step

1936 • as Herself

★ 8.7

The Edge of Innocence

1957 • as Julia Williams

Spring Madness

1938 • as Alexandra Benson

★ 4.9

A Connecticut Yankee

1931 • as Alisande / Woman in Mansion

★ 6.1

Skyscraper Souls

1932 • as Lynn Harding

★ 5.5

Tugboat Annie

1933 • as Patricia 'Pat' Severn

★ 7.3

Tarzan Revisited

2017 • as Self (archive footage)

★ 6.5

The Habitation of Dragons

1992 • as Helen Taylor

★ 6.0

movie

Where Danger Lives: White Rose for Julie

2007

Payment Deferred

1932 • as Winnie Marble

★ 5.7

Ellis in Freedomland

1952 • as The Dishwasher (voice)

The Princess and the Plumber

1930 • as Princess Louise

★ 10.0

Hide-Out

1934 • as Pauline Miller

★ 7.2

Mission Over Korea

1953 • as Nancy Slocum

★ 6.0

The Flame Within

1935 • as Linda Belton

★ 5.0

The Blessed Midnight

1956 • as Sister Mary Benedict

★ 5.0

Between Two Women

1937 • as Claire Donahue

★ 6.0

Strange Interlude

1932 • as Madeline Arnold

★ 5.6

The Bishop Misbehaves

1935 • as Hester Grantham

★ 6.0

Robbers' Roost

1932 • as Helen Herrick

★ 6.0

Fast Companions

1932 • as Sally

★ 7.5

movie

Screen Actors

1950 • as Self (uncredited)

★ 6.2

Mandy's Grandmother

1978 • as Grandmother

★ 4.4

The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story

1955 • as Mother

★ 3.5

Morning's at Seven

1982 • as Esther "Esty" Crampton

★ 9.0

No Resting Place

1951 • as Nan Kyle

★ 6.3

The Big Shot

1931 • as Doris Thompson

★ 10.0

In Search of Tarzan with Jonathan Ross

1998 • as Self

Maureen O'Sullivan

Known For

Tarzan the Ape Man

Peggy Sue Got Married

Hannah and Her Sisters

The Thin Man

Pride and Prejudice

Tarzan and His Mate

Tarzan's New York Adventure

A Day at the Races

Tarzan Escapes

Tarzan Finds a Son!

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