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.
as Jane Porter (archive footage) (uncredited)
as Self (archive footage)
as Self (archive footage)
as Self (archive footage)
as Eleanor Biddlecomb
as Helen Taylor
as Aunt Mildred
as Aunt Sue
as Grace Clark
as Dorothy Richardson(1 ep)
as Elizabeth Alvorg
as Norma
as Marian Hardwick
as Esther "Esty" Crampton
as Grandmother
as Lady Conan Doyle
as (archive footage)
as Self (archive footage)
as Lillian Stanton
as Self (archive footage)
as Maureen O'Sullivan
as Edith Lambert
as Self(1 ep)
as Self(1 ep)
as Self(2 eps)
as Emma Breslin
as Julia Williams
as Doretta Mims
as Sister Mary Benedict
as Mother
as Gladys Duffy
as Lady Dominey(1 ep)
as Miriam(1 ep)
as Gladys Duffy
as Nancy Slocum
as Sara Harper
as Sister Mary Benedict(1 ep)
as Minna Baxter(1 ep)
as Marion Gateson Drew
as The Dishwasher (voice)
as Nan Kyle
as Julie
as Agnes Fisher(1 ep)
as Self - Intermission Guest(2 eps)
as Intermission Guest(1 ep)
as Mary(1 ep)
as Stella(1 ep)
as Self (uncredited)
as Self(1 ep)
as Georgette Stroud
as Jane
as Jane
as Abby Rawlston
as Jane Bennet
as Linda Lockwood
as Jane Parker
as Mary Roberts
as Alexandra Benson
as Sheila 'Shelia' Carson
as Madelon
as June Evans
as Molly Beaumont
as Martha Aldrich
as Self
as Claire Donahue
as Maria Orlich
as Judy Standish
as Jane
as Lorraine Lavond
as Herself
as Camden Terry
as Hester Grantham
as Kitty
as Ann
as Linda Belton
as Lenore
as 'Skip' Carter
as Dora Spenlow
as Henrietta Barrett
as Pauline Miller
as Dorothy Wynant
as Jane Parker
as Herself
as Shirley Lorraine
as Patricia 'Pat' Severn
as Molly Kelly
as Madeline Arnold
as Helen Herrick
as Winnie Marble
as Sheila Barton
as Lynn Harding
as Sally
as Joyce Moore
as Jane Parker
as Doris Thompson
as Katherine Kearny
as Alisande / Woman in Mansion
as Princess Louise
as LN-18
as Elinor Worthing
as Eileen
