Famous T&A 2
2022 · Movie
as Jane Porter (archive footage) (uncredited)
Maureen O'Sullivan
1911-05-17
•
Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland
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.
Filmography
Tarzan Revisited
2017 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
No image
Where Danger Lives: White Rose for Julie
2007 · Movie
No image
Checking Out: Grand Hotel
2004 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women
2003 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
In Search of Tarzan with Jonathan Ross
1998 · Movie
as Self
Jean Harlow: Platinum Bombshell
1996 · Movie
as Self
Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is
1994 · Movie
as Eleanor Biddlecomb
With Murder in Mind
1992 · Movie
as Aunt Mildred
The Habitation of Dragons
1992 · Movie
as Helen Taylor
Good Old Boy
1988 · Movie
as Aunt Sue
Stranded
1987 · Movie
as Grace Clark
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
1987 · Movie
as Self
Leg Work
1987 · TV Show
as Dorothy Richardson
Peggy Sue Got Married
1986 · Movie
as Elizabeth Alvorg
Hannah and Her Sisters
1986 · Movie
as Norma
Too Scared to Scream
1984 · Movie
as Marian Hardwick
Morning's at Seven
1982 · Movie
as Esther "Esty" Crampton
Mandy's Grandmother
1978 · Movie
as Grandmother
That's Entertainment, Part II
1976 · Movie
as (archive footage)
It's Showtime
1976 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
The Great Houdinis
1976 · Movie
as Lady Conan Doyle
The Crooked Hearts
1972 · Movie
as Lillian Stanton
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
1972 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
The Phynx
1970 · Movie
as Maureen O'Sullivan
Never Too Late
1965 · Movie
as Edith Lambert
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962 · TV Show
as Self
The Merv Griffin Show
1962 · TV Show
as Self
Ben Casey
1961 · TV Show
The Mike Douglas Show
1961 · TV Show
as Self
Wild Heritage
1958 · Movie
as Emma Breslin
The Tall T
1957 · Movie
as Doretta Mims
The Edge of Innocence
1957 · Movie
as Julia Williams
The Blessed Midnight
1956 · Movie
as Sister Mary Benedict
The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story
1955 · Movie
as Mother
Matinee Theater
1955 · TV Show
The Steel Cage
1954 · Movie
as Gladys Duffy
Duffy of San Quentin
1954 · Movie
as Gladys Duffy
Climax!
1954 · TV Show
as Lady Dominey, Miriam
The Whistler
1954 · TV Show
All I Desire
1953 · Movie
as Sara Harper
Mission Over Korea
1953 · Movie
as Nancy Slocum
Bonzo Goes to College
1952 · Movie
as Marion Gateson Drew
Ellis in Freedomland
1952 · Movie
as The Dishwasher (voice)
Cavalcade of America
1952 · TV Show
as Sister Mary Benedict
Four Star Playhouse
1952 · TV Show
as Minna Baxter
No Resting Place
1951 · Movie
as Nan Kyle
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951 · TV Show
Where Danger Lives
1950 · Movie
as Julie
No image
Screen Actors
1950 · Movie
as Self (uncredited)
No image
Lux Video Theatre
1950 · TV Show
as Agnes Fisher, Self - Intermission Guest, Intermission Guest, Mary, Stella
What's My Line?
1950 · TV Show
as Self - Mystery Guest
The Big Clock
1948 · Movie
as Georgette Stroud
Tarzan's New York Adventure
1942 · Movie
as Jane
Tarzan's Secret Treasure
1941 · Movie
as Jane
Maisie Was a Lady
1941 · Movie
as Abby Rawlston
Pride and Prejudice
1940 · Movie
as Jane Bennet
Sporting Blood
1940 · Movie
as Linda Lockwood
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
1940 · Movie
as Self
Tarzan Finds a Son!
1939 · Movie
as Jane Parker
Let Us Live
1939 · Movie
as Mary Roberts
A Yank at Oxford
1938 · Movie
as Molly Beaumont
Port of Seven Seas
1938 · Movie
as Madelon
Hold That Kiss
1938 · Movie
as June Evans
Spring Madness
1938 · Movie
as Alexandra Benson
The Crowd Roars
1938 · Movie
as Sheila 'Shelia' Carson
A Day at the Races
1937 · Movie
as Judy Standish
The Emperor's Candlesticks
1937 · Movie
as Maria Orlich
My Dear Miss Aldrich
1937 · Movie
as Martha Aldrich
Between Two Women
1937 · Movie
as Claire Donahue
The Romance of Celluloid
1937 · Movie
as Self
The Devil-Doll
1936 · Movie
as Lorraine Lavond
Tarzan Escapes
1936 · Movie
as Jane
The Voice of Bugle Ann
1936 · Movie
as Camden Terry
Hollywood - The Second Step
1936 · Movie
as Herself
David Copperfield
1935 · Movie
as Dora Spenlow
Anna Karenina
1935 · Movie
as Kitty
West Point of the Air
1935 · Movie
as 'Skip' Carter
Woman Wanted
1935 · Movie
as Ann
The Flame Within
1935 · Movie
as Linda Belton
Cardinal Richelieu
1935 · Movie
as Lenore
The Bishop Misbehaves
1935 · Movie
as Hester Grantham
The Thin Man
1934 · Movie
as Dorothy Wynant
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
1934 · Movie
as Henrietta Barrett
Hide-Out
1934 · Movie
as Pauline Miller
Tarzan and His Mate
1934 · Movie
as Jane Parker
Screen Snapshots No. 11
1934 · Movie
as Herself
Tugboat Annie
1933 · Movie
as Patricia 'Pat' Severn
Stage Mother
1933 · Movie
as Shirley Lorraine
The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble
1933 · Movie
as Molly Kelly
Tarzan the Ape Man
1932 · Movie
as Jane Parker
Payment Deferred
1932 · Movie
as Winnie Marble
Okay, America!
1932 · Movie
as Sheila Barton
Skyscraper Souls
1932 · Movie
as Lynn Harding
Strange Interlude
1932 · Movie
as Madeline Arnold
Robbers' Roost
1932 · Movie
as Helen Herrick
Fast Companions
1932 · Movie
as Sally
The Silver Lining
1932 · Movie
as Joyce Moore
A Connecticut Yankee
1931 · Movie
as Alisande / Woman in Mansion
The Big Shot
1931 · Movie
as Doris Thompson
Skyline
1931 · Movie
as Katherine Kearny
Just Imagine
1930 · Movie
as LN-18
Song o' My Heart
1930 · Movie
as Eileen
So This Is London
1930 · Movie
as Elinor Worthing
The Princess and the Plumber
1930 · Movie
as Princess Louise
