Amy O'Neill
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Amy O'Neill | |
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 O'Neill at Concord Mouse-Con in 2023 | |
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| Years active | 1984–1994, 2016-present |
Amy O'Neill is an American actress and producer. After appearing in several sitcoms and starring as Molly Stark on The Young and the Restless in 1986, she was cast in her notable role as Amy Szalinski in the 1989 Disney film, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, for which she was nominated for a Young Artist Award. She reprised her role as Amy Szalinski in the 1992 sequel, Honey, I Blew Up the Kid and appeared as Lisa Barnes in Where's Rodney?
Early life
O'Neill was born in Pacific Palisades, California, the daughter of Virginia, an art school director, and Thomas O'Neill, a Los Angeles construction company owner.[1] She is the third of five children. Her older siblings are brother Casey and sister Katie. Her younger brothers are Hugh and Barry. Her father is the brother of Hugh O'Neill, Esq, former Deputy Chief Counsel to The Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman. O'Neill is of Irish heritage.[citation needed]
Career
O'Neill began auditioning for parts at age ten with her older siblings.[1] After school, the kids would drive out to Hollywood. O'Neill made her first appearance on television at age 13 in an episode of Mama's Family as a younger version of Betty White's character, Ellen Harper. She continued working on television shows such as Matt Houston, Night Court, Highway to Heaven and The Twilight Zone. She also appeared on the American game show, Body Language in the summer of 1985. After an appearance on Family Ties, O'Neill won the role of the pregnant teenager Molly Stark on the daytime soap, The Young and the Restless for thirty episodes in 1986.
She appeared in the 1989 television films, Desperate for Love as Tammy Lauren's best friend, with Christian Slater and as Jodie in I Know My First Name is Steven, before appearing in her most recognized role as Amy Szalinski in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. In the film, she and her brother are shrunk to 1/4 inch high by the father's (Rick Moranis) shrink ray.
O'Neill continued work as Annette in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but most of her scenes were cut out due to time constraints. She can, however, be seen in the background of a crowd scene. She acted as Lisa Barnes in the pilot episode of Where's Rodney? with Rodney Dangerfield and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids co-star Jared Rushton, but the show was not picked up. She continued working in television series such as Room for Romance, The Young Riders, and Gabriel's Fire, and starred as Susan Hartley in an episode of Murder, She Wrote.
She reprised the role of Amy Szalinski in the 1992 film Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, albeit only in the opening scene where she leaves for college. The reason for this is that the film was originally a standalone story unrelated to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and when the plot was changed to include the Szalinski family, there was no parallel character for O'Neill to replace. Amy Szalinski is also mentioned but does not appear in the third film, Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves.
O'Neill later appeared in the television film, White Wolves: A Cry in the Wild II as Pandra, one of the young adults stuck in the Cascade Mountains, having to fend for themselves. In 1994, she appeared in the National Lampoon film, Attack of the 5 Ft. 2 In. Women as a German Skater.
As of 2023, O'Neill is producing a film titled Burn Down the Night based on the book of the same name by Craig Strete published in 1982. The film also has producers Andre Relis and Orian Williams attached to it. The plot will follow the life of Jim Morrison before he joined The Doors.[2]
Personal life
O'Neill is part of the performance art community of Los Angeles. In 2002, she joined the Hollywood, Alabama trio, "Girls On Stilts." She has toured Italy and Asia, and has performed at Harrah's Casino, Disneyland, and other places. She has no children and is not currently married.[1]
O'Neill returned to television in 2005 to appear in an MTV documentary with her Honey, I Shrunk the Kids co-star Thomas Wilson Brown in The 100 Greatest Family Films. In 2008, she appeared as an Officer's wife in an independent film, The Japanese Sandman.[citation needed]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Desperate for Love | Cindy | Supporting Role | |
| I Know My First Name Is Steven | Jodie | Minor Role | ||
| Honey, I Shrunk the Kids | Amy Szalinski | Main Role | ||
| The Making of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids | Herself | Short | ||
| 1992 | Honey, I Blew Up the Kid | Amy Szalinski | Minor Role | |
| 1993 | White Wolves: A Cry in the Wild II | Pandra | Main Role | |
| 1994 | Attack of the 5 Ft. 2 In. Women | German Skater | Minor Role | |
| 2005 | The 100 Greatest Family Films | Herself | ||
| 2008 | The Japanese Sandman | Mom & Officer's Wife | Short | |
| 2019 | The Follower | Mom | Short | |
| TBA | Burn Down the Night | producer | [3] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Mama's Family | Young Ellen Harper | Episode: Mama's Birthday |
| 1984 | Matt Houston | Rosie | Episode: Vanished |
| 1985 | Night Court | Jenny Reader | Episode: Walk, Don't Wheel |
| 1985 | Highway to Heaven | Sue | Episode: The Secret |
| 1985 | The Twilight Zone | Blonde Girl | Episode: "The Shadow Man" |
| 1986 | Family Ties | Brenda | Episode 81: The Disciple |
| 1986 | The Young and the Restless | Molly Stark | 30 Episodes |
| 1987 | Second Chance | Jane Pfeiffer | Episode: Plain Jane |
| 1989 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Annette | Episode: Evolution |
| 1990 | Where's Rodney? | Lisa Barnes | Pilot |
| 1990 | Room for Romance | Unknown | Episode: A Midsummer Night's Reality |
| 1990 | The Young Riders | Jennifer Tompkins | Episode: Pride and Prejudice |
| 1991 | Gabriel's Fire | Ginny | Episode: The Great Waldo |
| 1991 | Murder, She Wrote | Susan Hartley | Episode: A Killing in Vegas |
| 2016 | Baskets | Arlequin | Episode: "Picnic" |
| 2020 | Prop Culture | Herself | Episode: "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" |
References
- ^ a b c Yu, Ting (May 20, 2002). "Going Full Stilt". People. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Amy O'Neill Exclusive Interview". February 12, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ^ "Burn Down the Night". IMDb. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
External links
- Amy O'Neill at IMDb