Barbara O'Neil facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Barbara O' Neil
O'Neil in Angel Face trailer (1953)
Born	(1910-07-17)July 17, 1910 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Died	September 3, 1980(1980-09-03) (aged 70) Cos Cob, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1937–59; 1970
Spouse(s)	Joshua Logan ​ ​ (m. 1940; div. 1942)​
Parent(s)	David O'Neil Barbara Blackman O'Neil

Barbara O'Neil (born July 17, 1910 – died September 3, 1980) was a talented American actress. She starred in movies and plays. You might know her from the famous film Gone with the Wind (1939). She was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in All This, and Heaven Too (1940).

Early Life

Barbara O'Neil was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her parents were Barbara Blackman O'Neil and David O'Neil. Her mother was a well-known person in society. Her father was a poet. Barbara spent much of her childhood living in Europe. She later went to Sarah Lawrence College in the United States.

Acting Career

Barbara O'Neil started her acting journey in summer theater. In 1931, she joined a group called the University Players. This group performed plays during the summer. She was hired after an audition. She had been a student at the Yale School of Drama.

Barbara made her first appearance on Broadway in 1932. Broadway is a famous theater district in New York City. She acted in a play about a woman named Carrie Nation. Later, in 1954, she played the role of Madam Serena Merle. This was in a play based on the book The Portrait of a Lady.

Barbara O'Neil on the set of The Toy Wife (1938)

Barbara O'Neil's first movie was Stella Dallas in 1937. A big role came in 1939. She played Ellen O'Hara, the mother of Scarlett O'Hara. This was in the classic movie Gone with the Wind. Interestingly, she was only three years older than the actress playing her daughter, Vivien Leigh.

The next year, she acted in All This, and Heaven Too (1940). She played a powerful and jealous duchess. For this role, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. This is a very important award in movies.

She continued to act in many films. These included Shining Victory (1941) and I Remember Mama (1948). She also appeared in Secret Beyond the Door (1948). Later, she was in Whirlpool (1949) and Angel Face (1952). Her last major film was The Nun's Story (1959). In this movie, she acted alongside the famous Audrey Hepburn.

Later Life and Death

Barbara O'Neil passed away on September 3, 1980. She was 70 years old. She died from a heart attack at her home in Cos Cob, Connecticut.

Film Roles

Here are some of the movies Barbara O'Neil appeared in: