Maureen O'Hara

Maureen FitzSimons, born 17 August 1920 and passed away 24 October 2015) was an Irish actress from Ireland. She was a popular actress in Hollywood from the 1940s through the 1960s. Her natural redhead was who was known for playing passionate but sensible heroines, often in Westerns and adventure films. Charles Laughton was the first to see her potential as a star and introduced her to Hollywood. She also had numerous collaborations alongside John Ford and John Wayne an old friend and director. O'Hara was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, in a Catholic family. She wanted to become an actress at the age of a child. At the age of 10, she studied at the Rathmines Theatre Company and the Abbey Theatre. She was given a screen trial that was not deemed satisfactory However, Charles Laughton saw potential, and suggested that she be a co-star in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn in 1939. RKO Pictures offered her a contract. She also moved to Hollywood the same year to play with him in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. In the years following, she enjoyed an extended and prosperous career. She was often referred to as "the Queen Of Technicolor". Her films comprise How Green Was My Valley (1941) and her first film with John Ford, The Black Swan (1942), The Spanish Main (1945), Sinbad the Sailor (47) as well as the classic Christmas film Miracle on 34th Street (1947), and Comanche Territory (1950). O'Hara made her first film together with John Wayne, the actor who she is closely involved, in Rio Grande (1950). The following films followed: The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles (1957), McLintock! (1963), as well as Big Jake (1971). It was evident how well she bonded with Wayne that many believed they were engaged. O'Hara began to assume more mommy roles in the 1960s , as she grew older. She was in films such as The Deadly Companions (1961), The Parent Trap (611) and The Rare Breed (1966). In 1971, she announced her retirement from film production. But, she returned 20 years later to play with John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991).