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.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0001577
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q230084
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Filmography (Movies)
Famous T&A 2
Character:Jane Porter (archive footage) (uncredited)
Release Date:25/02/2022
Tarzan Revisited
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:28/04/2017
Where Danger Lives: White Rose for Julie
Character:
Release Date:31/07/2007
Checking Out: Grand Hotel
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:03/02/2004
Complicated Women
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:06/05/2003
In Search of Tarzan with Jonathan Ross
Character:Self
Release Date:22/12/1998
Jean Harlow: Platinum Bombshell
Character:Self
Release Date:20/05/1996
Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is
Character:Eleanor Biddlecomb
Release Date:18/02/1994
The Habitation of Dragons
Character:Helen Taylor
Release Date:08/09/1992
With Murder in Mind
Character:Aunt Mildred
Release Date:12/05/1992
Good Old Boy
Character:Aunt Sue
Release Date:11/11/1988
Stranded
Character:Grace Clark
Release Date:20/11/1987
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
Character:Self
Release Date:18/05/1987
Peggy Sue Got Married
Character:Elizabeth Alvorg
Release Date:10/10/1986
Hannah and Her Sisters
Character:Norma
Release Date:07/02/1986
Too Scared to Scream
Character:Marian Hardwick
Release Date:28/09/1984
Morning's at Seven
Character:Esther "Esty" Crampton
Release Date:01/01/1982
Mandy's Grandmother
Character:Grandmother
Release Date:01/01/1978
The Great Houdinis
Character:Lady Conan Doyle
Release Date:08/10/1976
That's Entertainment, Part II
Character:(archive footage)
Release Date:16/05/1976
It's Showtime
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:31/03/1976
The Crooked Hearts
Character:Lillian Stanton
Release Date:08/11/1972
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:10/01/1972
The Phynx
Character:Maureen O'Sullivan
Release Date:06/03/1970
Never Too Late
Character:Edith Lambert
Release Date:04/11/1965
Wild Heritage
Character:Emma Breslin
Release Date:23/07/1958
The Edge of Innocence
Character:Julia Williams
Release Date:31/10/1957
The Tall T
Character:Doretta Mims
Release Date:02/04/1957
The Blessed Midnight
Character:Sister Mary Benedict
Release Date:18/12/1956
The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story
Character:Mother
Release Date:01/01/1955
The Steel Cage
Character:Gladys Duffy
Release Date:01/12/1954
Duffy of San Quentin
Character:Gladys Duffy
Release Date:16/03/1954
Mission Over Korea
Character:Nancy Slocum
Release Date:01/08/1953
All I Desire
Character:Sara Harper
Release Date:03/07/1953
Bonzo Goes to College
Character:Marion Gateson Drew
Release Date:11/09/1952
Ellis in Freedomland
Character:The Dishwasher (voice)
Release Date:15/06/1952
No Resting Place
Character:Nan Kyle
Release Date:12/01/1951
Where Danger Lives
Character:Julie
Release Date:16/11/1950
Screen Actors
Character:Self (uncredited)
Release Date:13/05/1950
The Big Clock
Character:Georgette Stroud
Release Date:18/03/1948
Tarzan's New York Adventure
Character:Jane
Release Date:01/05/1942
Tarzan's Secret Treasure
Character:Jane
Release Date:01/12/1941
Maisie Was a Lady
Character:Abby Rawlston
Release Date:10/01/1941
Pride and Prejudice
Character:Jane Bennet
Release Date:26/07/1940
Sporting Blood
Character:Linda Lockwood
Release Date:11/07/1940
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Character:Self
Release Date:29/05/1940
Tarzan Finds a Son!
