Iconic actor Ryan O’Neal, who passed away last week at age 82, left behind a towering film career starring in classics like Love Story, What’s Up, Doc? and Barry Lyndon to name a few. But equally complex is the romantic legacy he has left behind – including two failed marriages and his famously tumultuous 30-year relationship with Charlie’s Angels star Farrah Fawcett.
While O’Neal’s on-screen charisma won over audiences, off-screen he struggled to maintain healthy bonds, evading lasting marriage but finding an enduring connection with Fawcett that captivated fans. As the world honors O’Neal’s acting gifts, a quick look at his colorful relationship history spotlights his equally compelling unscripted drama.
Initial fame brings rushed first marriage and quick divorce
O’Neal’s rise as an overnight Hollywood heartthrob in 1970’s Love Story brought intense fame quite fast. Caught up in sudden stardom in his late 20s, a young O’Neal impulsively married actress Joanna Moore weeks after meeting her in 1963.
But the hastily-made union crumbled within years, with the divorce finalized in 1967 amidst claims of domestic violence. Both later admitted entering marriage for shallow reasons before truly knowing each other. O’Neal confessed, “It was my fault. I was too young,” while Moore acknowledged, “We just weren’t ready.”
Lasting over two decades, second marriage also failed
In 1976, O’Neal took another trip down the aisle, marrying actress Leigh Taylor-Young after they starred together in the 1973 film Paper Moon. This marriage proved longer, producing two children and lasting 22 years before divorcing in 1998.
While doubling his first union, reports of continued domestic turbulence plagued their partnership, including a notorious 1985 incident where O’Neal accidentally shot at Taylor-Young. As daughter Tatum stated, “Their marriage was extremely volatile.”
Beyond the two failed marriages, however, O’Neal also carried a 30-year torch for glamorous Charlie’s Angels star Farrah Fawcett after first crossing paths in 1979. Their enduring relationship captivated the public through extreme highs and lows until her death from cancer in 2009.
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Intense bond with Fawcett grabbed limelight for three decades
After guest starring in Charlie’s Angels, O’Neal began seriously dating Fawcett in 1979 following the dissolution of her six-year relationship with Lee Majors. Fawcett was the epitome of beauty and style, with O’Neal later confessing it was love at first sight back when they first met at a party.
While never marrying, their intense passion gripped popular culture for decades. As son Redmond said, “No one can replace what they had.” Even when separated during the late 1990s, their profound connection endured.
People Magazine notes when Fawcett’s life neared its end battling cancer, “O’Neal remained steadfastly by her side” during her final painful months. While their union brought ugly headlines at times, close confidantes describe unwavering devotion between the two underneath the turbulent surface.
The longtime couple even produced one son together, Redmond, now 37. And when Fawcett finally lost her staunch cancer fight in 2009 at only 62, an inconsolable O’Neal was captured sobbing over her casket, encapsulating their emotional bond.
A romantic maelstrom, but bonds of love leave a legacy
Like his heavyweight acting career, Ryan O’Neal’s trail of romantic turbulence left quite an impact. Between two failed Hollywood marriages and one powerfully enduring 30-year relationship, O’Neal showed that the human heart doesn’t follow scripts.
While fans celebrate O’Neal’s movie legacy, may we also toast the earnest depth of love’s bonds, however imperfectly expressed at times during his complicated romantic history?
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