Maureen O'Hara

Maureen FitzSimons (17 August 1920 - - 24 October 15th, 2015) was an Irish actor, singer and performer who gained fame in Hollywood during the 1940s through 1960s. A natural redhead, she was well-known for her role as passionate and sensible heroines. She was often seen in Westerns or adventure films. Charles Laughton, an actor who first saw her star-making potential, brought her to Hollywood. In numerous instances she also worked with John Ford, longtime friend John Wayne and John Ford. O'Hara was born in Dublin, Ireland by a Catholic family. She aspired to be an actress at the age of 10. When she was 10 years old, she began her training at the Rathmines Theatre Company and the Abbey Theatre. After getting through a screen test she was rejected. But Charles Laughton recognized her potential and offered her as a star in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn in 1939. RKO Pictures gave her a contract. In the years following, she enjoyed many years of success and a lengthy career. She was often referred to as "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), the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street (1947) with John Payne and Natalie Wood and Comanche Territory (1950). She first appeared in Rio Grande (1950), with John Wayne (the actor with whom she most closely associates). The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles (57), and McLintock were the next films. (1963), Big Jake (1971). It was widely believed that Wayne and O'Hara were either in the same relationship or were married because of their strong chemistry. In the 1960s, O'Hara increasingly became more motherly as she grew older, appearing in films such as The Deadly Companions (1961), The Parent Trap (1961) as well as The Rare Breed (1966). She left the industry in 1971 but returned twenty years later to make an appearance together with John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991).