Maureen O'Hara

Maureen FitzSimons, born 17 August 1920, and died 24 October 2015) was an Irish actress. She was a popular actress in Hollywood from the 1940s to the 1960s. Her naturally redhead appearance has made her a favorite choice for strong but smart characters in Westerns and adventure films. Her star-making potential was first discovered by actor Charles Laughton, who brought her to Hollywood and, many times, she worked alongside director John Ford and longtime friend John Wayne. O'Hara was raised in Dublin, Ireland by a Catholic family and wanted to be an actor from a young age. She trained with the Rathmines Theatre Company from the age of 10 and at the Abbey Theatre at the age of 14. After passing a screen test, she was disqualified. But Charles Laughton recognized her potential and offered to have her role in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn in 1939. RKO Pictures gave her a contract. She enjoyed an extensive, lucrative career and was nicknamed "the Queen of Technicolor". Her movies comprise How Green Was My Valley (1941) which was her 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), and Comanche Territory (1950). The first time she was seen was in Rio Grande (1950), alongside John Wayne (the actor with whom she is most associated). This was followed by The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles (1957), McLintock! (1963) and Big Jake (2001). Wayne was so adept in her relationship with O'Hara, that many believed that they were in a relationship. In the 1960s, she turned to more motherly roles as she aged, appearing in films like The Deadly Companions (1961), The Parent Trap (1961) as well as The Rare Breed (1966). O'Hara quit the industry in the year 1971. The actress returned to the industry twenty years later, appearing in John Candy (1991).