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. Redhead by nature, she was well-known as the likable 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 raised in Dublin, Ireland by a Catholic family. She was determined to become an actor at the age of 10. She began her education at the Abbey Theatre and the Rathmines Theatre Company when she was 10. Screen tests were given to her, but the result did not go as well as expected. Charles Laughton, however recognized her potential and made arrangements for her to star with him in Alfred Hitchcock’s Jamaica Inn (1939). RKO Pictures gave her a contract. After that, she enjoyed a long and successful career. She was known as "the Queen Of Technicolor". In films like How Green Was My Valley (1941) and her first collaboration, The Black Swan with Tyrone Power (1942), The Spanish Main with Sinbad the Sailor (1947) as well as the classic Christmas film Miracle on 34th Street (1947) along with John Payne (and Natalie Wood), and Comanche Territory (1950), she was in. She first appeared in Rio Grande (1950), together with John Wayne (the actor with whom she has the most connection). The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles(57), McLintock were the subsequent films. (1963) and Big Jake (2001). It was evident how well she bonded with Wayne that many believed they were in a relationship. In the 1960s, she changed roles to motherly ones as she aged, appearing in films such as The Deadly Companions (1961), The Parent Trap (1961) as well as The Rare Breed (1966). In 1971, she announced her retirement from the film industry. But, she returned to the film industry 20 years later to play alongside John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991).