Ryan O’Neal, the US actor whose boyish good looks and Oscar-nominated turn in Love Story turned him into a national heartthrob, has died. He was 82.
The actor’s son and sportcaster Patrick O’Neal confirmed the news on Instagram. O’Neal had various forms of cancer since 2001.
O’Neal was born on April 20 1941 in Los Angeles to author-screenwriter Charles O’Neal and actress mother Patricia Callaghan. He was a competitive young boxer and the family moved around, taking the young O’Neal to the UK, Germany, Mexico, and the West Indies.
After working as a stuntman he won the role of Rodney Harrington on ABC’s 1960s soap Peyton Place.
After that he landed the role of a Harvard law student opposite Ali MacGraw playing a women with terminal illness in the 1970 romance Love Story, which garnered an Academy Award nomination and would become the hit of his career.
There were further high-profile roles in Peter Bogdanovic’s 1972 rom-com What’s Up, Doc? with Barbra Streisand, and the 1973 caper Paper Moon.
O’Neal starred in the latter opposite his daughter Tatum O’Neal and it has been said her Oscar win at the age of 10 was a source of jealousy.
He enjoyed life, earned a reputation as a playboy and struggled with drugs.
He was married and divorced to Joanna Moore and Leigh Taylor-Young, and famously embarked on a long affair with Farrah Fawcett-Majors while she was married to Lee Majors. They split up and reunited when Fawcett was ill with cancer. O’Neal remained with her until her death in 2009.
O’Neal is survived by his children Tatum, Griffin, Redmond, and Patrick.
Ryan O’Neal, star of ‘Love Story’ and longtime lover of Farrah Fawcett, dies aged 82
Feature roles included What's Up, Doc?, Paper Moon.
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