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Jennifer O'Neill

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This article is about the actress and model. For the basketball player, see Jennifer O'Neill (basketball).

Jennifer O'Neill
O'Neill circa 1982
Born (1948-02-20) February 20, 1948 (age 76)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
EducationDalton School
Occupations
  • Actress
  • model
  • author
Years active1968–present
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1]
Spouses
Deed Rossiter
​
​
(m. 1965; div. 1971)​
Joseph Koster
​
​
(m. 1972; div. 1974)​
​
​
(m. 1975; div. 1976)​
​
​
(m. 1978; div. 1979)​
John Lederer
​
​
(m. 1979; div. 1983)​
Richard Alan Brown
​
​
(m. 1986; div. 1989)​
​
​
(m. 1993; div. 1996)​
Neil L. Bonin
​
​
(m. 1992; annul. 1993)​
Mervin Sidney Louque Jr.
​
​
(m. 1996)​
Children3
Websitewww.jenniferoneill.com

Jennifer O'Neill (born February 20, 1948)[2] is a Brazilian-born American author, model and former actress. Born in Brazil, and moving to the United States as an infant, she first came to prominence as a teenage model, as well as for her spokesperson work for CoverGirl cosmetics, which began in 1963 and spanned three decades. She made her feature film debut in the comedy film For Love of Ivy (1968), followed by a lead role in Howard Hawks's Western film Rio Lobo (1970).

O'Neill's breakthrough role came in Robert Mulligan's period drama Summer of '42 (1971), in which she portrayed the wife of an army serviceman during World War II, who becomes the subject of a teenage boy's romantic attraction. The same year, she starred in Otto Preminger's Such Good Friends. In the mid-1970s, O'Neill appeared in several Italian films, including Luchino Visconti's final feature, The Innocent (1976), and Lucio Fulci's giallo horror film The Psychic (1977). She later starred in David Cronenberg's cult horror film Scanners (1981), and in the short-lived television series Cover Up (1984–1985).

In 1988, O'Neill became a born-again Christian and, inspired by her feelings of regret over having an abortion at age 22, became active in the anti-abortion movement. She has since authored several books, including a memoir, Surviving Myself (1999), in which she detailed her career, marriages, experiences with anxiety and postpartum depression, and her religious faith. O'Neill founded the Hope & Healing at Hillenglade foundation in Nashville, Tennessee, an equine therapy foundation that specializes in treating war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Since the 1990s, O'Neill has occasionally appeared in film and television, including roles in the independent film Doonby (2013) and the Rachel Scott biopic I'm Not Ashamed (2016).

Early life

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O'Neill was born on February 20, 1948, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Irene Freda (née Pope),[3] a native of London, and Oscar Delgado O'Neill, a Brazilian of Portuguese, Spanish and Irish ancestry.[4] O'Neill's father, born in Puerto Rico,[5] was a bomber pilot in World War II, and later owned a medical supply company.[6][7] Her paternal great-grandfather, Oscar O'Neill Sr., was the president of the Bank of Rio de Janeiro.[7] O'Neill's mother, one of seven children, was raised in a "poor but close-knit family."[3]

When she was an infant, she relocated with her family to the United States,[8] where she and her older brother Michael were raised in New Rochelle, New York, and Wilton, Connecticut.[6] O'Neill began riding horses at age 9 and became an accomplished equestrienne,[9] winning upwards of 200 ribbons at horse show competitions in her teens.

At age 14, after her parents informed her the family was relocating to New York City, O'Neill attempted suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills,[10] and fell into a coma for approximately two weeks.[8] Reflecting on this, she said: "I didn’t want to die, I just wanted to be heard. It was just a rebellion against my parents’ decisions. What seems like a bump in the road as we get older, to a teenager can seem catastrophic...  [our moving meant] losing my ability to take care of a horse that I was able to ride. They wouldn't let me take our dog and took her to the pound."[8] In a later interview, O'Neill said she lacked adequate role models as a child, and described her parents as "completely involved with themselves."[8]

Career

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1963–1971: Modeling and breakthrough

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After her family's relocation to New York City, two of O'Neill's neighbors suggested that she model: "That appealed to me, because then I could buy my own horse and no one could take anything away from me again. So I strolled into Eileen Ford’s agency, and she signed me on the spot."[8] By age 15, while attending the prestigious Dalton School in Manhattan, she began appearing on the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Seventeen, earning $80,000 ($806,000 today) in 1962.[11] Commenting on O'Neill in 1965, Diana Vreeland said: "O'Neill is a dream. She has great distinction."[1]

