Before marrying his current wife, Patty Smyth, American former professional tennis player John McEnroe was married to Academy Award-winning actress Tatum O’Neal for eight years, from 1986 to 1994.
The now-ex-couple first met at a Hollywood Hills Party in 1984 and fell in love at first sight.
Two years later, they had a traditional wedding at St. Dominic’s Roman Catholic Church in Oyster Bay, Long Island, which garnered intense public interest.
Per the Hello Magazine reports, about 500 people were gathered outside to get one glimpse of the then-newlywed couple.
He talked about the matter once in an interview and said,
I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to fly under the radar’ with my ex-wife. Like, who the hell are you kidding? The level of attention exploded! There was way more than I’d ever gotten with any person or any thing. Oh my God! So then you dig in your heels.
Via Hello Magazine
As a bride, John McEnroe’s ex-wife, Tatum O’Neal, was glowing and looking like a queen in an ivory feminine gown, a pearl necklace, a bouquet of pastel pink and purple flowers, and a gypsophila headband.
But many of you may not be aware that the prettiest new bride was also a new mother; just three months before tying the knot, she had delivered her first child, Kevin, with her husband, John.
After marriage, John McEnroe and his ex-wife, Tatum O’Neal, welcomed two children: a son, Sean McEnroe, born in 1987, and a daughter, Emily McEnroe, in 1991.
Just two years after their youngest birth, they divorced each other on a sour note.
Both of them blamed each other. While John accused his ex-wife of indulging in addiction, Tatum cited John’s extreme anger as the reason behind their separation.
Later, the two battled for their children’s custody, but the court verdict favored both, awarding them joint custody.
Later, in 1998, when the Paper Moon actress’ addiction came to light, the tennis player John got sole custody of his children.
All their children are well-settled personally and professionally. Their eldest, Kevin, has become a published author, and the middle child, Sean, is an artist. Similarly, the youngest, Emily, is doing pretty well as an actress.
All of them share a good relationship with both their father and mother.
John McEnroe’s Ex-Wife, Tatum O’Neal, Began Her Acting Journey At The Tender Age of 10!
New York native John McEnroe is a pretty big name in the American tennis world.
He achieved so much in his decades of tennis career, but his ex-wife, Tatum O’Neal, is no less than him.
Born to the famous American actor Ryan O’Neal, Tatum remained in the limelight since childhood.
She was 10 years old when she debuted in a movie with the character of a con man’s precocious sidekick in the 1973 film Paper Moon, which also starred her father.
For her performance in the movie, she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the youngest actress to win an Academy Award.
She also won the Golden Globe Award in the New Star of the Year-Actress category for Paper Moon.
Then, her career in the acting world continued to flourish. She played in several other movies and series, including The Bad News Bears, Nickelodeon, Little Darlings, Prisoners, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Hell’s Kitchen, and many more.
According to IMDb, she has just 39 acting credits to her name because she has been doing fewer movies in the last 15 years.
Her latest project is the 2021 film Not to Forget, in which she portrayed a doctor.
Her two projects, The Crown with A Shadow & the Search for Self and SPoRKartOON: The Animated Series, are in post-production.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Tatum O’Neal was born to actor Ryan O’Neal and actress Joanna Moore on November 5, 1963, in Los Angeles, California.
- Four years after her birth, her parents separated. So, in her early life, she mostly grew up with her mother and brother, Griffin O’Neal.
- Tatum got into addiction at the young age of 15, and in 2008, police arrested her for buying crack cocaine.
