Early life

O'Neal was born in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, California, the son of actor Ryan O'Neal

Ryan O'Neal

Charles Patrick Ryan O'Neal , better known as Ryan O'Neal, is an American actor best known for his appearances in the ABC nighttime soap opera Peyton Place and for his roles in such films as Paper Moon , Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon , A Bridge Too Far , and Love Story , for which he received...

 and the late actress Joanna Cook Moore

Joanna Cook Moore

Joanna Moore was an American film and television actress best known for her guest roles on the popular television shows of the 1960s, most notably as Sheriff Andy Taylor's love interest, Peggy "Peg" McMillan in four episodes of The Andy Griffith Show...

 (née

Married and maiden names

A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....

 Dorothy Cook). He has one sister, Tatum

Tatum O'Neal

Tatum Beatrice O'Neal is an American actress best known for her film work as a child actress in the 1970s. She is the youngest to win a competitive Academy Award, at the age of 10, which she won for her performance as Addie Loggins in Paper Moon opposite her father Ryan O'Neal...

, and two half brothers, Patrick and Redmond. His grandfather was novelist/screenwriter Charles "Blackie" O'Neal

Charles O'Neal

Charles Patrick Ryan O'Neal, Sr. was an American film and television screenwriter and novelist.Born in Raeford, North Carolina, O'Neal attended the University of Iowa, then moved to San Diego, where he joined an acting troupe that included his future wife Patricia Callaghan...

.

Films

Griffin O'Neal appeared in 11 movies between 1976 and 1992. Several of these were TV movies or films released directly to video. He appeared in films including The Escape Artist

The Escape Artist

The Escape Artist is a 1982 film starring Griffin O'Neal and Raúl Juliá. It was based on a book by David Wagoner, and was the directorial debut of Caleb Deschanel.-Plot:...

, April Fool's Day, Assault of the Killer Bimbos, and Ghoulies III.

Film critic Vincent Canby

Vincent Canby

Vincent Canby was an American film critic who became the chief film critic for The New York Times in 1969 and reviewed more than 1000 films during his tenure there.-Life and career:...

 of the New York Times wrote in 1982 that Griffin O'Neal "shares with his sister a natural screen presence." Likewise, film critic Leonard Maltin

Leonard Maltin

Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...

 wrote that Griffin O'Neal has a "pleasing screen presence".

Accidents

In 1986, Griffin O'Neal had a boating accident in Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...

 that took the life of film producer Gian-Carlo Coppola

Gian-Carlo Coppola

-Early life:Coppola was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of set decorator/artist Eleanor Coppola and famed film director Francis Ford Coppola...

. O'Neal, who was piloting the boat, tried to pass between two other boats, not realizing they were connected by a towline. O'Neal barely had time to duck, but Coppola was struck by the towline and killed. Prior to the accident, O'Neal was being directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...

 (Gian-Carlo's father) in the film Gardens of Stone

Gardens of Stone

Gardens of Stone is a 1987 film by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel of the same title by Nicholas Proffitt.A drama, it stars James Caan, Anjelica Huston, James Earl Jones and D. B. Sweeney.-Plot:...

, and afterward O'Neal asked to be replaced in the film. He was convicted of negligently operating a boat, and received an 18-day jail sentence for not completing community service.

In August 2011, Griffin O'Neal collided with another car. He pled not guilty to a DUI

Driving under the influence

Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...

 charge.

External links

• Griffin O'Neal at Yahoo
  Yahoo!
  Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
  
   movies
• Interview with Larry King, first aired Aug. 3, 2009