Barbara O'Neil

Biography

Barbara O'Neil was an American actress, mostly remembered for playing Ellen O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" (1939). She was once nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress . O'Neil was born in St. Louis, Missouri to a prominent family. Her father was businessman David O'Neil (1874-1947), president of the O'Neil Lumber Company. David was also a poet and theatrical actor. O'Neil's mother was suffrage leader Barbara Blackman O'Neil (1880-1963), president of the Equal Suffrage League. O'Neil's maternal grandmother was portrait painter Carrie Horton Blackman (1856-1935). O'Neil was mostly raised in Europe, where had father had retired. She was educated at the Sarah Lawrence College, a liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. She received her acting education in Yale School of Drama, where her mentor was drama teacher George Pierce Baker (1866-1935). Baker recommended O'Neil as an actress to the University Players (1928-1932), a summer stock theater company who was seeking a new leading lady. O'Neil made her theatrical debut in 1931, and her Broadweay debut in 1932. Her first Broadway performance was a play depicting the life of Carrie Nation (1846-1911), a radical member of the temperance movement. The real-life nation had become famous for attacking taverns with her hatchet. After several years as a theatrical actress, O'Neil made her film debut in the drama film "Stella Dallas" (1937). She acted alongside female lead Barbara Stanwyck (1907-1990), and secondary lead Anne Shirley (1918-1993). O'Neil found steady work in films during the late 1930s. Her films included the adultery-themed drama "Love, Honor and Behave" (1938), the American Civil War-themed drama "The Toy Wife" (1938), the racketeering-themed crime drama "I Am the Law" (1938), the British Empire-themed drama "The Sun Never Sets" (1939), and the adultery-themed romantic drama "When Tomorrow Comes" (1939), O'Neil played the historical figure Elizabeth Woodville (c. 1437-1492), Queen consort of England in the period film "Tower of London" (1939). O'Neil received her most prominent Ellen O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" (1939). As in the source novel by Margaret Mitchell, Ellen is still a young woman who has three daughters, and is married to a much-older man. In the film, the role of the elderly husband Gerald O'Hara was played by Thomas Mitchell, daughter Scarlett O'Hara was played by Vivien Leigh, daughter Suellen O'Hara was played by Evelyn Keyes, and daughter Carreen O'Hara was played Ann Rutherford. O'Neil was actually only three years older than Leigh, six years older than Keyes, and 7 years older than Rutherford. O'Neil's next prominent film role was that of murder victim Françoise, duchesse de Praslin (1807-1847) in the period film "All This, and Heaven Too" (1940). O'Neil was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for this role. The award was instead won by rival actress Jane Darwell (1879-1967). O'Neil's next films included the medical missionary-themed drama "Shining Victory" (1941), the Bluebeard-themed psychological thriller "Secret Beyond the Door" (1947), the immigrant-themed drama "I Remember Mama" (1948), the film noir "Whirlpool" (1950), the film noir "Angel Face" (1953), and the film noir "Flame of the Islands" (1956). O'Neil's last prominent film role was that of Mother Didyma in the convent-themed film "The Nun's Story" (1959). She largely retired from film at the age of 49. She briefly returned with a supporting role in "Lions of St. Petersburg" (1970), which was her final role in any form. O'Neil continued living in retirement until her death in 1980, due to a heart attack. She was 70-years-old.