O'Neill largely used her modeling income to fund her equestrian endeavors,[1] which afforded her to purchase her own horse, named Alezon. However, when O'Neill was 15 years old, the horse balked before a wall at a horse show, throwing her, causing her to fracture her neck and lower spine in three places.[12] The injury resulted in her suffering lifelong back pain.[9] O'Neill eventually dropped out of the Dalton School at age 17 to wed her first husband, IBM executive Deed Rossiter.[13]

In 1963, O'Neill signed a contract with CoverGirl cosmetics, marking the beginning of a thirty-year career as a spokesperson for the company.[14] O'Neill is listed in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History's Center for Advertising History for her long-standing contract with CoverGirl cosmetics as its model and spokesperson in ads and television commercials.[14]

In 1968, O'Neill landed a small role in the comedy film For Love of Ivy. In 1970, she played her first lead role in the Howard Hawks film Rio Lobo co-starring John Wayne.[9] She had a supporting role in Otto Preminger's Such Good Friends (1971) starring Dyan Cannon and Ken Howard.

In the 1971 film Summer of '42, O'Neill played Dorothy Walker, the early-20s wife of an airman who has gone off to fight in World War II.[15] She stated in a 2002 interview that her agent had to fight to even get a reading for the part,[16] since the role had been cast for an "older woman" to a "coming of age" 15-year-old boy, and the director was only considering actresses over the age of thirty. The film was a box-office success and went on to attract a cult following.[15]

1972–1979: Italian films

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O'Neill in Lady Ice (1973)

In 1972, she co-starred with Tom Jones in David Winters's television special The Special London Bridge Special.[17] The same year, she starred in the crime thriller The Carey Treatment (1972), and the drama Glass Houses,[18] the latter of which was filmed in 1970. This was followed by a lead role in Lady Ice (1973) opposite Donald Sutherland and Robert Duvall.[19]

O'Neill next had a leading role in the psychological horror film The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975), co-starring with Michael Sarrazin and Margot Kidder, and directed by J. Lee Thompson.[20] The same year, she appeared opposite Elliott Gould in the Ted Post-directed comedy Whiffs.[21]

O'Neill and James Mason in The Flower in His Mouth (1975)

By the mid-1970s, O'Neill had forged a career in Italy, first starring in Luigi Zampa's drama The Flower in His Mouth (1975) opposite James Mason, which was shot on location in Sicily.[22] The following year, she starred in Luchino Visconti's final directorial feature, The Innocent,[23] and subsequently starred in Lucio Fulci's The Psychic (1977), portraying a clairvoyant whose visions lead to the discovery of a murder.[24]

She was originally cast in the Disney film The Black Hole (1979), but was told she needed to cut her hair because it would be easier to film the zero-G scenes. She gave in, drinking wine during the haircut and leaving noticeably impaired. She lost the part after a serious car crash on the way home.[25] O'Neill was instead cast in the action martial arts film A Force of One (1979), co-starring with Chuck Norris.[26]

1980–1990: Subsequent film and television

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O'Neill starred opposite David Carradine in the aviation-themed drama Cloud Dancer (1980), followed by a lead role in David Cronenberg's science fiction horror film Scanners (1981), portraying a woman who leads an oppositional group against a malevolent private military company creating biokinetic and psychokinetic humans.[27]

When her movie career slowed, O'Neill took roles in series television.[28] She starred in NBC's short-lived 1982 prime time soap opera Bare Essence and played the lead female role on the 1984 television series Cover Up. On October 12, 1984, Jon-Erik Hexum, O'Neill's co-star in the Cover Up television series, mortally wounded himself on the show's set, unaware that a gun loaded with a blank cartridge could still cause extreme damage from the effect of expanding powder gases. He died six days later.[29]

O'Neill continued to appear in film and television throughout the late 1980s, including in the drama film I Love N.Y. (1987)[30] and in the Perry Mason television film Perry Mason: The Case of the Shooting Star (1986).

