Ryan O’Neal, renowned for his breakout performance in the 1970 film Love Story, has undergone a profound transformation more than 50 years later.
Struggling to move, the toll of sickness is evident on his physique.
Cast as Oliver in Love Story, a film that became iconic and one of the most romantic ever made, O’Neal achieved success in 1970.
The movie, debuting in New York on December 16, 1970, won four Golden Globes and an Academy Award.
Love Story narrates the tale of Oliver Barett IV, a Harvard graduate from a well-to-do family, who falls for Jennifer Cavelleri, a working-class Radcliffe College student. Despite objections from Oliver’s father, they plan to marry. Financial struggles lead Jenny to work to support Oliver’s Harvard Law School, and they decide to become parents. However, after fertility struggles, a doctor reveals Jenny has leukemia.
In a tragic twist of fate, O’Neal lived through a parallel experience in real life. His enduring love affair with Farrah Fawcett, star of the first Charlie’s Angels series, unfolded over 17 years but never led to marriage. Farrah succumbed to cancer in 2009, leaving O’Neal devastated.
His memoir, Both of Us: My Life with Farrah, recounts their relationship, revealing their intention to marry. Farrah’s deathbed service had to be conducted by a priest who traveled for the ceremony. O’Neal described sitting by her, feeling her weakening pulse, and how her spirit resisted giving up.
Over a decade after Farrah’s passing, O’Neal admits he hasn’t fully recovered. Recent photos depict a frail, aged O’Neal struggling to move through Malibu’s streets. Chronic leukemia and prostate cancer have taken a toll on his physique.
Now 80, O’Neal expressed regret over not being a better father to his four children, acknowledging their struggles with drugs. Born in Los Angeles in 1941, O’Neal gained fame with films like What’s the Matter, Doc? (1972) and Paper Moon (1973). He was twice married, first to Joanna Moore and then Leigh Taylor-Young, both ending in divorce. His children include Tatum, Griffin, Patrick, and Redmond James Fawcett O’Neal.