- Was expelled from Princeton University for throwing a beer bottle through the office window of the University's President. That was future United States President Woodrow Wilson.
- Was asked by MGM, in 1932, to write a screenplay for Jean Harlow, whom he did not admire, and to cable back his response in twenty words or less, collect. His response read thus: "No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. O'Neill." This incident was incorporated, almost verbatim, into Harold Robbins' roman a clef on early Hollywood, "The Carpetbaggers.".
- Disowned and cut off communication from his daughter, Oona Chaplin, after she married Charles Chaplin, who was exactly six months his junior, in age.
- Grandfather of Geraldine Chaplin, Christopher Chaplin, 'Jane', 'Eugene', Michael Chaplin, Victoria Chaplin and 'Annette-Emilie'.
- Cause of death, previously thought to be Parkinson's disease, revised in 2000 after further study of the autopsy report.
- Father of Oona Chaplin.
- Father-in-law of Charles Chaplin.
- Won a record four Pulitzer Prizes for drama: in 1920, for Beyond the Horizon (1975); in 1921, for Anna Christie (1930); in 1928, for Strange Interlude (1932); and in 1956, posthumously, for Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962).
- Many consider him the father of the modern American theatre; most of his plays were brutally realistic. They were all completely free of the stilted, melodramatic, overwritten language used in American nineteenth-century melodramas, and which seems unintentionally hilarious to modern audiences. His style, in one way or another, influenced all American dramatists who were either his contemporaries or who came after him.
- He left several unpublished plays and an autobiography. His will stipulated that these were not to be produced until 25 years after his death.
- Was awarded the 1936 Nobel prize in literature.
- His play, Mourning Becomes Electra performed at the Royal National Theatre: Lyttelton, was awarded the 2004 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Revival of 2003.
- Was the 1936 Nobel Laureate in Literature, the second American so honored.
- His father James was a native of Kilkenny,Ireland.
- Son of actor James O'Neill.
- Pictured on the $1.00 US postage stamp in the original Prominent Americans series, issued 16 October 1967.
- Daughter, with Agnes Boulton, Oona (born 1925).
- Son, with Agnes Boulton, Shane (born 1919).
- Son, with Kathleen Jenkins, Eugene Jr. (born 1910).
- Irish-American.
- His play, "Long Day's Journey Into Night" at the Court Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for a 2016 Joseph Jefferson (Equity) Award for Large Play Production.
- Born under the astrological sign of Libra. Though astrology does not overtly figure in his work, his personal library (now preserved at Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library) contained a book, "From Astrology: Your Place Among the Stars" by Evangeline Smith Adams (New York: Mead and Company, 1930) personally inscribed to him by the author.
- Won two Tony Awards in 1957 for "Long Day's Journey into Night:" as Best Author (Dramatic) and as author of the Best Play winner. In 1959, he was also nominated as author of Best Play nominee "A Touch of the Poet." All of O'Neill's Tony recognition was posthumous.
- His play, "A Moon for the Misbegotten," was nominated for the 1973 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Play Production that was performed at the Academy Festival Theatre with Colleen Dewhurst and directed by George Keathley.
- His play, "The Iceman Cometh" at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was awarded the 2012 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Play Production (Large).
- Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors." New Revision Series, Vol. 131, pages 338-348. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2005.
- His play, "A Moon for the Misbegotten," at the First Folio Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for a 2009 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Production of a Play-Midsize.
- His play, "The Iceman Cometh" in the University of California Center of for the Arts and Theatre Group production at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California was awarded the 1986 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Production.
- His play, "The Iceman Cometh," in Mark Taper Forum production at the James A. Doolittle Theatre at the University of California in Los Angeles, California was awarded the 1986 Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Production.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content