1991–present: Later work

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In 1991, O'Neill starred in the thriller film Committed, portraying a nurse who discovers the fellow staff at the psychiatric hospital she has been hired at are in fact inmates.[31] She later starred opposite James Brolin in The Visual Bible: Acts (1994), which depicts the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament.

Personal life

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O'Neill has been married nine times to eight husbands (remarrying her sixth husband),[13] and had three children, one each with three of her husbands.[32] After the birth of her first child, Aimee, O'Neill experienced undiagnosed postpartum depression and committed herself to a psychiatric hospital for treatment, which included electroshock therapy.[8]

She was briefly married to Emmy-award-winning television producer and choreographer Nick De Noia from 1975 to 1976. De Noia, who also served as O'Neill's manager at the time of their marriage, was a closeted homosexual.[33] In 1987, de Noia was murdered by one of his former associates.[34] O'Neill told journalists that she was "very upset" by the news of his death.[35]

O'Neill's fifth husband, John Lederer, sexually abused her first daughter, Aimee.[6][8] O'Neill initially disbelieved the accusation after Lederer passed several lie detector tests, and the abuse allegation strained her relationship with her daughter.[8] Reflecting on the abuse in 2019, O'Neill said: "My daughter and I are very close today, but we were in court for a year and I didn’t know who to believe. He passed lie detector tests, so it tore my relationship with her apart. He remarried and did the same thing to his next teenage stepchild. He was just a masterful liar. When I understood how much she needed me to recognize that she was telling the truth, and she recognized that I didn’t have a clue. She was integral in helping bring him to justice. She was so brave, she put a wire on and got him to admit what he’d done."[8]

On October 23, 1982, O'Neill suffered a gunshot wound in her home on McClain Street in Bedford, New York. Police officers who interviewed O'Neill determined that she had accidentally shot herself in the abdomen with a .38 caliber revolver at her 30-acre, 25-room French-style estate[23] while trying to determine if the weapon was loaded.[36][37] Her husband at the time, John Lederer, was not in the house when the handgun was discharged, but two other people were in the house. Detective Sgt. Thomas Rothwell was quoted as having said that O'Neill "didn't know much about guns."[38] Reflecting on the incident, O'Neill said:

It was an accident... I hate guns. I believe we all have the right to bear them, but they scare me. I went up to our bedroom and my son was having dinner with the nanny. I noticed that the safe kept in the closet was wide open. When I looked closer, there was [my husband’s] gun lying in a bowl of bullets. I was so furious because my son could have easily reached it. I picked up what turned out to be a 38-caliber and it went off. It shot through my hip and stomach... But again, God saved my life. I could have been completely paralyzed.[15]

In 1988, O'Neill became a born-again Christian.[6] Commenting on her faith, she said: "I don't want to preach to anybody; I only want to say what happened to me.'[6] In her 1999 autobiography Surviving Myself, O'Neill describes many of her life experiences, including her marriages, career, and her move to her Tennessee farm in the late 1990s. She has said that she wrote the autobiography (her first book) "... at the prompting of her children."

O'Neill has dual citizenship, being a Brazilian and U.S. citizen.

Activism

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In 2004, O'Neill wrote and published From Fallen to Forgiven,[39] a book of biographical notes and thoughts about life and existence. O'Neill recounted how she underwent an abortion at age 22 while dating a Wall Street socialite after the divorce from her first husband. Her regrets over the experience contributed to her becoming a Pro-Life activist and a born-again Christian in 1986 at age 38.[15] She also began counseling abstinence to teens. Concerning her abortion, she writes:

I was told a lie from the pit of hell: that my baby was just a blob of tissue. The aftermath of abortion can be equally deadly for both mother and unborn child. A woman who has an abortion is sentenced to bear that for the rest of her life.[40]

O'Neill continues to be active as a writer working on her second autobiography, CoverStory, an inspirational speaker, and fundraiser for the benefit of crisis pregnancy centers across the United States.[41] She has also served as the spokesperson for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign,[41] an organization for people who regret that they or their partners had abortions.

