WASHINGTON: Film and television actor Ryan O’Neal died Friday at age 82. His son, Patrick O’Neal, shared the news on Instagram, United Press International (UPI) reported.
“My father Ryan O’Neal has always been my hero. He is a Hollywood legend. Full stop,” Patrick wrote.
O’Neal was a lead on 501 episodes of the prime-time soap opera Peyton Place after doing episodic appearances on shows such as My Three Sons, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and Leave It to Beaver.
He transitioned to film with 1969’s The Big Bounce, but it was 1970’s Love Story that confirmed him as a romantic leading man.
O’Neal starred with his daughter, Tatum, as con artists in Paper Moon, winning her an Oscar. Ryan had been nominated for his role in Love Story.
He also played the title role in Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Barry Lyndon. Sylvester Stallone frequently tells the story that studios wanted to cast O’Neal as Rocky Balboa when Stallone was an unknown pitching his Rocky screenplay.
O’Neal continued to appear in movies such as Irreconcilable Differences, Chances Are, Tough Guys Don’t Dance, Zero Effect, Malibu’s Most Wanted and Knight of Cups. In 1991, he starred with his longtime girlfriend Farrah Fawcett on the sitcom Good Sports.
His most recent role was a recurring one on the series Bones until its 12th season in 2017. Patrick and Tatum also have siblings Redmond and Griffin.–Bernama-UPI
