WITH HIS BOYISH appeal, Ryan O’Neal became a standout of ’70s Hollywood after mega-hit Love Story. But his turn towards auteur-driven work, resulting in collaborations with the likes of Stanley Kubrick, would become legendary. In light of the actor’s passing in December, Empire celebrates five of his finest performances.
1 LOVE STORY (1970)
O’Neal plays a privileged, devil-may-care Ivy Leaguer who learns the real meaning of love — and loss —when he meets Ali MacGraw’s self-possessed and outspoken fellow student. In this breakout role, he brings a surprisingly poignant cauldron of charisma and emotion to a part that might be unlikeable on paper, earning him an Oscar nomination and launching him into major-league Hollywood.