She also founded Hope & Healing at Hillenglade, an equine therapy foundation in Nashville, Tennessee that serves war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.[8][15]

Filmography

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Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1968 For Love of Ivy Sandy [9]
1969 Some Kind of a Nut The Beauty Uncredited
1970 Rio Lobo Shasta Delaney [42]
1971 Summer of '42 Dorothy Walker [15]
1971 Such Good Friends Miranda [42]
1972 The Carey Treatment Georgia Hightower [42]
1972 Glass Houses Jean [18]
1973 Lady Ice Paula Booth [19]
1975 The Reincarnation of Peter Proud Ann Curtis [20]
1975 Whiffs Lt. Scottie Hallam [42]
1975 The Flower in His Mouth Elena Bardi Italian: Gente di rispetto [22]
1976 The Innocent Teresa Raffo Italian: L'innocente [23]
1977 The Psychic Virginia Ducci Italian: Sette note in nero [24]
1978 Caravans Ellen Jasper [42]
1979 A Force of One Mandy Rust [26]
1979 Steel Cass Cassidy [42]
1980 Cloud Dancer Helen St. Clair [42]
1981 Scanners Kim Obrist [43]
1987 I Love N.Y. Irene [30]
1991 Committed Susan Manning [31]
1992 Invasion of Privacy Hillary Wayne Direct-to-video
1994 Discretion Assured Paige
1994 The Visual Bible: Acts Lydia of Thyatira Direct-to-video
1997 The Corporate Ladder Irene Grace
1997 The Ride Ellen Stillwell
1999 The Prince and the Surfer Queen Albertina
2002 Time Changer Michelle Bain
2012 Last Ounce of Courage Dottie Revere
2013 Doonby Barbara Ann
2016 I'm Not Ashamed Linda
2024 Reagan Older Nelle Reagan

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1979 Love's Savage Fury Laurel Taggart TV movie
1981 The Other Victim Nancy Langford TV movie
1983 Bare Essence Lady Bobbi Rowan Main role (11 episodes)
1984-1985 Cover Up Danielle Reynolds Main role (22 episodes)
1985 A.D. Messalina TV miniseries
1985 Chase Sandy Albright TV movie
1986 Perry Mason: The Case of the Shooting Star Alison Carr TV movie
1988 The Red Spider Stephanie Hartford TV movie
1988 Glory Days Scotty Moran TV movie
1989 Full Exposure: The Sex Tapes Scandal Debralee Taft TV movie
1990 Personals Heather Moore TV movie
1992 Perfect Family Maggie TV movie
1993 The Cover Girl Murders Kate TV movie
1994 Jonathan Stone: Threat of Innocence Nan Stone TV movie
1995 Silver Strand Louellen Peterson TV movie
1996 Voyeur II Elizabeth (voice) Video game
1996 Poltergeist: The Legacy Lorraine Compton Episode: "Revelations"
1997 Nash Bridges Jenny Episode: "Shake, Rattle & Roll"
2000 On Music Row Linda Rodgers TV movie
2000 Heroes and Sheroes Self Reality TV

