The “fastest woman in the world,” Kitty O’Neil, was also an incredible acrobat. In addition to acting in movies and television shows, she also broke numerous land and water speed records. By 2023, Kitty O’Neil net worth is $4 million thanks to her successful career.
Who is Kitty O’Neil?
Kitty O’Neil entered the world on March 24, 1946. She was born to American parents in Corpus Christi, Texas. Her father, John O’Neil, was an oil prospector and Air Force pilot. Kitty watched her father die in a plane crash as a kid. Patsy Compton O’Neil, her mother, was of Cherokee ancestry.
At five months, O’Neil contracted two common childhood infections that severely impaired his hearing. Her mother trained her to read lips and communicate when she fell deaf at age two. She went on to become a speech therapist and help build a school in Wichita Falls, Texas, for children with hearing loss.
Who are her Family Members?
The O’Neils’ daughter, born to John R. and Patsy Linn Compton, was named Kitty.
The mother of Kitty O’Neill, a speech therapist, was instrumental in establishing a school for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Kitty’s dad was an officer in the U.S. Army Air Forces and is now an oil wildcatter while she was growing up.
Kitty O’Nacci’s dad died in an aeroplane crash.
What was the Cause of her Death?
In a rocket dragster built by Ky Michaelson and powered by hydrogen peroxide, Kitty O’Neil averaged 279.5 mph (449.8 km/h) over the Mojave Desert in 1977. A world record in drag racing cannot be considered because the achievement has not been duplicated to NHRA standards.
In 1979, a film based on O’Neil’s life, Silent Victory: The Kitty O’Neil Story, starring Stockard Channing, was released. Kitty O’Neil claims that almost half of the film’s episodes are about Kitty.
After two of his stunt doubles tragically passed away in 1982, O’Neil decided to retire. After marrying Raymond Wald, she and Michaelson uprooted from Minneapolis and settled in Eureka, South Dakota.
On his way out, O’Neil set 22 land and marine speed records. She passed away in Eureka, South Dakota, on November 2, 2018, at 72, after a long struggle with pneumonia. This year’s ceremony gave her an “In Memoriam” award.
What is Kitty O’Neil Net Worth?
Kitty O’Neil net worth is over $4 million thanks to her time as a stuntwoman, race car driver, and TV actress.
Although these estimates should be taken with a grain of salt, it has been estimated that Kitty O’Neill earned around $60,000 annually from racing and $20,000 annually from stunt work.
What did She do for a Living?
O’Neil competed in the Baja 500 and the Mint 400 in the same year (1970). Her relationships with stuntman Hal Needham and Ron Hambleton began in the world of motorcycle racing, and it was with Hambleton that she eventually settled down. She began her career in the middle of the 1970s and trained under Needham, Hambleton, and Dar Robinson in stunt work.
In 1976, she made headlines as the first female performer to be hired by Stunts Unlimited, the industry’s premier stunt agency. From “The Bionic Woman” and “Airport ’77” to “The Blues Brothers” and “Smokey and the Bandit II,” she showed off her stuntwoman chops in a variety of movies. Kitty O’Neil’s fearlessness inspired Mattel to create an action figure of her in 1978.
Cat Linn O’Neil struggled to get business sponsors because of restrictions in her contract. Even though she had been hired to set a new record, she had to sit on the sidelines and watch Hal Needham shatter the female record.
The deal said she couldn’t go faster than 640 kph (approximately 400 mph). To stop O’Neil from making any more of his action figures, toy maker Marvin Glass and Associates filed a lawsuit against him.
Conclusion
Kitty O’Neil was a trailblazer who opened doors for other women in a field traditionally controlled by men. She constantly challenged herself and established new standards in the stunt industry and the racing circuit. She could retire in style because of her successful career and countless accolades.
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