Maureen Paula O'Sullivan was born on May 17, 1911 in County Roscommon, Ireland, to Evangeline "Mary Eva" Lovatt . 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.
Her oldest son, Michael, was killed in a plane crash while taking flying lessons, in 1958.
Ex-mother-in-law of Frank Sinatra and Andr Previn. Daughter Mia Farrow also had a long-term relationship with Woody Allen.
Mother of Michael Farrow, Patrick Farrow , John Charles Farrow , Mia Farrow , Tisa Farrow , Prudence Farrow and Stephanie Farrow , from her marriage to John Farrow.
Grandmother of Moses Farrow , Soon-Yi Previn , Daisy Previn and Fletcher Farrow Previn
Despised working with the chimpanzee Cheetah during the filming of the Tarzan movies at MGM and, according to daughter Mia Farrow , privately referred to the primate as "that ape son of a bitch".
Is often dubbed Irelands first film star.
Was a favorite of Irving Thalberg and Louis B. Mayer at MGM and they had big plans for her as a big star. Thalbergs sudden death at age 37 of pneumonia in 1936 put a big damper on the momentum in her pursuit of stardom and was soon relegated to romantic interest roles.
Interviewed in Tom Weaver s book "I Was a Monster Movie Maker" (McFarland & Co., 2001).
Paramount insisted she do a screen test for her husband John Farrow s picture, The Big Clock .
The first time she met Clark Gable he was in old-man make-up for Strange Interlude (1932) . He invited her to go horseback riding, but she turned him down. Later when she met him a second time to record voice-overs, she realized his true age and regretted her decision. He never asked her out a second time.
She used to make Irish soda bread for Greta Garbo.
She was a very active member of both the Hollywood Democratic Committee and The Hollywood Anti-Nazi League and donated her time and money to many liberal causes (such as the creation of the United Nations and the Civil Rights Movement) and political candidates (including Franklin D. Roosevelt , Henry Wallace , Adlai Stevenson , John F. Kennedy , Robert F. Kennedy , Jimmy Carter , and Bill Clinton ) during her lifetime.
Was a supporter of: UNICEF, The United Nations, The Democratic National Committee, and the Habitat for Humanity.
Was friends with: Maureen OHara , Vivien Leigh , Betty Furness , Robert Ryan , Johnny Weissmuller , and Mr. and Mrs. Lyndon Johnson.
She was of Irish, with some English and Scottish, ancestry.
Was a naturalized citizen of the United States.
Was claustrophobic.
Of her later films, she liked The Tall T the best.
She met future husband John Farrow , who was a writer on the Fox lot, when she was there to make Just Imagine (1930) .
She was the last surviving cast member of Just Imagine (1930) .
Was discovered in Dublin by director Frank Borzage , who was in Ireland shooting exteriors for Song o My Heart (1930) .
Irish-born OSullivan was sent by her father, a British army major, to Roehampton, a convent school just outside of London, because her brogue had become so thick. She was two years older than Vivien Leigh , her best friend at the school. While Leigh was determined to be an actress, OSullivans ambition was to be an aviatrix.
Appeared in stage revivals of "Pygmalion" and "The Glass Menagerie".
Became a stage actress at Pat OBrien s urging for a 1961 Chicago production of "A Roomful of Roses".
She played the mother of her real life daughter Mia Farrow in Hannah and Her Sisters .
Is represented with an Audio Animatronic figure in The Great Movie Ride in the Tarzan scene, at Disneys Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World.
Grandmother of Ronan Farrow.
