The Star Who Lost It All
Beautiful Joanna Moore had a TV and film career, a gorgeous husband, and two beautiful kids. Watching it all come tumbling down will break your heart.
1. She Took It By Storm
While Joanna Moore certainly had a disturbing childhood, her adult life was actually much worse. This Southern beauty queen took Hollywood by storm and then quickly found herself pregnant and in a loveless relationship with a man who’s been called a narcissistic psychopath.
Moore and her husband may go down in history as the worst parents in history, but it’s hard not to feel a little sorry for Moore. Here’s her sad story, one sordid fact at a time.
2. She Suffered An Early Tragedy
On November 10, 1934, in Americus, Georgia a little girl named Dorothy Joanne Cook was born. Cook, her parents and her younger sister made a cute little family. In a short time, Cook would change her name to Joanna Moore. While it is pretty ordinary for TV and movie stars to do this, Moore changed hers for a horribly tragic reason.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
3. They Went Without Her
When Moore was just seven years old, her parents and her younger sister went out for a drive without her. During this outing, a horrible tragedy struck. There was a car accident and Moore’s mother and sister both lost their lives instantly. Luckily, Moore’s father survived the crash. In one instant, Moore had lost half of her family.
Universal, Appointment with a Shadow (1957)
4. She Needed A Home
Moore’s father may have survived the accident, but he was still in very rough shape. He hung on as long as he could, but before the year was up, her father passed. Moore had now lost her entire family and was all alone. Thankfully, Moore had her grandmother, so at least she had a place to live. Sadly, this would not last long.
Universal, Monster on the Campus (1958)
5. It Was A Miracle
Moore’s grandmother was elderly, and soon, she was no longer able to take care of her granddaughter. Once again, Moore was once in need of a place to live. That’s when a miracle happened. A local family decided to adopt Moore. But there was one strange condition. They wanted her to drop the “Dorothy” and change her name to Joanna.
It looked like Moore had finally found a secure place—and then she did something to shake that security up.
Universal, Monster on the Campus (1958)
6. She Risked It All
When Joanna was just 16 years old, she threw her posh home aside, found a guy and married him. This was Willis Moore, who was also a teenager. The two youngsters realized their mistake and divorced before their one year anniversary. She’d lost a husband, but had gained a last name. She was now Joanna Moore, and ready to take on the world.
Universal, Monster on the Campus (1958)
7. She Was A Beauty
The same year she got her divorce, Joanna Moore entered a private women’s college, Agnes Scott. At least here, she’d be less likely to have another teenage marriage. While at college, Moore stood out—not so much for her academic skill, but for her beauty. She must have noticed the attention, as she quickly signed herself up for a beauty pageant.
Universal, Monster on the Campus (1958)
8. She Piqued His Interest
Joanna Moore won the Georgia Beauty Contest—and the results were extraordinary. She made her way to Hollywood, and while there, one of her first stops was a cocktail party. Just like something out of a movie, a studio producer caught a glimpse of Moore and offered to do a screen test.
She later said that when she did her screen test, she “didn’t know which end of the camera was which”. Apparently this didn’t matter. Universal Studios liked what they saw, and signed her up.
9. She Did It Again
Joanna Moore soon started appearing in TV shows, but before she made her first feature film, she made a dire mistake—one that was all too familiar. Moore was the bride in a very quick and impulsive wedding. This time it was to fellow actor Don Oreck, whose career was also just getting started. As with her first marriage, this one lasted just a year.
Moore had to forget about men and concentrate on her career. But as it turned out, this would also lead to failure.
Universal, Appointment with a Shadow (1957)
10. It Was Bad
The same year as her second divorce, Joanna Moore finally got a leading role. This was in the film noir Appointment With a Shadow. You may not have heard of it, and that’s for a good reason. Apparently, it stunk. New York Times critic Richard W Nason said it had “as much novelty and enchantment as the popcorn machine in the lobby”.
