In 1974, 10-year-old Tatum O’Neal made history by becoming the youngest Oscar winner for her performance in the movie Paper Moon, filmed two years prior. The film had received three other nominations, but her father, Ryan O’Neal, who acted alongside her, was not nominated, which, according to Tatum's memoir, caused him to resent her, contributing to years of a tumultuous relationship. He told reporters that his daughter was 'lazy by nature' and had 'taken over the picture', and didn't accompany her to the ceremony. Tatum competed against The Exorcist's' Linda Blair, who was 15. Although Jackie Cooper was also nominated for the award when he was nine years old for his role in Skippy in 1931, O'Neal was the only child actor to win. Tatum had parts in other movies such as The Bad News Bears and Nickelodeon, 1976), and Little Darlings in 1980. However, her career never reached the level of success it did with Paper Moon.

In 2011, the pair starred in the 'Ryan and Tatum: The O'Neals,' a Own Network series that followed their emotional reunion after 25 years of estrangement.