Maureen O'Hara

Maureen FitzSimons (17 August 1920 - - 24 October 2015) was an Irish actress, singer and actor who rose to fame in Hollywood from 1940s until the 1960s. Her natural redhead nature was a draw for strong but smart heroines in Westerns and adventure movies. Charles Laughton, an actor who first noticed her potential as a star, introduced her to Hollywood. In numerous instances, she also worked with John Ford, longtime friend John Wayne and John Ford. O'Hara was born and was raised in Dublin, Ireland, in a Catholic family, and aspired to become an actress from an early age. She began her education in the Abbey Theatre as well as the Rathmines Theatre Company when she was just 10 years old. She was given a screen test that was not deemed satisfactory However, Charles Laughton saw potential, and set up for her to play alongside him in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn in 1939. RKO Pictures gave her a contract. She had an extensive, lucrative career and was known as "the Queen of Technicolor". Her films comprise How Green Was My Valley (1941) the 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). O'Hara starred in Rio Grande (1950) as O'Hara along with John Wayne, her most close friend. The following films followed: The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles (1957), McLintock! (1963) as well as Big Jake (2001). It was evident how well she bonded with Wayne that many assumed they were together. O'Hara began to assume more mommy roles in the 1960s as she got older. She appeared in films such as The Deadly Companions (1961), The Parent Trap (611) and The Rare Breed (1966). In 1971, she retired from the film industry. But she returned 20 years later , to co-star alongside John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991).