Moore’s first feature was a miss, and she’d need to turn that around before her career imploded.
Universal, Appointment with a Shadow (1957)
11. She Made Two Duds
No one could blame Joanna Moore for the failure of her first film, as long as the ones that followed were hits. The first was a small role in a silly Western comedy called Slim Carter and then the noir Flood Tide. Moore’s parts not lead roles—and these two films did not dazzle audiences. Moore was likely frustrated, so she returned to a place where she’d had success before.
She went to a cocktail party in search of a hit film.
12. She Met Him At A Party
Joanna Moore had got her first screen test by attending a party, so back to the party scene she went. This time she met up with a man named Albert Zugsmith. Zugsmith told Moore he had a part for her—but there was something she didn’t know. You see, he had a reputation for making B-movies. Moore didn’t need another forgettable film. She needed a big movie that would make a splash.
But this time, Zugsmith wasn’t working on a B-movie, he was sitting on a potential classic.
13. She Was On Board
The film that Zugsmith was working on was called Touch of Evil. It was set to star big names like Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh. Even more exciting was the director. Zugsmith had lined up Citizen Kane filmmaker Orson Welles, who would also act in the film. Okay, now Zugsmith had Moore’s attention.
But Zugsmith had one small favor to ask.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
14. She Had To Change It
The planned female lead in Touch of Evil was Janet Leigh, who would go on to terrify audiences in the famous shower scene in Hitchcock’s Psycho. There was just one problem. Both Moore and Leigh were blondes, and apparently, a film can’t have two. Since Leigh was the more famous actor, Moore had to dye her hair brown.
It was a small price to pay—but once Moore got on set, she got herself into some major trouble.
Universal, Touch of Evil (1958)
15. She Sat In The Wrong Seat
You couldn’t blame Joanna Moore if she was a little nervous working with the likes of Janet Leigh and, of course, Orson Welles. While she was on set, Moore made the mistake of sitting in Welles’ chair. This was apparently a huge no-no, and when Welles saw her there he just rudely screamed, “Up!” Moore, being from well-mannered Georgia, said that she had never had a man treat her so rudely.
Sadly, the drama on set didn’t stop there.
Universal, Touch of Evil (1958)
16. She Got Caught In His Room
One of her costars on Touch of Evil was Ben-Hur star Charlton Heston. Apparently, Heston had quite the crush on Moore, and she had to work hard to avoid his advances. Once, he even got her into his dressing room. Luckily, Moore managed to get herself out safe and sound.
Moore survived the filming—and now, all she had to do was wait for the audience's reaction.
Universal, Touch of Evil (1958)
17. She Was In Jeopardy
The anticipation for Touch of Evil was hot—but the cast was in for a brutal surprise. At a sneak preview in Los Angeles, the film completely underwhelmed the audience. Even Heston, the star, said that it was “simply not a good picture”. It seemed that Moore now had had three forgettable films in a row. Her future as a Hollywood star was certainly in jeopardy.
Universal, Touch of Evil (1958)
18. It Was A Disappointment
As it turned out Touch of Evil would eventually become a classic film, but that didn’t help Joanna Moore back then. She had taken a small part in a film that wasn’t doing well. If Moore wanted a leading role, she’d have to take a few steps down from working with someone like Orson Welles. Unfortunately, she took more than a few steps.
Universal, Appointment with a Shadow (1957)
19. She Did Horror
In 1958, Moore did manage to get a lead role, but it was in a film called Monster on the Campus. This was about a university professor who becomes a caveman after exposing himself to the blood of an ancient fish. No, this wasn’t a comedy, it was a horror movie, and it didn’t do much to get audiences taking Moore as a serious actor.
Luckily, Moore had a second place to take her career.