Character:Jane Parker
Release Date:16/06/1939
Let Us Live
Character:Mary Roberts
Release Date:29/03/1939
Spring Madness
Character:Alexandra Benson
Release Date:11/11/1938
The Crowd Roars
Character:Sheila 'Shelia' Carson
Release Date:06/08/1938
Port of Seven Seas
Character:Madelon
Release Date:01/07/1938
Hold That Kiss
Character:June Evans
Release Date:13/05/1938
A Yank at Oxford
Character:Molly Beaumont
Release Date:18/02/1938
My Dear Miss Aldrich
Character:Martha Aldrich
Release Date:17/09/1937
The Romance of Celluloid
Character:Self
Release Date:27/08/1937
Between Two Women
Character:Claire Donahue
Release Date:09/07/1937
The Emperor's Candlesticks
Character:Maria Orlich
Release Date:02/07/1937
A Day at the Races
Character:Judy Standish
Release Date:11/06/1937
Tarzan Escapes
Character:Jane
Release Date:06/11/1936
The Devil-Doll
Character:Lorraine Lavond
Release Date:10/07/1936
Hollywood - The Second Step
Character:Herself
Release Date:02/06/1936
The Voice of Bugle Ann
Character:Camden Terry
Release Date:15/02/1936
The Bishop Misbehaves
Character:Hester Grantham
Release Date:13/09/1935
Anna Karenina
Character:Kitty
Release Date:30/08/1935
Woman Wanted
Character:Ann
Release Date:02/08/1935
The Flame Within
Character:Linda Belton
Release Date:17/05/1935
Cardinal Richelieu
Character:Lenore
Release Date:18/04/1935
West Point of the Air
Character:'Skip' Carter
Release Date:23/03/1935
David Copperfield
Character:Dora Spenlow
Release Date:18/01/1935
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
Character:Henrietta Barrett
Release Date:21/09/1934
Hide-Out
Character:Pauline Miller
Release Date:24/08/1934
The Thin Man
Character:Dorothy Wynant
Release Date:25/05/1934
Tarzan and His Mate
Character:Jane Parker
Release Date:16/04/1934
Screen Snapshots No. 11
Character:Herself
Release Date:01/01/1934
Stage Mother
Character:Shirley Lorraine
Release Date:29/09/1933
Tugboat Annie
Character:Patricia 'Pat' Severn
Release Date:04/08/1933
The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble
Character:Molly Kelly
Release Date:15/04/1933
Strange Interlude
Character:Madeline Arnold
Release Date:30/12/1932
Robbers' Roost
Character:Helen Herrick
Release Date:30/12/1932
Payment Deferred
Character:Winnie Marble
Release Date:01/11/1932
Okay, America!
Character:Sheila Barton
Release Date:08/09/1932
Skyscraper Souls
Character:Lynn Harding
Release Date:16/07/1932
Fast Companions
Character:Sally
Release Date:22/06/1932
The Silver Lining
Character:Joyce Moore
Release Date:16/04/1932
Tarzan the Ape Man
Character:Jane Parker
Release Date:22/03/1932
The Big Shot
Character:Doris Thompson
Release Date:31/12/1931
Skyline
Character:Katherine Kearny
Release Date:08/10/1931
A Connecticut Yankee
Character:Alisande / Woman in Mansion
Release Date:06/04/1931
The Princess and the Plumber
Character:Princess Louise
Release Date:21/12/1930
Just Imagine
Character:LN-18
Release Date:23/11/1930
So This Is London
Character:Elinor Worthing
Release Date:23/05/1930
Song o' My Heart
Character:Eileen
Release Date:11/03/1930
Television Appearances
Leg Work
Character:Dorothy Richardson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Character:Self
The Merv Griffin Show
Character:Self
The Mike Douglas Show
Character:Self
Ben Casey
Character:
Matinee Theater
Character:
Climax!
Character:Lady Dominey
Climax!
Character:Miriam
The Whistler
Character:
Cavalcade of America
Character:Sister Mary Benedict
Four Star Playhouse
Character:Minna Baxter
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Character:
Lux Video Theatre
Character:Agnes Fisher
Lux Video Theatre
Character:Self - Intermission Guest
Lux Video Theatre
Character:Intermission Guest
Lux Video Theatre
Character:Mary
Lux Video Theatre
Character:Stella
What's My Line?
Character:Self - Mystery Guest
Images
