‘He socked me’: Tatum O’Neal and the horrible backstory behind the youngest ever Oscar win
For many actors, an Academy Award is the final frontier. They are often treated as things to be earned through years of glad-handing and hard graft – a prize to be yearned after for years, even decades. But not everybody has to wait a lifetime. Just ask Tatum O’Neal.
It was 50 years ago, in 1974, that O’Neal became the , for her performance opposite her father Ryan in Peter Bogdanovich’s scammers-on-the-road movie . O’Neal was just eight when she shot the film, and 10 when she won the award. Despite some claims of so-called category fraud – many have argued that O’Neal ought to have competed in the Lead Actress strand – this was a win that has stood the test ofsoared thanks to O’Neal: the young actor delivers the quintessential “Hollywood child actor” performance, full of pluck and pathos. Her chemistry with her father, too, was lived-in and heartfelt. Offscreen, however, it was a different story.
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