Kitty O’Neil was an American stuntwoman and auto-racer, often called “the fastest woman in the world” for her various speed records. Until 2019, her women’s absolute land speed record stood. An illness in early childhood left her deaf, and more illnesses in early adulthood cut short a career in competitive diving. O’Neil subsequently moved into car racing and became a pioneering woman in the stunt industry in Hollywood. She appeared in numerous television and film projects, lent her likeness to an action figure, was honored at the 91st Academy Awards, and in March 2023 with a Doodle in the Google search.
Birth Name
Kitty Linn O’Neil
Nickname
Kitty
Profession
Stuntwoman, Race Car Driver
Nationality
American
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Kitty O’Neil was born on the 24th of March 1946, in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States.
Died
She was died on the 2nd of November 2018 (aged 72), in Eureka, South Dakota, United States.
Sun Sign
Aries
Ethnicity
Mixed
Religion
Christianity
Education
Her educational qualifications are unknown.
Family Details
- Father – John O’Neil ( United States Army Air Forces)
- Mother – Patsy Compton O’Neil
- Siblings – John O’Neil III (Brother)
Marital Status
Divorced
Boyfriend / Spouse
Kitty O’Neil has dated –
- Ronald “Duffy” Hambleton – In 1970, Kitty first married Ronald “Duffy” Hambleton. Ronald “Duffy” Hambleton was a bank executive turned stunt performer after that they divorced. O’Neill had two children with her husband. Apart from her married life she also had several other relationships but there are no names of her other boyfriends.
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 5 feet 3 inches
- In centimeters – 160 cm
- In meters – 1.60 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 44 kg
- In Pounds – 97 lbs
Body Measurements
- Measurements – 32-24-33
- Bust – 32 inches
- Waist – 24 inches
- Hip – 33 inches
- Bra Size – 32B
Body Build
Slim
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Shoe Size
She wears a size 7 (US) shoe.
Dress Size
Her dress size is 5 (US).
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
Kitty became famous American stunt woman, racer, and actress, known for her movies like The Fastest Woman on Earth, The Bishop’s Wife, Back Street, Isle of Missing Men, and Kathleen Mavourneen. She has been honored with the title of “the fastest woman in the world and later in 2019, her women’s absolute land speed record was broken by Jessi Combs.
Racing and Stunt Career
By 1970, O’Neil had taken up racing on water and land, participating in the Baja 500 and Mint 400. She met stuntmen Hal Needham and Ron Hambleton while racing motorcycles, and lived with Hambleton, giving up racing for a time. In the mid-1970s, she entered stunt work, training with Needham, Hambleton and Dar Robinson. In 1976, she became the first woman to perform with Stunts Unlimited, the leading stunt agency. As a stuntwoman, she appeared in The Bionic Woman, Airport ’77, The Blues Brothers, Smokey and the Bandit II and other television and film productions.
She credited her small size, at 5′-3″ and 97 pounds (44 kg), for allowing her to withstand impact forces. She later broke her record with a 180-foot (55 m) fall from a helicopter. In 1977, O’Neil set a women’s record for speed on water of 275 miles per hour (443 km/h), and she held a 1970 women’s water skiing record of 104.85 miles per hour (168.74 km/h). In 1977 in the Mojave Desert, O’Neil piloted a hydrogen peroxide-powered rocket dragster built by Ky Michaelson with an average speed of 279.5 mph (449.8 km/h).
Since the run was not repeated according to NHRA rules, it is not recognized as an official drag racing record. In 1979, O’Neil’s experiences served as the basis for a biographical film, Silent Victory: The Kitty O’Neil Story, starring Stockard Channing. O’Neil commented that about half of the film was an accurate depiction. O’Neil stepped away from stunt and speed work in 1982 after stunt colleagues were killed while performing. She moved to Minneapolis with Michaelson, and eventually moved to Eureka, South Dakota, with Raymond Wald. When she retired, O’Neil had set 22 speed records on land and water.
Kitty O’Neil Net worth
Kitty O’Neil has an estimated net worth of $4 million dollars as of 2023.
Some Lesser Known Facts About Kitty O’Neil
- Kitty was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. Her father, was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces, who had been an oil wildcatter.
- Her father died in an airplane crash during Kitty’s childhood. Her mother, Patsy Compton O’Neil, was native Cherokee.
- At five months of age, O’Neil contracted simultaneous childhood diseases, losing her hearing.
- After her deafness became apparent at the age of two, her mother taught her lip-reading and speech, eventually becoming a speech therapist and co-founding a school for students with hearing impairment in Wichita Falls, Texas.
- As a teenager, Kitty became a competitive 10-meter platform diver and 3 meter springboard diver, winning Amateur Athletic Union diving championships. She trained beginning in 1964 with diving coach Sammy Lee.
- Before the trials for the 1964 Olympics, she broke her wrist and contracted spinal meningitis, threatening her ability to walk and ending her contention for a position on the Olympic diving team.
- In 1978, her stunt career inspired a Kitty O’Neil action figure, made by Mattel. In filming for a 1979 episode of Wonder Woman, O’Neil was hired to perform a stunt of high difficulty for Jeannie Epper, Lynda Carter’s usual stunt double.
- She competed in 100m backstroke and 100m freestyle swimming at the 1965 Summer Deaflympics. After recovering from meningitis, she lost interest in diving, and turned to water skiing, scuba diving, skydiving and hang gliding, stating that diving “wasn’t scary enough for me”.
- In 1986, Kitty retired moved from Elk River, Minnesota, USA in 1993 to Eureka, South Dakota, USA where she lives with her long time companion, Raymond Waid.
- In 2019, O’Neil was featured in the Oscars’ In Memoriam segment.
- On March 24, 2023, Google celebrated O’Neil’s posthumous 77th birthday with a doodle.
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