Maureen Paula O’Sullivan (May 17, 1911 – June 23, 1998) was an Irish actress who played Jane in the Tarzan series of films during the era of Johnny Weissmuller. She starred in dozens of feature films across a span of more than half a century and performed with such stars as Laurence Olivier, Greta Garbo, Fredric March, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, the Marx Brothers and Woody Allen. In 2020, she was listed at number eight on The Irish Times list of Ireland’s greatest film actors.
As a child, O’Sullivan attended a convent school in Dublin, then the Convent of the Sacred Heart at Roehampton, England (now Woldingham School). One of her classmates there was Vivian Mary Hartley, the future Academy Award-winning actress Vivien Leigh. After attending finishing school in France, O’Sullivan returned to Dublin to work with the poor. In October 1929, she sailed to New York with her mother on the British steamer RMS Baltic, on the way to Hollywood to work for the Fox Film Corporation.
O’Sullivan’s film career began when she met motion picture director Frank Borzage, who was doing location filming on Song o’ My Heart (released in 1930) for Fox Film Corporation. He suggested she take a screen test which won her a part in the movie that starred Irish tenor John McCormack. She traveled to the United States to complete the movie in Hollywood. She appeared in six movies at Fox, then made three more at other studios.
In 1932 she signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. After several roles there and for other studios, she was chosen by Irving Thalberg to appear as Jane Parker in Tarzan the Ape Man, with costar Johnny Weissmuller. One of MGM’s more popular ingenues through the 1930s, she appeared in a number of other productions with various stars. She played Jane in six Tarzan features between 1932 and 1942.
She was featured with William Powell and Myrna Loy in The Thin Man (1934) and played Kitty in Anna Karenina (1935) with Greta Garbo, Fredric March, and Basil Rathbone. After costarring with the Marx Brothers in A Day at the Races (1937), she appeared as Molly Beaumont in A Yank at Oxford (1938), written partly by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Below is a selection of 22 stunning portraits of a young and beautiful Maureen O’Sullivan in the 1930s:
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What a captivating tribute to Maureen O’Sullivan’s timeless beauty and cinematic legacy! These 22 portraits from the 1930s not only showcase her elegance but also reflect the golden era of Hollywood. Her portrayal of Jane in the Tarzan series remains iconic, and it's delightful to see her celebrated in this collection.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing these stunning images that honor her enduring charm and talent