Acting · Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland · Born May 17, 1911
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.
MovieFamous T&A 2
2022
as Jane Porter (archive footage) (uncredited)
MovieTarzan Revisited
2017
as Self (archive footage)
Where Danger Lives: White Rose for Julie
2007
Checking Out: Grand Hotel
2004
as Self (archive footage)
MovieComplicated Women
2003
as Self (archive footage)
MovieIn Search of Tarzan with Jonathan Ross
1998
as Self
MovieJean Harlow: Platinum Bombshell
1996
as Self
MovieHart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is
1994
as Eleanor Biddlecomb
MovieThe Habitation of Dragons
1992
as Helen Taylor
MovieWith Murder in Mind
1992
as Aunt Mildred
MovieGood Old Boy
1988
as Aunt Sue
MovieStranded
1987
as Grace Clark
TVLeg Work
1987
as Dorothy Richardson
MovieHappy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
1987
as Self
MoviePeggy Sue Got Married
1986
as Elizabeth Alvorg
MovieHannah and Her Sisters
1986
as Norma
MovieToo Scared to Scream
1984
as Marian Hardwick
MovieMorning's at Seven
1982
as Esther "Esty" Crampton
MovieMandy's Grandmother
1978
as Grandmother
MovieThe Great Houdinis
1976
as Lady Conan Doyle
MovieThat's Entertainment, Part II
1976
as (archive footage)
MovieIt's Showtime
1976
as Self (archive footage)
MovieThe Crooked Hearts
1972
as Lillian Stanton
MovieHollywood: The Dream Factory
1972
as Self (archive footage)
MovieThe Phynx
1970
as Maureen O'Sullivan
MovieNever Too Late
1965
as Edith Lambert
TVThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
TVThe Merv Griffin Show
1962
as Self
TVThe Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self
TVBen Casey
1961
MovieWild Heritage
1958
as Emma Breslin
MovieThe Edge of Innocence
1957
as Julia Williams
MovieThe Tall T
1957
as Doretta Mims
MovieThe Blessed Midnight
1956
as Sister Mary Benedict
TVMatinee Theater
1955
MovieThe Little Lamb: A Christmas Story
1955
as Mother
MovieThe Steel Cage
1954
as Gladys Duffy
TVClimax!
1954
as Lady Dominey
TVThe Whistler
1954
MovieDuffy of San Quentin
1954
as Gladys Duffy
MovieMission Over Korea
1953
as Nancy Slocum
MovieAll I Desire
1953
as Sara Harper
TVCavalcade of America
1952
as Sister Mary Benedict
TVFour Star Playhouse
1952
as Minna Baxter
MovieBonzo Goes to College
1952
as Marion Gateson Drew
MovieEllis in Freedomland
1952
as The Dishwasher (voice)
TVSchlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
MovieNo Resting Place
1951
as Nan Kyle
MovieWhere Danger Lives
1950
as Julie
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Agnes Fisher
Screen Actors
1950
as Self (uncredited)
TVWhat's My Line?
1950
as Self - Mystery Guest
MovieThe Big Clock
1948
as Georgette Stroud
MovieTarzan's New York Adventure
1942
as Jane
MovieTarzan's Secret Treasure
1941
as Jane
MovieMaisie Was a Lady
1941
as Abby Rawlston
MoviePride and Prejudice
1940
as Jane Bennet
MovieSporting Blood
1940
as Linda Lockwood
MovieHollywood: Style Center of the World
1940
as Self
MovieTarzan Finds a Son!
1939
as Jane Parker
MovieLet Us Live
1939
as Mary Roberts
MovieSpring Madness
1938
as Alexandra Benson
MovieThe Crowd Roars
1938
as Sheila 'Shelia' Carson
MoviePort of Seven Seas
1938
as Madelon
MovieHold That Kiss
1938
as June Evans
MovieA Yank at Oxford
1938
as Molly Beaumont
MovieMy Dear Miss Aldrich
1937
as Martha Aldrich
MovieThe Romance of Celluloid
1937
as Self
MovieBetween Two Women
1937
as Claire Donahue
MovieThe Emperor's Candlesticks
1937
as Maria Orlich
MovieA Day at the Races
1937
as Judy Standish
MovieTarzan Escapes
1936
as Jane
MovieThe Devil-Doll
1936
as Lorraine Lavond
MovieHollywood - The Second Step
1936
as Herself
MovieThe Voice of Bugle Ann
1936
as Camden Terry
MovieThe Bishop Misbehaves
1935
as Hester Grantham
MovieAnna Karenina
1935
as Kitty
MovieWoman Wanted
1935
as Ann
MovieThe Flame Within
1935
as Linda Belton
MovieCardinal Richelieu
1935
as Lenore
MovieWest Point of the Air
1935
as 'Skip' Carter
MovieDavid Copperfield
1935
as Dora Spenlow
MovieThe Barretts of Wimpole Street
1934
as Henrietta Barrett
MovieHide-Out
1934
as Pauline Miller
MovieThe Thin Man
1934
as Dorothy Wynant
MovieTarzan and His Mate
1934
as Jane Parker
MovieScreen Snapshots No. 11
1934
as Herself
MovieStage Mother
1933
as Shirley Lorraine
MovieTugboat Annie
1933
as Patricia 'Pat' Severn
MovieThe Cohens and Kellys in Trouble
1933
as Molly Kelly
MovieStrange Interlude
1932
as Madeline Arnold
MovieRobbers' Roost
1932
as Helen Herrick
MoviePayment Deferred
1932
as Winnie Marble
MovieOkay, America!
1932
as Sheila Barton
MovieSkyscraper Souls
1932
as Lynn Harding
MovieFast Companions
1932
as Sally
MovieThe Silver Lining
1932
as Joyce Moore
MovieTarzan the Ape Man
1932
as Jane Parker
MovieThe Big Shot
1931
as Doris Thompson
MovieSkyline
1931
as Katherine Kearny
MovieA Connecticut Yankee
1931
as Alisande / Woman in Mansion
MovieThe Princess and the Plumber
1930
as Princess Louise
MovieJust Imagine
1930
as LN-18
MovieSo This Is London
1930
as Elinor Worthing
MovieSong o' My Heart
1930
as Eileen
