Ryan O’Neal, an Oscar-nominated actor who starred in the soap opera Peyton Place and the 1970s films Paper Moon and What’s Up, Doc?, died on Friday, December 8, at the age of 82. His death was confirmed by his son in a post on social media.
“My dad passed away peacefully today, with his loving team by his side supporting him and loving him as he would us,” Patrick O’Neal wrote on Instagram. “My father Ryan O’Neal has always been my hero. I looked up to him and he was always bigger than life.”
His son did not list a cause of death.
Ryan O’Neal’s star rose in 1964 after landing his breakout role as Rodney Harrington in the ABC nighttime soap Peyton Place. O’Neal was known as a heartthrob, especially from his turn in the 1970 box office hit Love Story, for which he earned his Oscar nomination.
In the 1973 hit Paper Moon, O’Neal played a Depression-era con artist alongside his real-life daughter Tatum O’Neal, a role that won her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 10. His other notable movie roles include Barry Lyndon, A Bridge Too Far and The Driver.
He was born into the business as the son of screenwriter Charles “Blackie” O’Neal and actress Patricia O’Callaghan, according to the biography page on his website.
Before turning to acting, the Los Angeles native trained to become a professional boxer. He competed in two Golden Gloves championships in 1956 and 1957. He parlayed his athleticism into a stuntman role on the TV series Tales of the Vikings, his first on-screen job.