Bibliography

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  • Surviving Myself, New York: William Morrow and Company, 1999.
  • From Fallen to Forgiven, Thomas Nelson, 2002.
  • You're Not Alone: Healing Through God's Grace After Abortion. Faith Communications, 2005.
  • Remarkable Women, Insight Publishing Group, 2005.
  • A Fall Together, B&H Publishing Group, 2006.
  • A Winter of Wonders, B&H Publishing Group, 2007.
  • A Late Spring Frost, B&H Publishing Group, 2007
  • Faith Lessons, Insight Publishing Group, 2008.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Sheppard, Eugenia (May 11, 1965). "Fashion Model Makes Headlines—She's Pretty". The Tampa Tribune. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Jennifer O'Neill Biography". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023.
  3. ^ a b O'Neill 1999, p. 9.
  4. ^ "BIOGRAPHY | The Official Jennifer O'Neill Site". jenniferoneill.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016.
  5. ^ O'Neill 1999, p. 7.
  6. ^ a b c d e Witchel, Alex (April 27, 1999). "Love Goddess to Her Fans, Needing Love in Her Life". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023.
  7. ^ a b The New York Times Biographical Service. Vol. 2. The New York Times & Arno Press. 1971. p. 3119. ISSN 0161-2433.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Closer Staff (June 16, 2019). "Jennifer O'Neill on Finding Happiness After Tragedy: 'Never Give Up and Don't Lose Your Dreams'". Closer. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d Corrigan, Ed (February 21, 1971). "Jennifer O'Neill Making a Horse-Show Comeback". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023.
  10. ^ O'Neill 1999, pp. 45–53.
  11. ^ O'Neill 1999, p. 71.
  12. ^ O'Neill 1999, p. 83.
  13. ^ a b Levitt, Shelley (January 18, 1993). "Seventh Heaven". People. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  14. ^ a b Cover Girl Advertising Oral History & Documentation Project, 1959–1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
  15. ^ a b c d e f Nolasco, Stephanie (September 10, 2019). "'Summer of '42' actress Jennifer O'Neill says 'God saved my life' after suicide attempt, accidental gunshot wound". Fox News. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023.
  16. ^ Park, Louis Hillary (June 2002). "Summer of '42". TC Palm. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  17. ^ "Lake Havasu city plays a starring role in special". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. May 6, 1972. p. 12-D.
  18. ^ a b Canby, Vincent (January 8, 1972). "'Glass Houses':Jennifer O'Neill Stars at Local Theaters". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023.
  19. ^ a b "The Screen: Sun-Drenched 'Lady Ice':Donald Sutherland and Jennifer O'Neill Star Lot of Smiling, but Not Much Communicating". The New York Times. August 3, 1973. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023.
  20. ^ a b Barrett, Michael (June 6, 2018). "That Boy Ain't Right: 'The Reincarnation of Peter Proud'". PopMatters. Archived from the original on January 10, 2020.
  21. ^ "Whiffs (1975)". AllMovie. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023.
  22. ^ a b Sweeney 1999, p. 37.
  23. ^ a b c Stevenson, Laura (November 24, 1975). "Unlucky in Love". People. Archived from the original on January 10, 2011.
  24. ^ a b Felperin, Leslie (August 3, 2021). "The Psychic review – Lucio Fulci's ravishing giallo thriller with nasty taste for violence". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023.
  25. ^ Weiner, David (December 13, 2019). ""We Never Had an Ending:" How Disney's 'Black Hole' Tried to Match 'Star Wars'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  26. ^ a b "A Force of One (1979)". AllMovie. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023.
  27. ^ Freeland 2018, p. 97.
  28. ^ Buck, Jerry (March 5, 1983). "Jennifer O'Neill Swept Into Role In 'Bare Essence'". The News and Courier. p. 3-D.
  29. ^ "Jon-Erik Hexum's Fatal Joke". Entertainment Weekly. October 14, 1994. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012.
  30. ^ a b "I Love N.Y.". Encyclopedia.com. Cengage. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023.
  31. ^ a b "Committed". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023.
  32. ^ O'Neill 1999, pp. 95, 174, 209.
  33. ^ Romano, Aja (November 30, 2022). "The surreal true crimes behind Hulu's Welcome to Chippendales". Vox. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023.
  34. ^ Purdum, Todd S. (April 8, 1987). "Emmy-Winning Producer Shot to Death in Office". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  35. ^ Pessin, Esther (April 8, 1987). "Police searched for clues Wednesday to the mystery shooting..." United Press International. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023.
  36. ^ Whitehouse, Franklin (October 24, 1982). "Shooting of Jennifer O'Neill is believed accidental". The New York Times.
  37. ^ "THE REGION; O'Neill Shooting Called an Accident". The New York Times. October 26, 1982. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012.
  38. ^ "Actress claims shooting was accident", Minden Press-Herald, October 26, 1982, p. 1
  39. ^ O'Neill, Jennifer (2002). From Fallen to Forgiven. Thomas Nelson. ISBN 978-0-8499-1715-8.
  40. ^ "People vs. Politicians". National Catholic Register. May 8, 2007. p. 8. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016.
  41. ^ a b Mosher, Megan (September 16, 2011). "Restoration House Celebrates 25 years". Daily Star. Hammond, Louisiana. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  42. ^ a b c d e f g Monaco 1981, p. 139.
  43. ^ Freeland 2018, pp. 97–98.

Sources

[edit]
  • Freeland, Cynthia (2018). The Naked And The Undead: Evil And The Appeal Of Horror. New York City, New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-96478-7.
  • Monaco, James (1981). Who's Who in American Film Now. New York City, New York: New York Zoetrope. ISBN 978-0-918-43227-8.
  • O'Neill, Jennifer (1999). Surviving Myself. Sevierville, Tennessee: Insight Publishing. ISBN 978-0-688-15992-4.
  • Sweeney, Kevin (1999). James Mason: A Bio-Bibliography. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-28496-0.
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