The Truth About Ryan O'Neal's Children

Note: The following article includes discussions of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and addiction issues.

Ryan O'Neal led a turbulent life before he passed away at the age of 82 on December 8, 2023. The actor soared to the heights of fame in the 1960s and 1970s with roles in the nighttime soap "Peyton's Place" and movies like "Love Story" and "Paper Moon." However, he had his share of lows along the way, as did his family.

Ryan was the father of four children: Tatum and Griffin O'Neal by his first wife Joanna Moore, Patrick O'Neal by his second wife Leigh Taylor-Young, and Redmond O'Neal by his partner Farrah Fawcett. Ryan's son Patrick O'Neal announced the actor's death on Instagram. "This is the toughest thing I've ever had to say," he said in the post. "My dad passed away peacefully today, with his loving team by his side supporting him and loving him as he would us."

While Patrick seems to have been on good terms with his father, his siblings weren't always so lucky as Ryan wasn't the best father figure — by his own admission. The "Love Story" actor became a frequent flyer in tabloids during his career due to what The Washington Post summed up as a "playboy lifestyle, flaring temper, and indulgence in drugs and alcohol." Three of Ryan's children — Tatum, Griffin, and Redmond — have struggled with substance abuse issues.

When asked "Were you a bad parent?" during an interview on the "Today" show in 2012, Ryan replied, "Looks like it, doesn't it? Sure looks like it. I suppose I was." It seems that at least some of his kids agree with his assessment.

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Tatum O'Neal was Ryan O'Neal's eldest child and only daughter. She was born November 5, 1963, to Ryan and his wife, actor Joanna Moore. As an actor herself, Tatum had the most success of all of Ryan O'Neal's children — and at an early age. The young thespian won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress when she was only 10 years old for starring with her father in the 1973 movie "Paper Moon." She wore a mini-tuxedo when accepting the award for her work on the film, which was directed by Peter Bogdanovich. 

Unfortunately, her astonishing achievement didn't seem to impress her family. "There was no fanfare from anyone who mattered to me, so the pride and self-worth I might have gained from what most people would consider a life-defining honor was leached away," she later wrote in her memoir "A Paper Life," saying that her father seemed put out since his performance wasn't recognized (via Independent).

Tatum followed up by playing star pitcher Amanda Wurlitzer in 1976's "The Bad News Bears," but her substance abuse issues would eventually derail her life and career. It also exacerbated her already volatile marriage to John McEnroe, which lasted from 1986 to 1994. In May 2020, Tatum overdosed and, after a stroke, went into a six-week coma. She eventually recovered and resumed her efforts to stay sober. "I've been trying to get sober my whole life," O'Neal told People. "Every day, I am trying."

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Tatum O'Neal had both distanced herself from and reconciled with her father Ryan O'Neal throughout the years. In one shocking encounter, Ryan admitted he tried to hit on his at-the-time estranged daughter at Farrah Fawett's funeral in 2009. "A beautiful blond woman comes up and embraces me," the actor said to Vanity Fair. "I said to her, 'You have a drink on you? You have a car?' She said, 'Daddy, it's me — Tatum!' I was just trying to be funny with a strange Swedish woman, and it's my daughter. It's so sick."

Tatum and Ryan's toxic relationship could fill a book — and it partly did. In her 2004 memoir "A Paper Life," Tatum discussed her chaotic upbringing and her issues with both her parents, noting she was subjected to emotional and physical abuse due to Ryan's addiction issues. She also wrote about her own battle with substance abuse and being sexually assaulted as a child, including by her father's drug dealer.

Ryan responded to her book as if it were a betrayal, telling Vanity Fair in 2009, "How dare she throw our laundry in the street for money!" Tatum said she understood his reaction. "He has every right to be angry about the book; no parent wants to hear their kid saying s***** things about them. But what I wrote in the book was true," she said. "I've moved on. I'm older now, and I forgive him."

