Joanna Cook Moore

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joanna Cook Moore

Actress Joanna Cook Moore
Born Dorothy Cook
November 10, 1934(1934-11-10)
Americus, Georgia, USA
Died November 22, 1997 (aged 63)
Indian Wells, California, USA

Joanna Cook Moore (November 10, 1934 – November 22, 1997) 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 on The Andy Griffith Show. She is also known for her marriage to Ryan O'Neal and as the mother of Academy Award-winning actress Tatum O'Neal. She is sometimes credited as Joanna Moore.

Contents

[edit] Early life

She was born Dorothy Cook, the eldest of two daughters, in Americus, Georgia to Henry English Cook, an atomic scientist and Dorothy English Cook. When Moore was a child, her parents and baby sister were involved in a fatal car accident. Her mother and sister died immediately, while her father died a year after the accident from the injuries he sustained. For a time, she was raised by her grandmother until she became mentally and physically incapable. Cook was then adopted by a wealthy local family and changed her name from Dorothy to Joanna.[1]

As a teen, Joanna married, and quickly divorced, Willis Moore. After the divorce, she attended Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. While attending college, she entered and won a beauty contest and was brought to Hollywood. Cook Moore's acting career began when she was spotted at a cocktail party by a producer for Universal.

[edit] Career

Cook Moore made her film debut in the 1957's crime drama, Appointment with a Shadow. Later that year, she appeared in episodes of Goodyear Theater and Harbourmaster, along with another film, Slim Carter. In 1958, Cook Moore co-starred in the film noir classic Touch of Evil, with Orson Welles, Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, and Marlene Dietrich. The same year, she appeared in Monster on the Campus and Ride a Crooked Trail. Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, Cook Moore continued to appear in television on shows such as Studio One, Bachelor Father, Kraft Television Theatre, The Rough Riders, The Millionaire, The Untouchables, Follow the Sun, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Route 66.

In 1962, Cook Moore appeared as Miss Precious in Walk on the Wild Side with Jane Fonda, Barbara Stanwyck and Capucine, followed by the musical, Follow That Dream with Elvis Presley.

Cook Moore continued to land roles on television shows during the late 1960s and early 1970s, appearing in Bewitched, Nanny and the Professor, McCloud, and The Waltons. Cook Moore made her last screen appearance in the 1986 film, Run Chrissie Run!.

[edit] Personal life

On April 3, 1963, Cook Moore married actor Ryan O'Neal, who was seven years her junior. The couple had two children, Tatum Beatrice O'Neal, born in 1963, and Griffin Patrick O'Neal, born the following year.[2] The marriage was tempestuous and the couple separated in early 1966.[3]

Around the time of the separation, Cook Moore began to abuse alcohol and drugs, namely amphetamine. She continued to land acting roles, but her depression worsened over her impending divorce. In 1967, O'Neal and Cook Moore's divorce became final, and O'Neal quickly married actress Leigh Taylor-Young. The two had a son together the same year.[1]

[edit] Later years

In 1970, Cook Moore acknowledged her addiction to drugs and alcohol and checked herself into the Camarillo State Hospital for treatment. The next year, she was arrested for drunk driving after she and O'Neal got into a fight while she and their children were visiting O'Neal's Malibu home. After her arrest, she lost custody of both Tatum and Griffin.[1]

In 1975, Cook Moore married Gary L. Reeves, a man who was five years her junior. However, the marriage was short lived and ended in 1976.

By the late 1970s, Cook Moore was being supported financially by her daughter Tatum, who had become an Academy award winning actress at age 10, and one of the highest paid child stars of the era. The children were still in Ryan O'Neal's custody, and despite treatment, Cook Moore continued to abuse drugs and alcohol. As a result, Cook Moore was arrested five times for DUI throughout the 1980s and 1990s.[1]

[edit] Death

In 1996, Cook Moore, a long time smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer. On November 22, 1997, she died from the disease. Her daughter Tatum O'Neal was by her side at the time of her death.[1]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Television

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Joanna Moore - The Private Life and Times of Joanna Moore
  2. ^ O'Neal, Tatum (2004). A Paper Life. HarperEntertainment, 14. ISBN 0-060-54097-4. 
  3. ^ O'Neal, Tatum (2004). A Paper Life. HarperEntertainment, 18. ISBN 0-060-54097-4. 

[edit] External links


Persondata
NAME Moore, Joanna Cook
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cook, Dorothy; Moore, Joanna
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actress
DATE OF BIRTH November 10, 1934
PLACE OF BIRTH Americus, Georgia, USA
DATE OF DEATH November 22, 1997
PLACE OF DEATH Indian Wells, California, USA