Universal, Monster on the Campus (1958)
20. She Didn’t Have To Act
Joanna Moore did seem to find success easily was on the small screen. Between making lackluster films, she was a guest star on popular shows like The Rifleman and Perry Mason. But one another show, Route 66, she had a terrifying experience. In her first scene on the show, Moore was in the ocean and supposed to act like she’d caught her foot on a rock.
It turns out there scene was all too real.
21. She Was Numb
So, there was poor Joanna Moore, in the water with her foot caught in the rocks. Likely, the director thought he had hired the best actor in America. The crew did eventually realize that her calls for help were real. They got her out, and the only complaint she had was that she felt completely numb.
Moore became a very popular guest star on many TV shows. But she was still in search of the film role that would launch her to superstardom.
22. She Took A Walk
In 1962, Joanna Moore finally got a role she could sink her teeth into. The film was Walk on the Wild Side, and even though she was once again playing a small role, the character of Miss Precious had the potential to stand out. Miss Precious was a neurotic “lady of the evening,” and Moore later said that she got more fan letters from this role than any other.
Finally, Moore had caught the attention of movie goers and critics. Now she could reap the rewards.
Columbia, Walk on the Wild Side (1962)
23. She Worked With The King
Sadly, Walk on the Wild Side did not do well with critics, but it did give Moore a name. A name big enough to work with the King. Yes, Moore appeared opposite Elvis Presley in Follow That Dream. At the end of the film, Moore doesn’t get to walk off into the sunset with Presley, but off camera, there was an entirely different story.
United Artists, Follow That Dream (1962)
24. He Wanted In
In one interview, Joanna Moore only said that she enjoyed working with Presley. But later she revealed the scandalous truth. Moore confessed that, while she was working on Follow that Dream, Presley wanted her so badly he tried to break down her door.
United Artists, Follow That Dream (1962)
25. She Wouldn’t Back Down
In Follow That Dream, Presley’s character had two different love interests. The actors playing the roles were Moore and Anne Helm. The story goes that Presley eventually bedded both of them. Moore was first, but when Presley realized Moore was a little unstable, he ended it and then heartlessly moved on to his other co-star.
But Moore was not about to let Helm walk away with Presley that easily. She was going to fight for her man.
United Artists, Follow That Dream (1962)
26. She Made An Accusation
Joe Esposito—one of Presley’s protectors—tells the story of Moore showing up at Presley's place and shouting in slurred words. She was demanding to see Elvis, but Esposito was having none of it. When she realized that Presley wouldn’t see her, Moore brought out her secret weapon. She said that she had just taken a bunch of sleeping pills.
And that’s not all she said.
United Artists, Follow That Dream (1962)
27. She Went To The Hospital
To top things off, Moore claimed to be pregnant with Presley’s child. Esposito still didn’t want to bother Presley with what appeared to be a very deranged Moore, so he took her to the hospital. The doctors pumped her stomach because of the pills she’d taken. As it turned out, they found no sign of a pregnancy. Moore’s relationship with Presley had ended in disaster.
To recover, Moore turned to the most wholesome shows on television.
United Artists, Follow That Dream (1962)
28. She Dove In
One show on TV that was beloved by many was CBS’s The Andy Griffith Show. Griffith played Andy Taylor who was a sheriff of a small town and a single father. America loved Sheriff Taylor, so choosing an actor to play his girlfriend was serious stuff. In season three, Moore dove into the series as nurse Peggy McMillan.
America would either love her or hate her.
CBS, The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968)
29. She Disappeared
Audiences loved Joanna Moore as Griffith’s girlfriend, and Moore also loved appearing on the show. She later said that working on The Andy Griffith Show was enjoyable because of its organization and honesty. So, here’s the mystery. If audiences love her—and she loved the show—why was she gone after just four episodes?
CBS, The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968)
30. She Got the Ax
Griffith’s co-star, Don Knotts, revealed the scandalous reason why Moore was fired so quickly. He said that Andy Griffith admitted to having an affair with Moore. At the time, Griffith had a wife. Perhaps having Moore around made things a little uncomfortable. But you have to wonder why the execs at CBS would get rid of Moore when the fans loved her.
