Maureen O'Hara

Maureen FitzSimons (17 August 1920 - 24 Oct 15th, 2015) was an Irish actress, singer and actor who achieved fame in Hollywood from the 1940s to the 1960s. Naturally redheaded, she was famous for her work as sensual and passionate heroines. She was often seen in Westerns or in adventure films. Her potential for stardom was initially noticed by actor Charles Laughton, who brought her to Hollywood; and at numerous times she worked alongside director John Ford and longtime friend John Wayne. O'Hara was born in Dublin, Ireland and was raised Catholic. She aspired from at an early age to be an actor. At the age of 10, she began her training at the Rathmines Theatre Company and the Abbey Theatre. After the screen test, she was disqualified. But Charles Laughton recognized her potential and offered to have her star in Alfred Hitchcock’s Jamaica Inn in 1939. RKO Pictures gave her a contract. She had an impressive, long-running career and was known as "the Queen of Technicolor". Her films include How Green Was My Valley (1941) the first collaboration with John Ford, The Black Swan (1942), The Spanish Main (1945), Sinbad the Sailor (47), the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street (1947) as well as Comanche Territory (1950). O'Hara was in Rio Grande (1950) as O'Hara and John Wayne, her most close friend. The following films followed: The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles (1957), McLintock! (1963), and Big Jake (1971). Her chemistry was so strong with Wayne that many assumed they were married or engaged. In the 1960s, she turned to more motherly roles as she grew older, appearing in films such as The Deadly Companions (1961), The Parent Trap (1961) as well as The Rare Breed (1966). O'Hara left the industry in the year 1971. The actress returned to the industry twenty years later, appearing in John Candy (1991).