Tatum O'Neal biography

Synopsis

When Tatum's father was cast as the protagonist of Paper Moon in 1973, O'Neal was awarded the part of Addie Pray, the con-man's partner in crime. For this remarkable debut, 10-year-old O'Neal won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, the youngest-ever recipient of an Academy Award. She hasn't acted in recent years. In 2008, she was arrested for buying crack cocaine near her home in Manhattan.

Profile

Actress. Born Tatum Beatrice O'Neal on November 5, 1963.The daughter of actors Joanna Moore and Ryan O'Neal, who divorced in 1967. When Tatum's father was cast as the protagonist of Paper Moon in 1973, O'Neal was awarded the part of Addie Pray, the con-man's "ward" and partner in crime. For this remarkable debut, 10-year-old O'Neal won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, the youngest-ever recipient of an Academy Award.

This early success lead to a role as the only female member of a misfit junior-league baseball team in her second box-office hit, Bad News Bears (1976). That same year, she starred in Nickelodeon, as a 12-year-old silent-film scenarist, a character based on Anita Loos. The film, which reunited her with Paper Moon costar/father Ryan O'Neal and director Peter Bogdanovich, may have represented the actress' best work, but few filmgoers saw it.

In 1980, she appeared in Little Darlings co-starring Kristy McNichol, whose acting skills outshined those of the now teenage O'Neal. As the actress got older, the roles became less interesting and her acting less natural and appealing.

Though she hasn't acted much in recent years, her name has stayed in the public eye through her marriage with tennis star John McEnroe in 1986. The couple divorced in 1994. They have three children, Kevin Sean and Emily.