
Maureen O'Sullivan
Biography
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.
Acting (88 movies)

Peggy Sue Got Married
1986

The Thin Man
1934

Where Danger Lives
1950

Hannah and Her Sisters
1986

The Crooked Hearts
1972

A Day at the Races
1937

Tarzan the Ape Man
1932

Tarzan Finds a Son!
1939

Tarzan's New York Adventure
1942

Tarzan's Secret Treasure
1941

Payment Deferred
1932

The Devil-Doll
1936

The Tall T
1957

Pride and Prejudice
1940

The Barretts of Wimpole Street
1934

David Copperfield
1935

The Phynx
1970

All I Desire
1953

Hide-Out
1934

Tarzan Escapes
1936

Let Us Live
1939

Tarzan and His Mate
1934

The Big Clock
1948

Okay, America!
1932

Anna Karenina
1935

The Emperor's Candlesticks
1937

Just Imagine
1930

Skyscraper Souls
1932

Too Scared to Scream
1984

Tugboat Annie
1933

Stranded
1987

Bonzo Goes to College
1952

Hollywood: The Dream Factory
1972

West Point of the Air
1935

A Connecticut Yankee
1931

Good Old Boy
1988

The Steel Cage
1954

A Yank at Oxford
1938

Maisie Was a Lady
1941

Strange Interlude
1932

Port of Seven Seas
1938

My Dear Miss Aldrich
1937

The Voice of Bugle Ann
1936

Song o' My Heart
1930

Duffy of San Quentin
1954

Stage Mother
1933

Never Too Late
1965

The Big Shot
1931

Between Two Women
1937

Mandy's Grandmother
1978

Wild Heritage
1958

Hold That Kiss
1938

Woman Wanted
1935

Spring Madness
1938

Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is
1994

The Flame Within
1935

The Crowd Roars
1938

Cardinal Richelieu
1935

The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story
1955

Sporting Blood
1940

In Search of Tarzan with Jonathan Ross
1998

Mission Over Korea
1953

The Bishop Misbehaves
1935

The Romance of Celluloid
1937

Hollywood - The Second Step
1936

Tarzan Revisited
2017

Skyline
1931

Hollywood: Style Center of the World
1940

Robbers' Roost
1932

Fast Companions
1932

Complicated Women
2003

That's Entertainment, Part II
1976

The Silver Lining
1932

The Edge of Innocence
1957

So This Is London
1930

The Princess and the Plumber
1930

It's Showtime
1976

Ellis in Freedomland
1952

With Murder in Mind
1992

Screen Snapshots No. 11
1934

The Habitation of Dragons
1992

The Great Houdinis
1976

Morning's at Seven
1982

The Blessed Midnight
1956

No Resting Place
1951

The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble
1933

Jean Harlow: Platinum Bombshell
1996

Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
1987
| Title | Year | Job | 
|---|