Tatum Beatrice O'Neal (born
November 5,
1963 in
Los Angeles, California) is an
Academy Award-winning
American actress best known for her film work as a child actress in the 1970s. She remains the youngest actor, at the age of 9, to win a contended Oscar.
Biography
Tatum O'Neal was born to actor
Ryan O'Neal, among whose initial acting roles was in the television series "Peyton Place", and to actress
Joanna Cook Moore, both of whom had appeared in various motion pictures. Her brother,
Griffin, was born in 1964. In 1967, her parents divorced. Her father married actress
Leigh Taylor-Young, a marriage which produced her half-brother,
Patrick. She also has another half-brother, Redmond, from Ryan O'Neal's relationship with actress
Farrah Fawcett. Tatum's mother died in 1997 of lung cancer at age 63, after a career in which she had appeared in such movies as
Touch of Evil.
A Paper Life
In her autobiography, "A Paper Life", Tatum O'Neal alleged that she had been molested by a male friend of her father. Tatum also alleges physical and emotional abuse from her father, much of which she attributes to drug use. Tatum also details her own
heroin addiction and its effects on her relationship with her children. Her father, Ryan, denied some of these allegations.
In a prepared statement, Ryan O'Neal said: "It is a sad day when malicious lies are told in order to become a 'best-seller,'"
