"Place of birth"..............: Los Angeles, California, USA.
"Father".............: Ryan O'Neal (actor).
"Mother"................: Joanna Moore (actress).
"I've gone through a lot of hardships. Not everyone can rake hardships.
I think I'm one in a million."
-Tatum quoted in Fame, August 1990.
Tatum O'Neal was born November 5 in 1963. Tatum's parents, Ryan O'Neal (born 1941)
and Joanna Moore (born 1934) married in 1963 and divorced in 1967.
In 1970, her father assumed custody of Tatum her brother Griffin (born 1964). She was raised in Los Angeles, California and went to Hollywood Professional School in Hollywood, CA. Where later on she dropped out from. She didn't have an easy childhood. Living with her playboy father around the time when her mother was hospitalized for amphetamine and alcohol addiction.
9 years old she was bound to play the role as the orphan and tiny sized con artist Addie Pray in Peter Bogdanovich's 'Paper Moon' (1973),
an addaption of Joe David Browns's novel 'Addie Pray'.
Night of April 2, 1974 she won the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award and became the youngest Oscar winner in history. Only 10 years old and in her debut movie!
She also won a Golden Globe for the Most Promising Newcomer-Female.
April 22, 1974, Tatum covered the magazine People Weekly (USA),
Her second outing was another Peter Bogdanovich picture 'Nickelodeon (1976)'.
And Tatum costared again with her father Ryan.
Her third movie was 'The Bad News Bears' (1976). Tatum plays the role as Amanda Wurlitzer, the teams best pitcher. For the role, Tatum earned $350 000 and 9% of all the income, which turned her to the best paid child actress on that time.
In 1976 she also won a NATO Star of the Year Award, presented by the National Association of Theaters Owners.
In 1978 she starred in 'International Velvet' (1978). A new version of the 1945 hit production with Elizabeth Taylor in the lead role.
In 1980, 17 years old, Tatum played in 'Little Darlings' (1980) and 'Circle of Two' (1980).
In 1982, Tatum's father met Farah Fawcett and they become a couple.
Continued her acting career, after a little break, in the short tv-movie 'Faerie Tale Theatre -Goldilock and the Three Bears' (1983) (pic), and a little role in 'Prisoners' (1981). And she played a prostitute in Gyllenhaal's 'Certain Fury' (1985).
Then, August 1 1986, Tatum (22) marry tennis star John McEnroe (27) in a stone church in Oyster Bay, New York.
A big turning point for Tatum's acting career and life. Many thought they was the perfect couple, Tatum who won the Oscar only 10, named "Tantrum" in the media, and was labeled as "difficult" on movie sets. John McEnroe, only 18 he reached the semi final in the Wimbledon Tournament. Won seven Grand Slam singles titles and was ranked as no.1 at ATP from 1981 to 1984. Nicknamed McBrat by the press. The most tempermentful player on the court and anyone can imagine him off. "I have a temper - I'm Irish for heaven's sake!" he said.
Tatum's film career was already down after some mediocre movies, and after the birth of Kevin John, May 24 1986, Tatum decided to give all of her to the family. "I'm doing everything (for my kids) the opposite of what was done to me", she once said.
In 1988 Tatum gives birth to their second son, Sean Timothy. Tatum was now more known for her marriage to McEnroe than the acting bit, she was always visible when McEnroe played tournaments.
In 1991 Tatum played in 'Little Noises' (1991).
May 10 1991 Tatum gives birth to their daughter Emily Katherine.
In 1992 Tatum stage debut in a New York theatre in the play 'A Terrible Beauty'.
So in November 1992, after six years of marriage, Tatum and John McEnroe seperated. The reported reason was that Tatum wanted to pick up her acting career and McEnroe wanted her to stay home with the three kids, Kevin, Sean and Emily. "It was much more complicated" a friend said. Tatum herself said after the breakup: "I missed being a significant aspect of society, because I guess I felt insignificant in my role as a tennis wife". Tatum got the custody and in a 1994 divorce settlement, she reportedly was awarded $4.5 million.
It was during Tatum was filming the tv-movie 'Woman on the Run: The Lawrencia Bembenek Story' (1993), they seperated. And back in December 1992, when she was offered the role, as the former Milwaukee cop who claims she was framed for the 1981 murder of her then husband's ex-wife, she decided it was comeback time. "I had to push myself out there," she said. "I couldn't keep waiting for that great artsy project to come and take me into the mainstream. I sort of feel like there's a biological clock ticking in terms of my work."
And Tatums return to acting so soon after the breakup with McEnroe led to speculation that her temperamental husband had opposed her working, but Tatum refuses to discuss the marriage or the possibility of a reconciliation.
In March 1995 Tatum played the lead in the Off Broadway play 'Ecstasy'.
Played a cameo, in Julian Schanbel's 'Basquiat' (1996), produced by Miramax.
September 1 1996, Tatum's grandfather, writer Charles O'Neal died. He had helped and raised both Tatum and Griffin after their parents had split. Also Tatum's grandmother, Patricia O'Neal (also actress) helped through the difficult times.
In November 1996 all the rumours about Tatum's drug abuse came to fact.
Tatum thought she could handle it by herself, but the problems peaked when John McEnroe stated that Tatum had serious problems and that he needed to overtake the custody of their three children. Few days later Tatum seeked professional help.
She was recovered at Hazelden in Minnesota. And in the meanwhile McEnroe had the kids.
After rehab Tatum's most pressing concern seemed to be finding a summer house that's "big enough for my kids to run around in." Which is a task she promised to undertake with the same can-do determination she displayed 20 years ago as the little con artist in overalls.
"Taking on John McEnroe was the biggest struggle of my life." said Tatum after the breakup. Now she was ready to take back her life and continue with domestic routines in New York.
Early 1997, the fiftheen year long relationship between Ryan O'Neal and Farah Fawcett ended. They never married.
November 22 1997, Tatum's mother Joanna Moore died of lunge cancer, 63 years old.
In 1998, also her half brother, 13 years old Redmond (son of Ryan O'Neal and Farah Fawcett), was up in the tabloids after been arrested of possessing marihuana. Tatum has also another half brother, Patrick O'Neal (son of Ryan O'Neal and Leigh Taylor-Young).
Also Tatum's brother Griffin has a light criminal background, with numberous speed tickets, fighting, theft and drug abuse. Big headlines was created when he was accused of murder of Gian Carlo Coppola, son of Francis Ford.
Cian Carlo was killed in a speed boat accident, by a rope. Griffin didn't get any conviction, but he had to pay fine and had to work 400 hours helping others.
But just after one month he was again arrested for possessing of marihuana and an assult on his girlfriend, included a .44 magnum shot at her car.
A funnier story goes back when Griffin fist fighted with his father and lost three tooths.
Both childstarlets, Tatum O'Neal and Jodie Foster who played Addie Pray in the tv-series of 'Paper Moon' had an early flying start. But their "adult" career hasn't been much same. Director Martin Scorsese has once said that very young movie stars are more sensitive than others, somehow explained of their unormal childhood. Some of them can fall deep when they get older.
After Tatum's memorable cameo in 'Basquiat' (1996), Hollywood are apparently once again interessted in casting her.
Although she's pursuing feature-film roles, her life's and children are more important."You have to look at the positive. Out of all the trouble comes strength and willpower," Tatum said. "Power to go through three unanesthetized births and major heartache and to survive that and keep going. That's the trick. That's how you make it."
