In Memoriam: Maureen O’Hara
Screen legend Maureen O’Hara passed away over the weekend. According to her longtime manager Johnny Nicoletti, she died in her sleep at her Boise, Idaho home. O’Hara was 95 years old.
“She passed peacefully surrounded by her loving family as they celebrated her life listening to music from her favorite movie, The Quiet Man,” a statement prepared by her family said.
O’Hara was born Maureen FitzSimons in Ranelagh, Ireland on August 17, 1920. As a child she performed productions for her family and sang and danced at school, displaying early signs of her talent. During her teen years she studied drama and music at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre School. She moved on to film acting, first in London, where she caught the attention of producer and Oscar winning movie star Charles Laughton. Her first substantial role was in Alfred Hitchcock’s Jamaica Inn, in 1939.
That year she moved to Hollywood, making her U.S. film debut as the gypsy Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Other significant early roles came in How Green Was My Valley, The Black Swan, Sinbad the Sailor, and Bagdad. One of her most memorable roles came in the 1947 Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street where she played a single, working mother whose beliefs are challenged when she develops a friendship with Santa Claus.
In the ’40s and ’50s she became known as the “Queen of Technicolor.” Her penchant for strong willed characters, combined with signature fiery red hair and unwavering green-eyed stare made her a star in films like Buffalo Bill, The Spanish Main, The Flame of Araby, and The Redhead From Wyoming.
The 1950s also saw the great Hollywood pairing with John Wayne. The feisty Irish actress and the headstrong cowboy actor sizzled with onscreen chemistry in Rio Grande, The Quiet Man, The Wings of Eagles, McLintock!, and Big Jake.
Taking on a lighter side, she worked in comedy and musicals through the 1960s, singing on TV, making albums, and starring in the Broadway production of Christine. On film she starred in The Parent Trap, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, and How Do I Love Thee?.
After a 20-year break from acting she returned for Only the Lonely with John Candy, and TV movies The Christmas Box and Cab to Canada. Her final role came in The Last Dance in 2000 playing a retired teacher. In 2014 she received an honorary Academy Award for her career that spanned seven decades.
During her lifetime she was married three times to George Hanley Brown, William Price, and Charles F. Blair. She had one daughter, Bronwyn Price.
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In Memoriam: Maureen O’Hara
Screen legend Maureen O’Hara passed away over the weekend. According to her longtime manager Johnny Nicoletti, she died in her sleep at her Boise, Idaho home. O’Hara was 95 years old.
“She passed peacefully surrounded by her loving family as they celebrated her life listening to music from her favorite movie, The Quiet Man,” a statement prepared by her family said.
O’Hara was born Maureen FitzSimons in Ranelagh, Ireland on August 17, 1920. As a child she performed productions for her family and sang and danced at school, displaying early signs of her talent. During her teen years she studied drama and music at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre School. She moved on to film acting, first in London, where she caught the attention of producer and Oscar winning movie star Charles Laughton. Her first substantial role was in Alfred Hitchcock’s Jamaica Inn, in 1939.
That year she moved to Hollywood, making her U.S. film debut as the gypsy Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Other significant early roles came in How Green Was My Valley, The Black Swan, Sinbad the Sailor, and Bagdad. One of her most memorable roles came in the 1947 Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street where she played a single, working mother whose beliefs are challenged when she develops a friendship with Santa Claus.
In the ’40s and ’50s she became known as the “Queen of Technicolor.” Her penchant for strong willed characters, combined with signature fiery red hair and unwavering green-eyed stare made her a star in films like Buffalo Bill, The Spanish Main, The Flame of Araby, and The Redhead From Wyoming.
The 1950s also saw the great Hollywood pairing with John Wayne. The feisty Irish actress and the headstrong cowboy actor sizzled with onscreen chemistry in Rio Grande, The Quiet Man, The Wings of Eagles, McLintock!, and Big Jake.
Taking on a lighter side, she worked in comedy and musicals through the 1960s, singing on TV, making albums, and starring in the Broadway production of Christine. On film she starred in The Parent Trap, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, and How Do I Love Thee?.
After a 20-year break from acting she returned for Only the Lonely with John Candy, and TV movies The Christmas Box and Cab to Canada. Her final role came in The Last Dance in 2000 playing a retired teacher. In 2014 she received an honorary Academy Award for her career that spanned seven decades.
During her lifetime she was married three times to George Hanley Brown, William Price, and Charles F. Blair. She had one daughter, Bronwyn Price.
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