News
‘Matlock’ Star Who Later Became ‘Days of Our Lives’ Acting Coach Dead at 75
Maria O’Brien, an actress with a career spanning five decades, died on February 24, per The Hollywood Reporter.
O’Brien began her career in 1963 and had guest-starring roles on popular shows throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s, including Ironside, The Love Boat, Quincy M.E., CHiPs, Matlock, Magnum P.I., L.A. Law and Murder, She Wrote. She also starred opposite Goldie Hawn in 1984’s Protocol.
Her parents were Edmond O’Brien, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for The Barefoot Contessa, and Hollywood musical star Olga San Juan.
When her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, O’Brien became an advocate for research and testified before Congress about it in 1983.
Later in her career, she worked as an acting coach on soap operas including Sunset Beach, Passions and Days of Our Lives, where she worked until she retired in 2022.
She was 75.
