Maureen O'Hara

Maureen FitzSimons, born 17 August 1920 and passed away on the 24th of October, 2015) was an Irish actress. She was a popular actress in Hollywood in the 1940s and into the 1960s. Redhead by nature, she was well-known as sensual and passionate heroines. She frequently appeared in Westerns or in adventure films. Charles Laughton, an actor who first noticed her potential as a star, introduced her to Hollywood. Numerous times she also worked with John Ford, longtime friend John Wayne and John Ford. O'Hara was raised in Dublin, Ireland by a Catholic family and wanted to become an actor at a young age. O'Hara began her studies in the Abbey Theatre as well as the Rathmines Theatre Company when she was just 10 years old. Screen tests were given to her, but it wasn't a great success. Charles Laughton, however was able to see potential and made arrangements for her to join him on stage in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn (1939). She moved to Hollywood the following year to join him in the production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and was given an agreement by RKO Pictures. After that, she enjoyed a long and successful career. Her name was "the Queen Of Technicolor". Her appearances in films include 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), the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street (1947) with John Payne and Natalie Wood and Comanche Territory (1950). O'Hara starred in Rio Grande (1950) as O'Hara, a character played by John Wayne, her most close friend. The following films followed: The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles (1957), McLintock! (1963), and Big Jake (2001). A lot of people believed that Wayne and O'Hara were either in the same relationship or were married because of their strong chemistry. O'Hara began taking on more motherly roles in the 1960s , as she grew older. She appeared in films such as The Deadly Companions (1961), The Parent Trap (611) and The Rare Breed (1966). In 1971, O'Hara announced her retirement from film production. However, she returned to the industry 20 years later to star with John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991).