Jennifer O'Neill
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Bibliography
Notes
"To me the success of my life is the reflection of my presence, be it mother, wife or friend. All my life I've been unstoppable, but now I feel unswayable. That feels like success to me."As for acting, I cared very much about being a good actress, and I learned over the years. But it wasn't my main motivating force in life; that was my drive for relationships. The concept of letting go for the sake of a marriage is unheard of in Hollywood. I did not make popular decision. I never moved to Hollywood. I wouldn't take my clothes off to act. Hollywood never owned me. My need for love owned me." --O'Neill quoted in THE NEW YORK TIMES. April 27, 1999
O'Neill is the founder of Point of View Productions through which she develops properties.
Biography
A former model and spokesperson for Cover Girl cosmetics, Jennifer O'Neill came to prominence as the beautiful young widow on whom Gary Grimes has a overwhelming crush in "The Summer of '42" (1971). Although she continued acting for the next two decades, the actress rarely found roles that tapped her abilities.
Born in Brazil to a British mother and businessman father, O'Neill was raised as a privileged child in such tony environments as New Rochelle, New York and Wilton, Connecticut. As a teenager, the leggy brunette won several awards for her horsemanship. By age 15, the beauty had been put under contract by the Ford modeling agency and soon was appearing on magazine covers and in TV commercials. Like many other models, O'Neill gravitated to acting, making her film debut in a bit role in "For the Love of Ivy" (1968) and acquitted herself opposite John Wayne in Howard Hawks' final film "Rio Lobo" (1970). After her breakthrough in "Summer of '42," the actress was in demand but was merely window dressing in Otto Preminger's soapy "Such Good Friends" (1972). O'Neill delivered, however, as a woman whose lover could possibly be harboring the spirit of her dead father in the underrated "The Reincarnation of Peter Proud" (1975). Her subsequent feature output, however, has been of mixed quality, with the best being David Croenenberg's "Scanners" (1991) and "Committed" (1993), in which she was a nurse-turned-patient in a mental institution.
O'Neill fared slightly better on the small screen. She was quite good as a Southerner brutalized in a Union prison during the Civil War in "Love's Savage Fury" (ABC, 1979) and was properly haughty as the titled, globe-trotting mother of a perfume heiress in "Bare Essence" (NBC, 1983). The actress had her best chance as a fashion photographer who was really a government agent in "Cover Up" (CBS, 1984-85), but the untimely death of her co-star Jon-Eric Hexum cast a pall over the project. Throughout the late 80s and into the 90s, O'Neill has kept busy in TV-movies, playing everything from a psychotic murderer in "Red Spider" (CBS, 1988) to a journalist who becomes involved with an inmate in "Invasion of Privacy" (USA Network, 1992) to Richard Crenna's wife in "Jonathan Stone: Threat of Innocence" (NBC, 1994).
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1968
Had bit role in "For Love of Ivy"
1970
First major film role, "Rio Lobo"
1971
Had breakthrough film role as a young widow in "Summer of '42"
1975
Won best actress honors at the Deauville Film Festival for "The Reincarnation of Peter Proud"
1979
Made TV-movie debut in "Love's Savage Fury" (ABC)
1982
Accidentally shot herself
1983
Played Lady Bobbi Rowan in TV series "Bare Essence" (NBC)
1984
Starred in CBS series "Cover Up"
1985
Starred in miniseries "A.D." (NBC)
1993
Played power-hungry editor in "The Cover Girl Murders" (USA)
1997
Made guest appearance on "Nash Bridges"
Photo Collections
Videos
Movie Clip
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
"To me the success of my life is the reflection of my presence, be it mother, wife or friend. All my life I've been unstoppable, but now I feel unswayable. That feels like success to me."As for acting, I cared very much about being a good actress, and I learned over the years. But it wasn't my main motivating force in life; that was my drive for relationships. The concept of letting go for the sake of a marriage is unheard of in Hollywood. I did not make popular decision. I never moved to Hollywood. I wouldn't take my clothes off to act. Hollywood never owned me. My need for love owned me." --O'Neill quoted in THE NEW YORK TIMES. April 27, 1999
O'Neill is the founder of Point of View Productions through which she develops properties.
Her line of skin care products is sold on the Shop at Home network.
She is a show horse breeder and broke her back in a fall from a horse.
O'Neill has been fairly candid about her life, including her nine marriages to eight men and nine miscarriages. She detailed all in her memoirs.
She accidentally wounded herself in 1982 when she moved a gun she did not know was loaded. Her then-husband was charged with weapons possession but was found not guilty.
In Tennessee in November 1996, O'Neill was arrested and charged with speeding and driving while under the influence. She was later cleared of all charges.
