Jennifer O’Neill Biography

Dark-haired beauty Jennifer O’Neill played the “older woman” in the 1971 movie Summer of ’42 and was a spokeswoman for Cover Girl cosmetics for three decades.

Raised in Connecticut and New York City, Jennifer O’Neill studied acting and worked as a model while still in her teens. Soon after going to Hollywood she landed a small role as the object of a smitten teenager’s desire in the movie Summer of ’42. The movie was a surprise success and O’Neill was briefly a big star. She has since worked steadily in the movies and television, but rarely in high-profile roles; she is probably recognized more for her long run as a Cover Girl representative.

Her rollercoaster off-screen life has included nine marriages (to eight husbands) and a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the abdomen (1983). In the late 1980s she became a devout Christian and has since toured the nation and appeared on television on behalf of anti-abortion groups and other Christian organizations, including Jennifer O’Neill Ministries.

Her films include Rio Lobo (1970, starring John Wayne), The Innocent (1976) and Scanners (1981). O’Neill has also published books of autobiography and inspiration, including Surviving Myself (1999) and You’re Not Alone: Healing Through God’s Grace After Abortion (2005). She also has written fiction, including the faith-based Circle of Friends series of novels.