In 1973, O'Connor made her screen debut and also sang the title song for the romantic drama film
Jeremy in which she co-starred with
Robby Benson. Soon after her big-screen debut, O'Connor was cast as a female lead opposite
Gary Frank in the CBS drama series,
Sons and Daughters. The same year, she portrayed Bobbie Lee Hartley, co-starring again with Robby Benson, in the drama film
Ode to Billy Joe, a tragic romance produced and directed by
Max Baer Jr., and the drama film
Baby Blue Marine opposite
Jan-Michael Vincent In 1979, she returned to big screen starring in the comedy-drama film,
California Dreaming. In 1980, O'Connor starred opposite
Tom Hulce in the romantic comedy film,
Those Lips, Those Eyes, receiving positive note from critic
Roger Ebert. The following year she starred opposite
Michael York in the drama film,
The White Lions. In 1982 she had a supporting role in the thriller film
Night Crossing and the leading role in the drama film,
Melanie. Ned Powers of the
Saskatoon Star-Phoenix wrote that "a compelling performance by O'Connor and a surprisingly fluid effort by Cummings lift the picture beyond the fair-to-middling category", adding that "the music, most written and performed by Cummings, is a strong selling point". At the
4th Genie Awards, she won the
Genie Award for Best Performance by a Foreign Actress for her performance in
Melanie. In 1984, she was featured in the crime comedy film,
Johnny Dangerously making her final big screen appearance in 1980s. Since the mid-1980s, O'Connor has been in a string of made-for-television movies. She later appeared in films
Angelica (2015),
Diane, and
A Bread Factory (2018). In 2020, she had a recurring role in the Epix thriller series,
Condor and later was cast as Shirley Beaumont in the Starz crime drama series,
Power Book III: Raising Kanan. == Filmography ==