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

0.9

movie

Known For

Hannah and Her Sisters

1986 • as Norma

★ 7.5

Peggy Sue Got Married

1986 • as Elizabeth Alvorg

★ 6.1

The Thin Man

1934 • as Dorothy Wynant

★ 7.5

Tarzan the Ape Man

1932 • as Jane Parker

★ 6.6

David Copperfield

1935 • as Dora Spenlow

★ 6.7

A Day at the Races

1937 • as Judy Standish

★ 7.1

Pride and Prejudice

1940 • as Jane Bennet

★ 6.9

Tarzan and His Mate

1934 • as Jane Parker

★ 6.5

Just Imagine

1930 • as LN-18

★ 5.8

The Emperor's Candlesticks

1937 • as Maria Orlich

★ 5.0

Let Us Live

1939 • as Mary Roberts

★ 6.8

Tarzan Escapes

1936 • as Jane

★ 6.9

Tarzan's Secret Treasure

1941 • as Jane

★ 5.9

That's Entertainment, Part II

1976 • as (archive footage)

★ 7.0

So This Is London

1930 • as Elinor Worthing

★ 7.0

The Tall T

1957 • as Doretta Mims

★ 7.0

Tarzan's New York Adventure

1942 • as Jane

★ 6.4

It's Showtime

1976 • as Self (archive footage)

★ 7.5

A Yank at Oxford

1938 • as Molly Beaumont

★ 6.8

Anna Karenina

1935 • as Kitty

★ 6.6

The Big Clock

1948 • as Georgette Stroud

★ 7.3

Too Scared to Scream

1984 • as Marian Hardwick

★ 5.2

Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood

1987 • as Self

★ 6.0

Where Danger Lives

1950 • as Julie

★ 6.4

Tarzan Finds a Son!

1939 • as Jane Parker

★ 6.1

Skyline

1931 • as Katherine Kearny

★ 8.0

Famous T&A 2

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

★ 6.5

My Dear Miss Aldrich

1937 • as Martha Aldrich

★ 6.2

Ellis in Freedomland

1952 • as The Dishwasher (voice)

West Point of the Air

1935 • as 'Skip' Carter

★ 7.0

The Steel Cage

1954 • as Gladys Duffy

★ 7.0

Hollywood: Style Center of the World

1940 • as Self

★ 5.8

With Murder in Mind

1992 • as Aunt Mildred

★ 6.2

The Barretts of Wimpole Street

1934 • as Henrietta Barrett

★ 6.2

Hollywood: The Dream Factory

1972 • as Self (archive footage)

★ 7.4

The Edge of Innocence

1957 • as Julia Williams

All I Desire

1953 • as Sara Harper

★ 7.0

The Romance of Celluloid

1937 • as Self

★ 7.0

The Blessed Midnight

1956 • as Sister Mary Benedict

★ 5.0

The Voice of Bugle Ann

1936 • as Camden Terry

★ 5.5

The Phynx

1970 • as Maureen O'Sullivan

★ 3.6

Complicated Women

2003 • as Self (archive footage)

★ 6.9

Maisie Was a Lady

1941 • as Abby Rawlston

★ 7.0

The Devil-Doll

1936 • as Lorraine Lavond

★ 6.8

Jean Harlow: Platinum Bombshell

1996 • as Self

Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is

1994 • as Eleanor Biddlecomb

★ 6.6

Duffy of San Quentin

1954 • as Gladys Duffy

★ 6.2

The Crowd Roars

1938 • as Sheila 'Shelia' Carson

★ 7.0

A Connecticut Yankee

1931 • as Alisande / Woman in Mansion

★ 6.1

Tarzan Revisited

2017 • as Self (archive footage)

★ 6.5

The Princess and the Plumber

1930 • as Princess Louise

★ 10.0

Wild Heritage

1958 • as Emma Breslin

★ 6.0

Spring Madness

1938 • as Alexandra Benson

★ 4.9

Port of Seven Seas

1938 • as Madelon

★ 10.0

Hide-Out

1934 • as Pauline Miller

★ 7.2

movie

Checking Out: Grand Hotel

2004 • as Self (archive footage)

★ 7.0

Woman Wanted

1935 • as Ann

★ 6.8

The Great Houdinis

1976 • as Lady Conan Doyle

★ 6.4

Hold That Kiss

1938 • as June Evans

★ 7.0

The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble

1933 • as Molly Kelly

★ 10.0

Tugboat Annie

1933 • as Patricia 'Pat' Severn

★ 7.3

Song o' My Heart

1930 • as Eileen

★ 4.8

Never Too Late

1965 • as Edith Lambert

★ 5.3

The Habitation of Dragons

1992 • as Helen Taylor

★ 6.0

Stranded

1987 • as Grace Clark

★ 5.6

Cardinal Richelieu

1935 • as Lenore

★ 7.3

The Crooked Hearts

1972 • as Lillian Stanton

★ 7.6

Good Old Boy

1988 • as Aunt Sue

★ 7.0

Morning's at Seven

1982 • as Esther "Esty" Crampton

★ 9.0

Skyscraper Souls

1932 • as Lynn Harding

★ 5.5

Hollywood - The Second Step

1936 • as Herself

★ 8.7

Okay, America!

1932 • as Sheila Barton

★ 5.8

Stage Mother

1933 • as Shirley Lorraine

★ 6.3

Bonzo Goes to College

1952 • as Marion Gateson Drew

★ 6.0

Between Two Women

1937 • as Claire Donahue

★ 6.0

Strange Interlude

1932 • as Madeline Arnold

★ 5.6

The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story

1955 • as Mother

★ 3.5

Screen Snapshots No. 11

1934 • as Herself

Mandy's Grandmother

1978 • as Grandmother

★ 4.4

The Bishop Misbehaves

1935 • as Hester Grantham

★ 6.0

Payment Deferred

1932 • as Winnie Marble

★ 5.7

Sporting Blood

1940 • as Linda Lockwood

★ 4.2

Mission Over Korea

1953 • as Nancy Slocum

★ 6.0

The Big Shot

1931 • as Doris Thompson

★ 10.0

Fast Companions

1932 • as Sally

★ 7.5

Robbers' Roost

1932 • as Helen Herrick

★ 6.0

No Resting Place

1951 • as Nan Kyle

★ 6.3

The Silver Lining

1932 • as Joyce Moore

★ 7.0

The Flame Within

1935 • as Linda Belton

★ 5.0

movie

Where Danger Lives: White Rose for Julie

2007

movie

Screen Actors

1950 • as Self (uncredited)

★ 6.2

In Search of Tarzan with Jonathan Ross

1998 • as Self

Maureen O'Sullivan

Known For

Hannah and Her Sisters

Peggy Sue Got Married

The Thin Man

Tarzan the Ape Man

A Day at the Races

Pride and Prejudice

Tarzan and His Mate

Tarzan Escapes

The Tall T

Tarzan's New York Adventure

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