An Iconic ’70s Heartthrob Dies At 82

Ryan O’Neal was an absolute legend in both television and film. But before he got into acting he made a name for himself as an amateur boxer in the 1950s.

In fact, he even sparred for two rounds with Joe Frazer on national television in 1966 while boxing legend Mohammad Ali provided commentary.

At this point in his career, he was already well-established as an actor, and his boxing days were mostly behind him.

Ryan O’Neal started his acting career in 1960, and he gained widespread recognition when he took on the role of Rodney Harrington in ABC’s Peyton Place in 1964.

Over the next five years, O’Neal would appear in 60 episodes as a recurring character and 441 episodes as a lead character. The series’ success put him on the map, eventually leading to a legendary movie career.

But Ryan O’Neal truly became a household name after starring in the 1970 romance film, Love Story. Not only is Love Story considered to be one of the most romantic films of fall time by the American Film Institute, but it’s also one of the highest-grossing films of all time when you adjust its box office revenue for inflation.

From this point forward, Ryan O’Neal seemed unstoppable. Shortly after Love Story O’Neal starred in 1973’s Paper Moon alongside his real-life daughter, Tatum O’Neal.

Not only did Tatum O’Neal win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, but Ryan O’Neal was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.

The ’70s proved to be quite a prolific time for Ryan O’Neal, and he starred in films such as What’s Up, Doc?, A Bridge Too Far, The Driver, and Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon.

Ryan O’Neal most recently had a recurring role in the Fox series Bones, in which he portrayed the father of Temperance “Bones” Brennan, Max Keenan. The series ran from 2005 to 2017.

But Ryan O’Neal has had several health issues since the early aughts. In 2001, he was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). During this time, he spent a lot of time with Farrah Fawcett, who passed away from cancer in 2009.

Though the two stars had a tumultuous romantic partnership from 1979 to 1997, they reconnected while they were both fighting for their lives.

In 2012, Ryan O’Neal was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer, which was later downgraded to stage 2.

In 2021, O’Neal and his Love Story co-star Ali MacGraw were inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 50 years after its theatrical release.

Despite his ailments, Ryan O’Neal lived his life to the fullest. He is survived by four children and five grandchildren and will be sorely missed.