(PatriotWise.com) — Ryan O’Neal, the Oscar-nominated actor whose film credits include “Love Story” and “Paper Moon,” died last week at the age of 82, CNN reported.
The actor’s death was announced by his son, Patrick O’Neal, who wrote on Instagram that his father passed away peacefully last Friday, surrounded by “his loving team.” The younger O’Neal described his father as his “hero,” whom he “looked up to.”
Born in Los Angeles, California, in April 1941, Ryan O’Neal was a professional boxer before he pursued a career in acting.
The actor appeared in several 1960s classic TV shows, including “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,” “The Untouchables,” “Leave it to Beaver,” and “My Three Sons,” before landing a breakout role on the nighttime soap opera “Peyton Place” in 1964.
After appearing in several other TV shows in the 1960s, O’Neal was launched into stardom in 1970 when he starred alongside actress Ali MacGraw in the film adaptation of Erich Segal’s novel “Love Story.”
The now-classic tearjerker tells the story of wealthy heir Oliver Barrett IV, who marries the outspoken, working-class girl Jennifer Cavilleri, only to have their love story end tragically as Jenny dies of a terminal illness.
The film introduced the popular expression, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”
Both O’Neal and MacGraw received Oscar nominations for their roles in the film.
O’Neal also starred with his actress daughter Tatum in the 1973 film “Paper Moon,” for which Tatum won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Previously married twice to actresses Joanna Moore and Leigh Taylor-Young, O’Neal also had a longtime relationship with 1970s pin-up star Farrah Fawcett.
With his first wife, Joanne Moore, O’Neal had two children, Tatum and his son Griffin O’Neal. Patrick O’Neal, a sportscaster, is the result of O’Neal’s marriage to Leigh Taylor-Young. O’Neal and Farrah Fawcett also have one son, Redmond James O’Neal.
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