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During the early 1970s, Hollywood had many attractive male actors such as Warren Beatty, Robert Redford, Kurt Russell, and Burt Reynolds. However, Ryan O’Neal stood out with his unique combination of charm and vulnerability. His cherubic features were complemented by a hint of femininity, adding to his dreamy leading man appearance. Yet, there was also a worldly and tough side to him.
In the 1973 film The Thief Who Came To Dinner, there is a memorable scene where Ryan O’Neal’s character, a jewel thief, confidently gains access to a high-class party and catches the eye of Jacqueline Bisset’s character, who may even feel envious of his bold and slightly androgynous beauty that rivals her own. “You’re too attractive to be skilled at anything,” she teasingly remarks. “Skilled at what?” he responds with a dry delivery. “What else is there?” she retorts. What more could one ask for?
In 1970, O’Neal captivated American women with his breakthrough role in Arthur Hiller’s Love Story. The film, a tearjerker, featured O’Neal as a privileged Harvard student who falls for a tough, intelligent girl from a lower socio-economic background. The formidable Ali MacGraw played the female lead, who tragically becomes terminally ill. Their romance was unique in that MacGraw’s character was portrayed as stronger and more assertive than O’Neal’s, who had been dominated by his wealthy father. Through her selfless sacrifice, O’Neal’s character is able to mature and find a sense of nobility. A decade later, O’Neal starred in the somewhat underwhelming sequel, Oliver’s Story, where he finds a different kind of love with Candice Bergen.
O’Neal’s rise to fame was, in a way, supported by Robert Evans, the leader of Paramount Pictures that produced Love Story. At the time, Evans was married to Ali MacGraw. However, it was the talented and up-and-coming director Peter Bogdanovich who truly launched O’Neal’s career. Bogdanovich cast O’Neal in two of his most successful films and recognized in him the perfect combination of carefree charm, humor, and romantic allure.
In the 1972 film What’s Up Doc?, O’Neal played the role of a prissy musicologist who donned pretentious glasses, reminiscent of Cary Grant in Monkey Business. These glasses only added to his exaggerated good looks. His character had charmingly intellectual theories about how early humans were able to appreciate harmony. In a chaotic storyline involving four identical bags, O’Neal becomes enamored with the assertive and confident Barbara Streisand.
However, his most remarkable film was released a year later – the magnificent comedy Paper Moon set during the Great Depression. In this film, O’Neal portrays a swindler who roams the American Midwest executing cons with the help of a young nine-year-old accomplice who poses as his innocent daughter. Interestingly, this character was played by O’Neal’s real-life daughter, Tatum O’Neal.
The combination of characters was both profoundly melancholic and humorous. Despite her youth, Tatum appears mature (it is surprising to witness her smoking) while Ryan, despite his character’s manipulative cynicism, has a youthful appearance. As always, O’Neal exuded a delicate and attractive aura and may have been inherently submissive to a female co-star. Later, Bogdanovich discovered the same comedic vulnerability in his leading actor in the Hollywood film Nickelodeon.
Two additional exceptional films from the 1970s cemented O’Neal’s status in the movie world of that decade. Playing the lead in Stanley Kubrick’s period piece Barry Lyndon, adapted from Thackeray’s novel, allowed O’Neal to showcase his maturation as an actor. His character, a roguish adventurer who meets a tragic fate, incorporates O’Neal’s striking looks as part of the narrative. Despite his attractiveness, his character is portrayed as weak, corrupt, and submissive, causing him to suffer greatly.
In 1978’s The Driver, directed by Walter Hill, the protagonist’s innocent-looking face was intentionally unemotional and difficult to read. He plays the role of a cool and collected getaway driver, whose serene demeanor is only disrupted by his disdain for those who lack professionalism.
Perhaps O’Neal never fully matured or evolved like actors Newman or Eastwood did. However, during his prime, he exuded incredible charm and sex appeal. He also had a unique and charmingly humorous understanding of how attractive he was, as well as the struggles and isolation that come with beauty.
Source: theguardian.com