Tatum did speak fondly of her father after he died. "He meant the world to me," she told People. "I loved him very much and know he loved me too. I'll miss him forever and I feel very lucky that we ended on such good terms."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Griffin O'Neal was born October 28, 1964, to Ryan O'Neal and Joanna Moore. He acted a bit in the 1980s and early 1990s, but he had his own demons to overcome, much like his father, sister, and mother. "My whole family has been absolutely destroyed to smithereens from drug addiction and alcoholism," Griffin, who had gotten sober, told People in 2015. " I had to self-medicate my entire life because there was pain everywhere. There were drugs everywhere in my family all day, every day. It was the '60s and '70s and Tatum and I had a tough time."

The tragic times would continue. In 1986, Griffin got in an accident while piloting a speedboat, and Francis Ford Coppola's son Gian-Carlo died due to his injuries (via Vanity Fair). Griffin was found not guilty of manslaughter but guilty of negligent operation of a boat. Eventually, Griffin was estranged from his father as the two had a sometimes violent relationship. In 2007, the two got into an altercation and Ryan fired a shot, leading to the actor's arrest. 

Griffin had racked up his own arrests and DUIs before finding some stability in his life, he told People in 2015. He also spoke in support of his nephew and Tatum's son, Kevin O'Neal McEnroe, who wrote a book telling a fictionalized version of Moore's life and her struggle to raise Tatum and Griffin, called "Our Town." "It will probably break my heart to read it," Griffin said. "I have great compassion for my family and I hope for the best for them."

Ryan O'Neal landed his first major television role on "Peyton Place" starting in 1964, and the gig eventually landed him a new wife. O'Neal married co-star Leigh Taylor-Young, whom he met on the set of the nighttime soap. Their son Patrick was born on September 14, 1967.

Patrick also found a career on-screen but in the world of sports. The Emmy Award-winning sportscaster works for Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket and has also served as a sideline reporter for the NFL and MLB. Patrick co-authored a book called "The Worst Call Ever!" and has dabbled in acting, with small roles in 1990's "Die Hard 2" and 2007's "Wild Hogs," among other movies and television shows. 

Patrick seems to have avoided some of the issues his siblings have dealt with and had a loving relationship with his father, calling Ryan a "great" man in the Instagram post announcing the "Peyton Place" actor's death. "My father Ryan O'Neal has always been my hero. I looked up to him and he was always bigger than life," Patrick wrote. "He is a Hollywood legend. Full stop." 

In another post, Patrick detailed more of his father's accomplishments, saying he would always be proud of Ryan. "I will share my father's legacy forever. I will not be deterred from outside voices that say negative things," Patrick wrote. "I'll miss you dad. I love you. We love you."

Redmond O'Neal, the only son of Ryan O'Neal and his longtime partner Farrah Fawcett, was born on January 30, 1985. While he took on a couple of voice-acting roles as a child, unfortunately, Redmond became much more famous for his troubled life than his career.

The son of the two famous actors went to jail several times, including in 2018 after a crime spree led to charges of alleged armed robbery and attempted murder, among other offenses. Police said Redmond robbed a convenience store and stabbed two men during violent confrontations in Los Angeles in May 2018. 

Afterward, Redmond claimed to have inherited a slew of issues from his parents. "It's not the 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 told Radar Online in an interview from jail. "Fighting with my father, being kicked out and living on the streets, going to jail, being put in a psychiatric ward, being embarrassed all the time, just because of who my parents are ... I never asked for any of this; I never wanted any attention."

It seems that Ryan regretted not being there for Redmond, especially since he promised Fawcett he would take care of their only child before the "Charlie's Angels" star died in 2009. Redmond had to be brought from jail to say goodbye to his mother, though they told Fawcett he had been in rehab (via Vanity Fair). "[Ryan] wants to hug Redmond and tell him how sorry he is he couldn't keep his promise to his mother," a source told OK!