Soon, Moore would have much more serious things to worry about.
CBS, The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968)
31. She Had A Scare
Around this same time, Joanna Moore had a major medical scare. Out of the blue, she completely lost her hearing. The doctors said it was otosclerosis, a condition she may or may not have inherited from her family. What it meant for Moore was an end to her career. After all, acting in a film without being able to hear the other actors sounds nearly impossible.
Well, Moore came up with an interesting solution.
CBS, The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968)
32. She Needed A Tap
Instead of quitting acting, Joanna Moore learned to lip read. It probably helped that with the script, she knew what the other actors were saying. But there was another problem. She couldn't hear the director shout “action”. To solve this she got him to tap her on the shoulder. Moore later said that the other actors rarely realized that she was actually deaf.
Still, this lip reading and shoulder-tapping couldn’t go on forever. Moore needed a real solution.
Universal, Appointment with a Shadow (1957)
33. They Had To Operate
A year after losing her hearing, Moore’s doctor had good news. They might be able to cure her deafness with an operation. And in 1962, they did just that. And this was just in time, as she had to hear the phone ring. She was about to get a call from one of the most important studios in America.
Universal, Monster on the Campus (1958)
34. She Got the Call
The call came from Walt Disney Pictures and they wanted her for a very important sequel. Back in 1961, Disney had made The Absent-Minded Professor, which proved to be quite the hit. Even though Walt Disney apparently hated sequels, they were making one called Son of Flubber.
Things were looking up for Moore. That’s when a man entered her life who would ruin it all.
Walt Disney, Son of Flubber (1963)
35. She Was High On Success
Son of Flubber ended up being a huge hit, and Moore’s future in the movies was on an upswing. While feeling the high from becoming a star, Moore met actor Ryan O’Neal who, like Moore, had made a living guest starring in TV shows. It seemed like a perfect match, but there was a fact that most people didn’t know at the time.
36. She Found A Handsome Guy
Ryan O’Neal was seven years younger than Moore and as handsome as she was beautiful. They tied the knot on April 3, 1963. But during their vows, they were hiding a secret. O’Neal had only proposed because Moore had gotten pregnant. Sure enough, five months after the wedding, their first baby was born. This was Tatum O’Neal, who would go on to be a star in her own right.
From the outside, they looked like the perfect family. Behind closed doors was another matter altogether.
Fotos International, Getty Images
37. The Fought Bitterly
Moore’s marriage to O’Neal was problematic from the very beginning. They fought angrily and loudly. It didn’t help that O’Neal’s career had gotten a boost. He’d landed a role on a much anticipated primetime soap called Peyton Place. Moore’s career was spiraling downward just as O’Neal finally found success.
Moore’s reaction was devastating.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
38. She Was In A Horrible Condition
During one of the worst periods in their marriage, O’Neal recalled walking into the bathroom to look for his wife—only to be greeted by a horrible sight. Moore had passed out in the bathtub and within arms’ reach, were a glass of wine and bottle of barbiturates. This was not the woman O’Neal had thought he’d married, or the woman he wanted raising his daughter.
However, this didn’t stop the unhappy couple from having another child.
Fotos International, Getty Images
39. She Was Unfit
In 1964, Moore and O’Neal had another child, a boy they named Griffin. This second child didn’t do anything to help their marriage, and by 1967 it was over. O’Neal was free at last, but didn’t like the idea of his children living with a woman as unstable as Moore. O’Neal went to the courts and demanded that they give him custody of the children.
40. She Dropped Them Off
As it turned out, O’Neal didn’t have to fight very hard to get his kids—they came to him. When Tatum was seven and Griffin was six, Joanna Moore packed them up and brought them to O’Neal’s home. Moore knew that her problems were too big, and she needed to get control over her addiction. Once she’d dropped the kids off, she went to a hospital for treatment.
