Maria O'Brien dead: Magnum PI and Murder She Wrote star dies aged 75
Maria O'Brien has died at the age of 75. The actress , who was the daughter Edmond O’Brien and Olga San Juan, starred in numerous TV shows like Tom Selleck's Magnum PI, Matlock, and Murder, She Wrote throughout her career.
It was announced on Wednesday that she had passed away at home towards the end of February, according to Variety. No cause of death has been issued at present. The star is survived by her children James, Danica, and Sean.
The star was clearly destined for a career in showbiz, as her father won an Academy Award for The Barefoot Contessa in 1954.
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Meanwhile, her mother starred in Paint Your Wagon on Broadway before going on to appear opposite Bing Crosby and acclaimed actress Betty Hutton, who is best known for having replaced Judy Garland in the title role of Annie Get Your Gun, in the 1945 film Duffy's Tavern.
Her brother Brendan, who died in 2023, also had major career in film and TV but is probably best remembered for voicing the title role in the Crash Bandicoot video series.
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For Maria, her film debut came with Smile in 1975, which was all based around a beauty pageant which saw her share the screen with Bruce Dern, Annette O'Toole, and the late Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory star Denise Nickerson.
Throughout the rest of the 1970s, Maria went on to appear in Shell Game, The Choirboys , and Prime Time, and in the 1980s, she appeared opposite Goldie Hawn and Jean Smart in Protocol.
The rest of the 1980s and 1990s brought further appearances in TV staples like Matlock, and Murder, She Wrote, in which she guest starred opposite Angela Lansbury. Another guest stint on sitcom Suddenly Susan, which starred Brooke Shields, followed.
The TV star also dedicated her time to coaching, serving on programmes like Sunset Beach and Passions and spent more than a decade mentoring the cast on Days of Our Lives, one of the longest-running soap operas in the US.
Away from the world of showbiz, Maria's father was one of the first people in the public eye to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and in 1983, she testified at Congress in a bid to help secure funding for research.
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