Maureen O'Hara

Maureen O'Hara (born Maureen FitzSimons; 17 August 1920 until 24 October, 2015) was an Irish actor and singer who became successful in Hollywood throughout the 1940s to  60s. Naturally redheaded, she was well-known as sensual and passionate heroines. She often appeared in Westerns or in adventure films. Her potential for stardom was initially recognized by the actor Charles Laughton, who brought her to Hollywood as well as several times she worked with director John Ford and longtime friend John Wayne. O'Hara was born in Dublin, Ireland and was raised Catholic. She aspired from at an early age to be an actor. She trained with the Rathmines Theatre Company from the age of 10 and was at the Abbey Theatre beginning at the age of 14. After getting through a screen test she was disqualified. However, Charles Laughton recognized her potential and offered her perform in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn in 1939. She moved to Hollywood the same year to appear with him in the production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and was given an agreement by RKO Pictures. From there, she went on to have a long and highly successful career, which earned her the moniker "the Queen of Technicolor". She was 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) as well as the classic Christmas film Miracle on 34th Street (1947) with John Payne and Natalie Wood and Comanche Territory (1950). O'Hara made her first film with John Wayne, the actor with whom she is most closely with, in Rio Grande (1950). The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles (57) and McLintock followed. (1963) as well as Big Jake (2001). It was evident how well she bonded with Wayne that many assumed that they were married or in a relationship. She became more motherly as she got older, appearing in films such as The Deadly Companions (1961), The Parent Trap(61) and The Rare Breed (1966). O'Hara resigned from the film industry in the year 1971. She returned to the business twenty years later, appearing with John Candy (1991).