As it turned out, Moore was not dropping her kids off at a safe place. Not at all.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
41. He Wasn’t Any Better
Years later, the truth came out about what kind of a father O’Neal was. Tatum O’Neal said she suffered from her father’s drug problems, and Griffin simply called his dad a narcissistic psychopath. Ryan O’Neal himself said that he was a “hopeless father”. So, while Moore thought she was doing her kids a favor, she clearly wasn’t.
When Moore got out of the hospital, she knew she needed to get her kids away from their father.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
42. It Didn’t Work
After she’d finished treatment, Joanna Moore was able to get her kids back. It seemed like she was turning over a new leaf—but nothing could be further from the truth. Sadly, the treatment didn’t seem to help Moore at all, and she was as unfit a mother as before. Tatum described their life with mom, saying her and her brother were “starving, shoeless, and ragged”. Clearly Moore was not providing the things her kids needed.
But it was much, much worse than that.
43. She Found A Young One
While Joanna Moore was raising Tatum and Griffin, she let various boyfriends into their lives—and one of them was a real shocker. He was a 15-year-old boy. Moore was 35 at the time and with Tatum around, they became a strange little group hanging out together. The boyfriend was closer in age to Moore’s daughter than she was.
Tatum was just six at the time and this combination spelled disaster.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
44. She Didn’t Watch Her Kids
While Moore partied with her teenage boyfriend, young Tatum took advantage of being unsupervised. One night, Tatum walked around the house collecting sips from open bottles of booze. Before she knew it, the six-year-old was more than a little tipsy. Moore was certainly not scoring any points toward a mother of the year award.
But there are even worse stories.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
45. She Brought Men Home
Tatum O’Neal later said that Moore was “on stuff all the time” and that she saw the results of her substance use in her mom’s teeth and in her temper. But there was more. Moore apparently brought various men to their household, and some of them were cruel and even beat Tatum and her brother.
Moore’s behavior was putting her kids in danger. Next, it would get her in trouble with the law.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
46. She Got In Her Car
One evening, Joanna Moore took the children to visit their father in Malibu. An argument broke out, and an inebriated Moore got into her car. She was clearly over the legal limit to drive, and eventually officers pulled her over. Now she was in big trouble. The officers took Moore in for impaired driving.
This was not a good look for a Hollywood mother of two.
Universal, Monster on the Campus (1958)
47. It Was The End
Getting caught driving while over the limit was the end of Moore’s life as a mother. The court did something they only do under extreme situations. They took children away from their mother and handed them over to the father. It was a low point for Moore, and her career also started to once again spiral downward.
Moore wasn’t working as much as she used to. With less money coming in, she needed a new source of income.
48. She Needed Money
By the late 1970s, Moore’s career was in full nose dive. At the same time, her daughter Tatum was taking Hollywood by storm. At 10 years old, Tatum took home an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Paper Moon which also starred her dad. With Tatum bringing in the big bucks, Moore had to accept financial support from her own daughter.
Having your expenses paid by a child could only have felt completely humiliating. But it didn't stop Moore from making things even worse.
UCLA Library Special Collections, CC BY 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons
49. She Had A Collision
Moore’s addictions were clearly getting the better of her. She continued to get behind the wheel while under the influence, and the authorities continued to pull her over. Eventually the inevitable happened. She had a car crash and she sadly lost three fingers. It was another low point, but somehow Moore managed to carry on. She did TV parts and even married a fourth husband.
But there was something coming that would stop her in her tracks.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
50. She Got A Diagnosis
In 1996, something entered Moore’s life that was worse than any of her addictions. This was a diagnosis of lung cancer. By November of the following year, the cancer had taken Moore’s life. She was just 63 years old. Fortunately, when she passed, she had her daughter Tatum at her bedside. They spread Moore’s ashes in her hometown in Georgia.
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