Beauty Break: Ryan O'Neal
Wednesday, April 20, 2016 at 5:27PM 
Baby Tatum and dad RyanToday is the 75th birthday of early 70s cinema's golden boy Ryan O'Neal. Happy Birthday Father o' Tatum. The picture to the left is just the cutest thing ever, don't you think? If not you don't cherish and worship and love to revisit Paper Moon (1973) in which the real life father & daughter stars played a fictional father and daughter, and played it to perfection in one of the greatest movies of that enormously fine cinematic decade.
But today, perhaps, younger readers don't really know Ryan O'Neal. In today's celebrity parlance I would suggest that he's something like a cross between Ryan Phillipe (all-american golden boy, super young dad as celebrity parenting goes, who remains more famous for his personal life than his career) and Leonardo DiCaprio (I shall explain). After coming to fame on television's Peyton Place (1964-1969) O'Neal was Oscar nominated for the #1 box office behemoth Love Story (1970) which we presume was something like the Titanic of its day. A bold statement you say? Perhaps not so bold...
Love Story (1970)
His first headshot at 18 and an Andy Warhol portrait in 1971 age 30
What's Up Doc? (1972)
Paper Moon (1973)
Love Story was the #1 movie of its year and featured doomed lovers from different classes (only one of whom dies), famous Oscar-winning theme music, and it sealed its fresh screen couple together forever in the public consciousness. Tthere the similarities end. Ali and Ryan both eventually ended up with stars even more famous than they were, Steve McQueen and Farrah Fawcett, respectively. Kate & Leo are never going to find partners as famous as themselves unless they marry each other. The other major difference is of course that Ryan O'Neal and Ali McGraw's superstar careers were shortlived in comparison to DiCaprio & Winslet's who, it's wise to remember, were already acclaimed Oscar-nominated actors even before Titanic sank and made them big screen immortals. MacGraw vanished quickly from the limelight since hubby Steve McQueen didn't want her acting but Ryan maintained a major headlining career for a good dozen years after this initial smash.
Barry Lyndon (1975)
His post "Doc" rematch with Barbra Streisand, The Main Event (1979)
a People Magazine cover photo in 1984 with Farrah Fawcett
Irreconciliable Differences (1983) with Sharon Stone
Though critics never fully took to him he managed that Oscar nomination, and an Oscar worthy un-nominated performance in his best film Paper Moon (1973). He was also a fine romantic comedy foil for mega-Streisand in two romcom hits (What's Up Doc? and The Main Event) but, as we've discussed many-a-time, men who excel in that genre are rarely appreciated for it. (Ick! women's pictures... rrrright?)
Plus he even did an auteur picture! Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon (1975). So all in all a sturdy career and he's still working, currently in a recurring role on TV's Bones.
And he sure was pretty in the 1970s and 1980s, wasn't he?
Reader Comments (22)
He was very nice looking and a decent actor ... however, in real life he was a pig.
I will not comment further.
These pictures took my breath away. Gorgeous man.
I'll always remember seeing Ryan in The Big Bounce, which was made a year before Love Story. That image of his bare torso struck me like a lightning bolt.
Speaking of beauty, today is Jessica Lange's birthday. Worship.
I coincidentally just watched The Main Event last night. The film itself is...not good, but I liked seeing him and Barbra together again. I like him best in What's Up, Doc?, but Paper Moon is my favorite of his films.
No love for The Driver? BOO!!!!
The Main Event is not good but I still love it lol
I completely forgot he was in Barry Lyndon, one of Kubrick's more underrated films.
He was very easy on the eyes, and I took a liking to him because of "Paper Moon", and "What's Up Doc". No matter what came after - Paper Moon is still a classic.
He was such an attractive man. Shame about everything else.
My favourite would probably be WHAT'S UP DOC. I love that movie so much and he and his silly boxer shorts and bowtie ensemble get me every time.
Ryan O' Neal always reminded me of a blonde version of Tony Curtis: Almost too pretty, never a critical favorite, but a flair for comedy and surprisingly adept dramatically, messed up personal life, and embarrassing on talk shows.
Extra points for copious, unrepentant man fur. Those were the days.
Paul, lol! Classic.
"Love Story (1970) which we presume was something like the Titanic of its day." I'd italicise this, if I knew how.
I was alive in 1970, apparently unlike many of your readers and writers. Love Story was almost a joke when released - recognised as a maudlin movie, but with beautiful music. I have been lucky enough not to see Fifty Shades of Grey, but I think comparing Love Story to 50 would be more à propos than comparing it to Titanic. Granted, Dakota and whoever was the male star haven't taken off like Leo and Kate, but everyone watched Love Story because it was the best selling novel of the day, much like 50 was the novel everyone was reading in 2014-2015.
Speaking of Love Story being a critical joke when released... today, many bloggers are "demanding" that box office winners should be those nominated for Oscars. Let's imagine what the best picture lineup would resemble if every box office winner was nominated. 1970... Love Story!!!??? Imagine the reaction of the bloggers then! Had Love Story won the Oscar as best picture, it probably would even eclipse The Greatest Show on Earth as the most undeserving Oscar winner ever.
Enough. Thanks.
Yes very nice looking but akin to rick's comment above I can't help but think of Lisa Simpson's comment 'no matter what he does, he's still Ryan O'Neal'
Didn't Stanley Kubrick cast Ryan O'Neal because he wanted somebody perfectly empty? Kubrick was tired of actors imposing their personality on his carefully constructed images.
I admit I've never seen Love Story. If I was picking an appealing actor who was fun to look at in 1970, I think I'd go with Alan Arkin as Yossarian in Catch-22. The photo of him giving the finger to his tormentors never stales.
I just watched What's Up, Doc? again a week or two ago and it remains an utter delight, and he's pretty much perfect in it (as are a lot of his cast mates (especially Kahn, Streisand, Austin Pendleton, and Liam Dunn - but really the whole film is remarkably well-cast down to the tiniest roles).
And re: RJL's comment above, it's highly amusing that it basically closes with a joke that makes fun of Love Story.
Totally agree with RJL
True about Kubrick casting him.
I always thought that Ryan O'Neal was nominated for Barry Lyndon. Wasn't that nominated for a few Oscars?
I can't count the number of times I've seen What's Up Doc, and I recently saw The Main Event again and I think it unfortunately helped solidify Barbra's rep as a pain in the a*& because of how she is portrayed in that movie. But I did like all the references to Long Beach as a down on its luck blue-collar city. I live there and can confirm that it's still somewhat like that. Thank heavens.
A gay sensibility on this website, and yet, none of you have seen "Partners", in which macho straight cop O'Neal gets partnered with queeny femme John Hurt as detectives on the trail of a homosexual murderer in West Hollywood? It's as horrible as it sounds, but does have lots of pretty, pretty men.
And also "Amen" Paul Outlaw!!!
"What's Up, Doc?" is one of the funniest movies ever made. If only they knew how to make comedies like that today!
RJL & Rick -- good to hear some perspective from the actual living but you don't get to that high a gross if no one likes the movie. especially not back then when you couldn't open with $100 million. But I absolutely agree that bloggers and media who are always like "box office hits should be nominated" have no critical thinking skills. Great ones, sure. But think before you speak. A lot of terrible crap makes bank. Doesn't mean it needs Oscar's stamp of approval, too, money being its own reward.
A great shame he didn't stay with the boxing game ... he coulda' been somebody!