Unraveling Ryan O'Neal's past controversies as the 'Barry Lyndon' actor tragically dies at 82

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Hollywood star and legend Ryan O’Neal, famed for his roles in ‘Love Story’, ‘Peyton Place’, died on Friday,  December 8.

The actor’s younger son Patrick O’Neal shared the news of his death by posting a long emotional message on Instagram. He did so with a series of three posts, paying tribute to his father and cherishing the memories they made together.

Describing his father as his “hero,” Patrick announced that his father tragically died and had “his loving team by his side” at the time, “supporting him and loving him as he would us.”

O’Neal’s son from his second wife Leigh Taylor-Young went on to “share some feelings to give you an idea of how great a man he is,” before adding, “I looked up to him and he was always bigger than life.”

However, this had not always been the case. While O’Neal cemented his place in Hollywood’s star-studded galaxy by starring in films like ‘Love Story’, ‘What’s Up, Doc?’, ‘Paper Moon’, ‘Barry Lyndon’, A Bridge Too Far’, and ‘The Main Event’ among others, his personal life was marred with several controversies including his problematic relationship with his four children.

A father of four children, Ryan O’Neal had two children with his first wife Joanna Moore - Tatum O'Neal and Griffin O'Neal; he had Patrick O'Neal with his second wife Leigh Taylor-Young and Redmond James Fawcett O'Neal with his long-time partner Farah Fawcett. 

Ryan O’Neal called himself a 'hopeless father'

By his own admission, Ryan O’Neal was a “hopeless father.” In an interview with Vanity Fair, O’Neal admitted, "I'm a hopeless father. I don't know why. I don't think I was supposed to be a father. Just look around at my work—they're either in jail or they should be.”

Ryan O’Neal’s problematic relationship with his daughter Tatum O’Neal

O’Neal’s only daughter Tatum rose to phenomenal fame when she starred with her father in ‘Paper Moon’ (1973) which was set in the Great Depression era.

The film was about a motherless girl, played by Tatum, and a man who is possibly her father (played by O’Neal). The film that catapulted Tatum’s fame also brought her an Oscar in the 1974 Academy Award, when she was just 10.

The award, in a way, also caused a fracture in the relationship between the father and daughter. 

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Tatum recalled the win and said, “He loved me, but then hated me, because I won the Academy Award.”

She further added that while her father sent a congratulatory note, her mother did not acknowledge the win. Tatum added, “Weird s**t happened. It kind of went in the wrong direction to happiness.”

That was, however, not the whole extent of their estrangement. After spending the majority of her life having a difficult relationship with her father, the duo reconciled in 2011 following a TV show named ‘Ryan and Tatum: the O'Neals’.

However, the father and daughter once again went for years without seeing each other after it ended.

O’Neal explained the rift later in an interview in the 2011 show, “I had this peculiar thing on Paper Moon, and that is the director insisted she wasn’t my daughter.”

He continued, “The director insisted that my character, Moses, never thought for a second that this was his daughter. So he wanted me to make sure that I didn’t think of her as my daughter. And maybe it never wore off.”

In her autobiography ‘A Paper Life’, Tatum further delved into the problematic relationship and shared that because of her father’s drug abuse, she had suffered considerable physical and emotional abuse, per Vanity Fair. 

O’Neal and Tatum’s problematic relationship left broadcaster Ryan Tubridy uncomfortable as during an appearance on 'The Late Late Show' in 2015, the ‘Love Story’ actor made controversial comments about his rift with his daughter.

The Irish radio broadcaster and RTE host told his 2FM audience in 2015 that O’Neal shared how Tatum tried to sabotage his relationship with Farrah Fawcett and tried to make him choose between the two, which resulted in a tumultuous relationship between the duo as he chose Farrah.

When Tubridy asked O’Neal in the interview whether the ‘The Driver’ star reconciled with Tatum following the demise of Fawcett in 2009, O’Neal replied, "I'm mad at her," before adding, "She just irritates me. I don't hate her… but life is a lot easier that when Tatum isn't around. She's a devil," per the Irish Independent.

However, following Tatum's stroke and health scare in 2020, the estranged father and daughter met in 2023 to reconcile.

She said about him, “I think he’s gotten a little bit better in his life,” and continued, “I mean, he’s an amazing man, my dad, and I miss him terribly.”

When asked whether she has finally forgiven her father, the child actress said, “I don’t want him to die,” before explaining, “I love him. I love my dad. I mean, I’ve had a hard life with my dad — but I still love him.”

Ryan O'Neal and his estrangement from Griffin O'Neal

Ryan O'Neal was embroiled in controversies regarding his son Griffin O'Neal as well. 

Ryan O’Neal had a severely estranged relationship with his eldest son Griffin. In 2007, the actor was arrested for assaulting his son with a handgun during a fight at O’Neal’s Malibu home.

For the same incident, he was accused of assault with a deadly weapon and negligent discharge of a firearm. Five hours after he was kept in custody, O’Neal was released on a $50,000 bond.

Griffin even talked about their tumultuous relationship in a Vanity Fair profile on Farrah Fawcett after she died in 2009.

O’Neal’s son said in the interview,  "He was a very abusive, narcissistic psychopath. He gets so mad he can't control anything he's doing."

He also suggested in the interview that most of their family’s problems originated from his father and his substance abuse.

He said, "My father gave me cocaine when I was 11 and insisted I take it.” He also added, “This man was under the influence the whole freaking time," before continuing, "He was violent all the way through my upbringing.”

Ryan O'Neal's history of substance abuse and his relationship with his son Redmond

Ryan O'Neal's relationship with his son Redmond (whom he shared with Farrah Fawcett) also went downhill as his son struggled with drug and substance addiction for most part of his life.

After he was arrested for an attempted robbery at a convenience store in 2018, he told in an interview with RadarOnline from jail that it was "not drugs that have been a problem, it's the psychological trauma of my entire life — my whole life experiences have affected me the most."

He was charged with attempted murder, robbery, assault, and drug possession along with attempted robbery at the convenience store.

Earlier, in 2008, Redmond and Ryan O'Neal were arrested for drug possession, per Daily News. 

Redmond also blamed his parents for his debacle as he accused his father of fighting with him. He further added that "being kicked out and living on the streets" added to his troubles including "going to jail, being put in a psychiatric ward, being embarrassed all the time."

He also believes that his problems arose "because of who my parents are."

"The pressure that came with that set off a time-bomb in my head," Redmond continued before adding, "I never asked for any of this, I never wanted any attention," per People.