Maureen O'Hara

Maureen FitzSimons, born 17 August 1920 and died 24 October 2015) was an Irish actress. She became a star in Hollywood during the 1940s until the 1960s. Her naturally redhead appearance made her a popular choice for strong but smart characters in Westerns and adventure films. Her star-making potential was first recognized by the actor Charles Laughton, who brought her to Hollywood and, several times she worked with director John Ford and longtime friend John Wayne. O'Hara was born in Dublin, Ireland by a Catholic family and wanted to be an actress at a young age. From the age 10 she studied at the Rathmines Theatre Company and the Abbey Theatre. After passing a 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. She relocated to Hollywood the same year to co-star with him in the production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and was offered an acting contract by RKO Pictures. From then, she proceeded to enjoy a long and highly successful career, and acquired the nickname "the Queen of Technicolor". In films such as How Green Was My Valley (1941) (her first collaboration with John Ford), The Black Swan with Tyrone Power (1942), The Spanish Main (1945), Sinbad the Sailor (1947) and the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street (1947) with John Payne and Natalie Wood and Comanche Territory (1950). The first time she was seen was in Rio Grande (1950), together with John Wayne (the actor with whom she most closely associates). This was followed by The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles (1957), McLintock! (1963), Big Jake (1971). Her chemistry was so strong with Wayne that many believed they were married or in a relationship. In the 1960s, O'Hara more and more changed roles to motherly ones as she grew older. She appeared in films like The Deadly Companions (1961), The Parent Trap (1961) and The Rare Breed (1966). She left the industry in 1971, but returned twenty years later to make an appearance alongside John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991).